Data from: Evolutionary radiations of Proteaceae are triggered by the interaction between traits and climates in open habitats

Aim: Ecologically driven diversification can create spectacular diversity
in both species numbers and form. However, the prediction that the match
between intrinsic (e.g. functional trait) and extrinsic (e.g. climatic
niche) variables may lead to evolutionary radiation has not been
critically tested. Here, we test this hypothesis in the Southern
Hemisphere plant family Proteaceae, which shows a spectacular diversity in
open mediterranean shrublands in the Southwest Australian Floristic Region
(SWAFR) and the Cape Floristic Region (CFR). Species in the Proteaceae
family occupy habitats ranging from tropical rain forests to deserts and
are remarkably variable in leaf morphology. Location: Southern Hemisphere.
Methods: We built a phylogenetic tree for 337 Proteaceae species (21% of
the total), representing all main clades, climatic tolerances and
morphologies, and collected leaf functional traits (leaf area,
sclerophylly, leaf shape) for 261 species and climatic niche data for 1645
species. Phylogenetic generalized least squares regression and
quantitative-trait evolutionary model testing were used to investigate the
evolutionary pathways of traits and climatic niches, and their effect on
diversification rates. Results: We found that divergent selection may have
caused lineages in open vegetation types to evolve towards trait and
climatic niche optima distinct from those in closed forests. Furthermore,
we show that the interaction between open habitats, dry, warm and/or
mediterranean climates, and small, sclerophyllous, toothed leaves
increases net diversification rates in Proteaceae. Main conclusions: Our
results suggest that the evolution of specific leaf adaptations may have
allowed Proteaceae to adapt to variable climatic niches and diversify
extensively in open ecosystems such as those in the CFR and SWAFR. This
match between morphology and environment may therefore more generally lead
to evolutionary radiation.