Data from: Which frugivory‐related traits facilitated historical long‐distance dispersal in the custard apple family (Annonaceae)?

Aim Long-distance dispersal has contributed to the disjunct
biogeographical distribution of rain forest plants – something that has
fascinated biogeographers since Humboldt’s time. However, the dispersal
‘agent’ for these tropical plant lineages remains puzzling. Here, we
investigate which frugivory-related traits may have facilitated past
intercontinental long-distance dispersal in the custard apple family
(Annonaceae), a major vertebrate-dispersed tropical plant family. We
hypothesize that long-distance dispersal was associated with the evolution
of traits related to dispersal by large-bodied mammals (e.g. large,
dull-coloured, ‘megafaunal’ fruits) and strong-flying, ocean-crossing
birds and bats (e.g. dehiscent, moniliform or cauliflorous fruits).
Location Global Taxon Annonaceae Methods We used a fossil-calibrated
phylogenetic framework to infer the biogeographic history of 234
Annonaceae species (10%, covering nearly all genera) in relation to the
evolution of 15 frugivory-related traits, using maximum likelihood and
Bayesian inferences. Furthermore, we used linear and generalized linear
models and phylogenetic simulations to test whether ancestral fruit traits
during intercontinental dispersal were different from those of other
lineages not involved in long-distance dispersal. Results We inferred the
ancestral Annonaceae fruits to be small with a single or few small seeds
and a small number of fruitlets. These fruits were most probably
apocarpous, indehiscent and/or moniliform (i.e. long beads of fruitlets).
Furthermore, most of the long-distance dispersal events in Annonaceae
occurred via the expanded tropical forests in the Early Cenozoic
(‘geodispersal’), and were significantly associated with large (c. 3 cm
long), dull-coloured fruits, and short stipes. Additionally, long-distance
dispersal was also facilitated by dehiscent, moniliform and
non-cauliflorous fruits. Main conclusions We suggest that the evolution of
frugivory-related traits associated with dispersal by frugivores that
frequently move across large distances and/or barriers, such as
large-bodied mammals and strong-flying birds, has contributed to the
disjunct tropical biogeographical distribution of Annonaceae, and probably
of tropical rain forest plants more generally.