Evolutionary constraints and adaptation shape the size and colour of rain forest fruits and flowers at continental scale

Aim: Large-scale patterns in flower and fruit traits provide critical insights into selection processes and the evolutionary history of plant lineages. To isolate and identify the role of selective pressures including different plant-animal interactions, and the factors driving trait evolution, we investigate convergence and divergence between flower and fruit traits in shared environments.

Location: Australia to Southeast Asia.

Time period: Eocene (~45 My) to Present.

Major taxa studied: Woody angiosperm rainforest species (2248 species, 133 families).

Methods: Using a continental scale data set for all woody angiosperm species in the Australian rainforest (1816 free-standing and 432 climbing species) we compare the colour and size of fleshy fruits and flowers in relation to life form (trees/shrubs and vines), species biogeographic histories and origins (Sunda vs. Sahul), and bio-regional distributions.

Results: Fleshy fruits in the Australian rainforest are mostly small, with a diversity of colours (