Phylogeography of Neotropical trees

Phylogeography of Neotropical trees

The Neotropics harbour some of the most species-rich forests in the world, and understanding their biogeographical history has major implications for debates about the origins of tropical diversity (Hoorn et al., 2010; Rull, 2011), for the success of conservation efforts (Faith et al., 2010), and for predicting responses to climate change (Willis et al., 2010). A variety of factors, acting on d...

Biogeographic distributions of neotropical trees

Phylogeography and demographic history of the neotropical otter (Lontra longicaudis).

The Neotropical otter (Lontra longicaudis) is a medium-sized semiaquatic carnivore with a broad distribution in the Neotropical region. Despite being apparently common in many areas, it is one of the least known otters, and genetic studies on this species are scarce. Here, we have investigated its genetic diversity, population structure, and demographic history across a large portion of its geo...

Water economy of Neotropical savanna trees: six paradigms revisited.

Biologists have long been puzzled by the striking morphological and anatomical characteristics of Neotropical savanna trees which have large scleromorphic leaves, allocate more than half of their total biomass to belowground structures and produce new leaves during the peak of the dry season. Based on results of ongoing interdisciplinary projects in the savannas of central Brazil (cerrado), we ...

Hydraulic redistribution of soil water by neotropical savanna trees.

The magnitude and direction of water transport by the roots of eight dominant Brazilian savanna (Cerrado) woody species were determined with a heat pulse system that allowed bidirectional measurements of sap flow. The patterns of sap flow observed during the dry season in species with dimorphic root systems were consistent with the occurrence of hydraulic redistribution of soil water, the movem...