A multi-scale approach reveals random phylogenetic patterns at the edge of vascular plant life
Le Bagousse-Pinguet Y., Liancourt P., de Bello F., Altman J., Brozova V., Chlumska Z., Dvorsky M., Capkova K., Kopecky M., Rehakova K., Riha P., Leps J., Dolezal J.
Here we assessed phylogenetic patterns in the arid Trans-Himalaya – one of the highest elevation limits for vascular plants worldwide. The studied phylogenetic patterns emerge from the complex interplay between multiple drivers, including the species pool, the regional context (history, climate and species richness), the abiotic and the biotic conditions. Our results also challenged the common view that increasing spatial and phylogenetic scales, as well as increasing biotic and abiotic constraints, select communities with species originating from fewer, and more closely-related clades.