Final published version
Licence: CC BY: Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License
Research output: Contribution to Journal/Magazine › Journal article › peer-review
Research output: Contribution to Journal/Magazine › Journal article › peer-review
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TY - JOUR
T1 - C4 trees have broader niches than their close C3 relatives
AU - Young, Sophie
AU - Dunning, Luke
AU - Liu, Hui
AU - Stevens, Carly
AU - Lundgren, Marjorie
PY - 2022/5/23
Y1 - 2022/5/23
N2 - Previous studies have demonstrated the ecological sorting of herbaceous C3 and C4 species along gradients of precipitation and temperature: C4 herbaceous species typically occupy drier and warmer environments than their C3 relatives. However, it is unclear if this pattern holds true for C4 tree species, which are unique to Euphorbiaceae and found only on the Hawaiian Islands. Here, we combine occurrence data with local environmental and soil datasets to, for the first time, distinguish the ecological factors associated with photosynthetic diversification in the tree life form. These data are presented within a phylogenetic framework. We show that C3 and C4 trees inhabit similar environments, but that C4 photosynthesis expands the ecological niche in trees relative to that of C3 tree species. In particular, when compared to C3 trees, C4 trees moved into higher elevation habitats with characteristically sparse vegetation (and thus greater sunlight) and cooler temperatures, a pattern which contrasts with that of herbaceous species. Understanding the relationship between C4 photosynthesis and ecological niche in tree species has implications for establishing how C4 has, in this rare instance, evolved in trees, and whether this unique combination of traits could be exploited from an engineering perspective.
AB - Previous studies have demonstrated the ecological sorting of herbaceous C3 and C4 species along gradients of precipitation and temperature: C4 herbaceous species typically occupy drier and warmer environments than their C3 relatives. However, it is unclear if this pattern holds true for C4 tree species, which are unique to Euphorbiaceae and found only on the Hawaiian Islands. Here, we combine occurrence data with local environmental and soil datasets to, for the first time, distinguish the ecological factors associated with photosynthetic diversification in the tree life form. These data are presented within a phylogenetic framework. We show that C3 and C4 trees inhabit similar environments, but that C4 photosynthesis expands the ecological niche in trees relative to that of C3 tree species. In particular, when compared to C3 trees, C4 trees moved into higher elevation habitats with characteristically sparse vegetation (and thus greater sunlight) and cooler temperatures, a pattern which contrasts with that of herbaceous species. Understanding the relationship between C4 photosynthesis and ecological niche in tree species has implications for establishing how C4 has, in this rare instance, evolved in trees, and whether this unique combination of traits could be exploited from an engineering perspective.
KW - Biogeography
KW - C4 photosynthesis
KW - Chamaesyce
KW - Euphorbia
KW - euphorbiaceae
KW - trees
U2 - 10.1093/jxb/erac113
DO - 10.1093/jxb/erac113
M3 - Journal article
VL - 73
SP - 3189
EP - 3204
JO - Journal of Experimental Botany
JF - Journal of Experimental Botany
SN - 0022-0957
IS - 10
ER -