AI Article Synopsis
- Improved phylogenetic methods and comprehensive data allow for detailed analysis of trait evolution in seed plants, focusing on seed mass across 12,987 species.
- The study reveals that the most significant change in seed mass occurred during the split between angiosperms and gymnosperms, with notable divergence found between the Celastraceae and Parnassiaceae families.
- Furthermore, wide variations in seed size are more closely linked to changes in plant growth form rather than dispersal methods or geographic location, indicating a coordinated evolution of seed size and growth form.
Article Abstract
Improved phylogenies and the accumulation of broad comparative data sets have opened the way for phylogenetic analyses to trace trait evolution in major groups of organisms. We arrayed seed mass data for 12,987 species on the seed plant phylogeny and show the history of seed size from the emergence of the angiosperms through to the present day. The largest single contributor to the present-day spread of seed mass was the divergence between angiosperms and gymnosperms, whereas the widest divergence was between Celastraceae and Parnassiaceae. Wide divergences in seed size were more often associated with divergences in growth form than with divergences in dispersal syndrome or latitude. Cross-species studies and evolutionary theory are consistent with this evidence that growth form and seed size evolve in a coordinated manner.
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| http://dx.doi.org/10.1126/science.1104863 | DOI Listing |
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