Large range sizes link fast life histories with high species richness across wet tropical tree floras

Baker, Timothy R, Adu-Bredu, Stephen, Affum-Baffoe, Kofi, Aiba, Shin-ichiro, Akite, Perpetra, Alexiades, Miguel, Almeida, Everton, de Oliveira, Edmar Almeida, Davila, Esteban Alvarez, Amani, Christian, Andrade, Ana, Aragao, Luiz, Araujo-Murakami, Alejandro, Arets, Eric, Arroyo, Luzmila, Ashton, Peter, Ifo, Suspense A Averti, Aymard, Gerardo A C, Baisie, Michel, Balee, William, Balinga, Michael, Banin, Lindsay F, Banki, Olaf, Baraloto, Christopher, Barroso, Jorcely, Bastin, Jean-Francois, Beeckman, Hans, Begne, Serge, Bengone, Natacha Nssi, Berry, Nicholas, Betian, Wemo, Bezard, Vincent, Blanc, Lilian, Boeckx, Pascal, Bonal, Damien, Bongers, Frans, Brearley, Francis Q ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-5053-5693, Brienen, Roel, Brown, Foster, Nasaradin, Musalmah Bt., Burban, Benoit, Burslem, David F R P, Camargo, Plinio, Camargo, Jose Luis, Castro, Wendeson, Ceron, Carlos, Moscoso, Victor Chama, Chapman, Colin, Chave, Jerome, Chezeaux, Eric, Collins, Murray, Comiskey, James, Coomes, David, Valverde, Fernando Cornejo, Costa, Flavia R C, Cuni-Sanchez, Aida, da Costa, Lola, Daly, Douglas C, Dančák, Martin, Daniels, Armandu, Dargie, Greta, Davies, Stuart, De Canniere, Charles, de Haulleville, Thales, del Aguila Pasquel, Jhon, Derroire, Geraldine, Dexter, Kyle G, Di Fiore, Anthony, Djuikouo, Marie-Noel K, Doucet, Jean-Louis, Droissart, Vincent, Eilu, Gerald, Emillio, Thaise, Engel, Julien, Enock, Bocko Yannick, Ondo, Fidele Evouna, Ewango, Corneille, Fauset, Sophie, Feldpausch, Ted R, Fitriadi, Muhammad, Llampazo, Gerardo Flores, Foli, Ernest G, Fredriksson, Gabriella, Galbraith, David R., Gilpin, Martin, Gloor, Emanuel, Gonmadje, Christelle, Villaroel, Rene Guillen, Hall, Jefferson, Hamer, Keith C, Hamilton, Alan, Hardy, Olivier, Hart, Terese, Hédl, Radim, Herrera, Rafael, Higuchi, Niro, Hladik, Claude Marcel, Coronado, Eurídice Honorio, Huamantupa-Chuquimaco, Isau, Huasco, Walter Huaraca, Hubau, Wannes, Idhamsyah, Muhammad, Ismail, Sascha A, Jeffery, Kath, Jimenez, Eliana, Jucker, Tommaso, Kearsley, Elizabeth, Kho, Lip Khoon, Killeen, Timothy, Kitayama, Kanehiro, Laurance, William, Laurance, Susan, Leal, Miguel, Lewis, Simon L., Lhota, Stanislav, Lindsell, Jeremy, Lopez-Gonzalez, Gabriela, Lovett, Jon, Lowe, Richard, Magnusson, William E, Makana, Jean-Remy, Malhi, Yadvinder, Marimon, Beatriz, Junior, Ben Hur Marimon, Marshall, Andrew, Maycock, Colin, Mbayu, Faustin, Mendoza, Casimiro, Polo, Irina Mendoza, Metali, Faizah, Mihindou, Vianet, Monteagudo-Mendoza, Abel, Moore, Sam, Mucunguzi, Patrick, Mukinzi, Jacques, Munishi, Pantaleo, Nagy, Laszlo, Naisso, Petrus, Neill, David, Lima, Adriano Nogueira, Vargas, Percy Nunez, Ojo, Lucas, Palacios, Walter, Camacho, Nadir Pallqui, Gutierrez, Alexander Parada, Peacock, Julie, Peh, Kelvin S-H, Cruz, Antonio Pena, Pendry, Colin, Pennington, Toby, Penuela-Mora, Maria Cristina, Petronelli, Pascal, Phillips, Oliver L, Pickavance, Georgia, Pipoly, G. John, Pitman, Nigel, Poulsen, Axel Dalberg, Prance, Ghillean T, Prieto, Adriana, Primack, Richard B, Qie, Lan, Queenborough, Simon A, Sunderland, Terry, Quesada, Carlos, Arevalo, Freddy Ramirez, Ramirez-Angulo, Hirma, Reitsma, Jan, Réjou-Méchain, Maxime, Roopsind, Anand, Rovero, Francesco, Rutishauser, Ervan, Salim, Kamariah Abu, Salomao, Rafael, Samsoedin, Ismayadi, Saparudin, Muhd Shahruney, Schietti, Juliana, Segovia, Ricardo A, Serrano, Julio, Serudia, Rafizah, Sheil, Douglas, Silva, Natalino, Espejo, Javier Silva, Silveira, Marcos, Simo-Droissart, Murielle, Singh, James, Sonké, Bonaventure, De Sousa, Thaise Emilio Lopes, Stropp, Juliana, Sukri, Rahayu, Svátek, Martin, Swaine, Michael, Taedoumg, Hermann, Talbot, Joey, Tan, Sylvester, Taplin, James, Taylor, David, ter Steege, Hans, Terborgh, John, Torres-Lezama, Armando, Mukendi, John Tshibamba, Tuagben, Darlington, van de Meer, Peter, van der Heijden, Geertje, van der Hout, Peter, van Nieuwstadt, Mark, van Ulft, Bert, Martinez, Rodolfo Vasquez, Vernimmen, Ronald, Vinceti, Barbara, Vieira, Simone, Vieira, Ima Celia Guimaries, Torre, Emilio Vilanova, Vleminckx, Jason, White, Lee, Willcock, Simon, Williams, Mathew, Woods, John T, Yao, Tze Leong, Yassir, Ishak, Zagt, Roderick and Zemagho, Lise (2025) Large range sizes link fast life histories with high species richness across wet tropical tree floras. Scientific Reports, 15 (1). 4695. ISSN 2045-2322

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Abstract

Understanding how the traits of lineages are related to diversification is key for elucidating the origin of variation in species richness. Here, we test whether traits are related to species richness among lineages of trees from all major biogeographical settings of the lowland wet tropics. We explore whether variation in mortality rate, breeding system and maximum diameter are related to species richness, either directly or via associations with range size, among 463 genera that contain wet tropical forest trees. For Amazonian genera, we also explore whether traits are related to species richness via variation among genera in mean species-level range size. Lineages with higher mortality rates—faster life-history strategies—have larger ranges in all biogeographic settings and have higher mean species-level range sizes in Amazonia. These lineages also have smaller maximum diameters and, in the Americas, contain dioecious species. In turn, lineages with greater overall range size have higher species richness. Our results show that fast life-history strategies influence species richness in all biogeographic settings because lineages with these ecological strategies have greater range sizes. These links suggest that dispersal has been a key process in the evolution of the tropical forest flora.