Narrow endemics of the Almeria Province (Andalusia, Spain) differ in their traits and ecological niche compared to their more widespread congeners

• Autores: Alexia Totté Totté, Antonio Delgado, Teresa Navarro del Águila, Pierre Meerts
• Localización: Folia geobotánica: A journal of plant ecology and systematics, ISSN-e 1874-9348, ISSN 1211-9520, Vol. 50, Nº 2, 2015, págs. 137-150
• Idioma: inglés
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• Resumen

  • Understanding the evolutionary ecology of geographically restricted species is of great importance for the design of conservation strategies and for gaining insight into the evolutionary processes involved in the origin and maintenance of those species. With a very high proportion of endemic species and/or subspecies, the province of Almeria in Andalusia (SE Spain) represents a prominent hotspot of plant diversity in the Mediterranean Basin. In this paper, we use phylogenetically independent contrasts to examine whether narrow endemics (i.e. species mostly restricted to the Almeria Province, hereafter NE) have evolved a ‘syndrome of endemism’. Based on published trait values, we tested whether (i) NE occupy a particular altitudinal range, possess a smaller niche breadth and occur within particular plant associations, and whether (ii) NE have distinct vegetative and reproductive traits. We found that, compared to their more widespread congeners, NE (i) occupy a narrower altitudinal range at the upper or lower limits of their congeners’ ranges; (ii) occur in a smaller number of plant communities that are distinct from the communities of widespread species; and (iii) have an 11 % shorter flowering duration, 28 % fewer flowers per inflorescence, 30 % reduced floral display, and 23 % lower floral attractiveness. These differences are not explained by a smaller size overall or a different ploidy level. NE have apparently evolved traits that promote selfing. The shift towards higher selfing rates is interpreted as a mechanism to promote reproductive assurance and to decrease gene flow from the more widespread congeners.