Abstract
Fruit type, an important reproductive trait, is closely related to reproduction strategy, community dynamics and biotic interactions. However, limited research has explored the geographic distribution of fruit type and the underlying abiotic factors influencing this on a large scale. Here we aim to study large-scale distribution patterns of fleshy-fruited plant species and the most important environmental drivers for different growth forms in utilizing the fruit type and distribution data for over 27000 plant species in China. Results indicated that the proportion of fleshy-fruited species was higher in southeast China, and this pattern was consistent between different growth forms. Overall, the proportion of fleshy-fruited species was higher in wet, warm, and stable environments. Notably, mean annual precipitation had the greatest predictive contribution to woody fleshy-fruited species distributions, but mean annual temperature best predicted the herbaceous fleshy-fruited species distributions. We provide the first map of a large-scale distribution of fleshy-fruited plant species for different growth forms in the northern hemisphere and show that these geographic patterns are mainly determined by contrasting climatic gradients. Recognizing that climate factors have different relationships with different growth forms of fleshy-fruited species advances our knowledge about fruit type and environment. This work contributes to predictions of the global distribution of fleshy-fruited species under future climate change scenarios and provides a reference for continued research on the complex interactions between plants, frugivores and the environment.
Highlights
Functional biogeography is an emerging field that focuses on the geographical distribution of trait diversity and its relationship with environmental variables[1]
The geographic patterns of fleshy-fruited species were generally similar between growth forms with differences explained by links to different environmental drivers
mean annual precipitation (MAP) had the greatest influence on woody fleshy-fruited species distribution and mean annual temperature (MAT) was most important for the herbaceous species distribution
Summary
Functional biogeography is an emerging field that focuses on the geographical distribution of trait diversity and its relationship with environmental variables[1]. Large-scale distribution patterns of fruit type and the important environmental drivers affecting them remain poorly understood It is unclear whether the geographic distribution of fleshy-fruited species and the environmental determinants differ among various growth forms (i.e., herbaceous species vs woody species). Since fleshy fruits contain high levels of water and organic compounds[25], large temperature fluctuations, especially cold temperatures, can result in damage to fruits that affects reproductive success[26] It remains unclear which climate factors contribute the most to fleshy-fruited species distribution. Herbaceous species may acquire energy more rapidly to accumulate biomass for organ growth due to their limited lifetime[30] compared with the woody species At this time the influence of growth form on the relationship between fruit type and climatic factors is poorly studied
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