Evolution of Plant Architecture, Functional Diversification and Divergent Evolution in the Genus Atractocarpus (Rubiaceae) for New Caledonia

The diversification of ecological roles and related adaptations in closely related species within a lineage is one of the most important processes linking plant evolution and ecology. Plant architecture offers a robust framework to study these processes as it can highlight how plant structure influences plant diversification and ecological strategies. We investigated a case of gradual evolution of branching architecture in Atractocarpus spp. (Rubiaceae), forming a monophyletic group in New Caledonia that has diversified rapidly, predominantly in rainforest understory habitats. We used a transdisciplinary approach to depict architectural variations and revealed multiple evolutionary transitions from a branched (Stone's architectural model) to a monocaulous habit (Corner's architectural model), which involved the functional reduction of branches into inflorescences. We propose an integrative functional index that assesses branching incidence on functional traits influencing both assimilation and exploration functions. We showed that architectural transitions correlate with ecologically important functional traits. Variation in ecologically important traits among closely relatives, as supported by the architectural analysis, is suggestive of intense competition that favored divergence among locally coexisting species. We propose that Pleistocene climatic fluctuations causing expansion and contraction of rainforest could also have offered ecological opportunities for colonizers in addition to the process of divergent evolution

Mining rare Earth elements: Identifying the plant species most threatened by ore extraction in an insular hotspot

Conservation efforts in global biodiversity hotspots often face a common predicament: an urgent need for conservation action hampered by a significant lack of knowledge about that biodiversity. In recent decades, the computerisation of primary biodiversity data worldwide has provided the scientific community with raw material to increase our understanding of the shared natural heritage. These datasets, however, suffer from a lot of geographical and taxonomic inaccuracies. Automated tools developed to enhance their reliability have shown that detailed expert examination remains the best way to achieve robust and exhaustive datasets. In New Caledonia, one of the most important biodiversity hotspots worldwide, the plant diversity inventory is still underway, and most taxa awaiting formal description are narrow endemics, hence by definition hard to discern in the datasets. In the meantime, anthropogenic pressures, such as nickel-ore mining, are threatening the unique ultramafic ecosystems at an increasing rate. The conservation challenge is therefore a race against time, as the rarest species must be identified and protected before they vanish. In this study, based on all available datasets and resources, we applied a workflow capable of highlighting the lesser known taxa. The main challenges addressed were to aggregate all data available worldwide, and tackle the geographical and taxonomic biases, avoiding the data loss resulting from automated filtering. Every doubtful specimen went through a careful taxonomic analysis by a local and international taxonomist panel. Geolocation of the whole dataset was achieved through dataset cross-checking, local botanists’ field knowledge, and historical material examination. Field studies were also conducted to clarify the most unresolved taxa. With the help of this method and by analysing over 85,000 data, we were able to double the number of known narrow endemic taxa, elucidate 68 putative new species, and update our knowledge of the rarest species’ distributions so as to promote conservation measures

TRY plant trait database – enhanced coverage and open access

Plant traits - the morphological, anatomical, physiological, biochemical and phenological characteristics of plants - determine how plants respond to environmental factors, affect other trophic levels, and influence ecosystem properties and their benefits and detriments to people. Plant trait data thus represent the basis for a vast area of research spanning from evolutionary biology, community and functional ecology, to biodiversity conservation, ecosystem and landscape management, restoration, biogeography and earth system modelling. Since its foundation in 2007, the TRY database of plant traits has grown continuously. It now provides unprecedented data coverage under an open access data policy and is the main plant trait database used by the research community worldwide. Increasingly, the TRY database also supports new frontiers of trait‐based plant research, including the identification of data gaps and the subsequent mobilization or measurement of new data. To support this development, in this article we evaluate the extent of the trait data compiled in TRY and analyse emerging patterns of data coverage and representativeness. Best species coverage is achieved for categorical traits - almost complete coverage for ‘plant growth form’. However, most traits relevant for ecology and vegetation modelling are characterized by continuous intraspecific variation and trait–environmental relationships. These traits have to be measured on individual plants in their respective environment. Despite unprecedented data coverage, we observe a humbling lack of completeness and representativeness of these continuous traits in many aspects. We, therefore, conclude that reducing data gaps and biases in the TRY database remains a key challenge and requires a coordinated approach to data mobilization and trait measurements. This can only be achieved in collaboration with other initiatives

TRY plant trait database – enhanced coverage and open access

Plant traits—the morphological, anatomical, physiological, biochemical and phenological characteristics of plants—determine how plants respond to environmental factors, affect other trophic levels, and influence ecosystem properties and their benefits and detriments to people. Plant trait data thus represent the basis for a vast area of research spanning from evolutionary biology, community and functional ecology, to biodiversity conservation, ecosystem and landscape management, restoration, biogeography and earth system modelling. Since its foundation in 2007, the TRY database of plant traits has grown continuously. It now provides unprecedented data coverage under an open access data policy and is the main plant trait database used by the research community worldwide. Increasingly, the TRY database also supports new frontiers of trait-based plant research, including the identification of data gaps and the subsequent mobilization or measurement of new data. To support this development, in this article we evaluate the extent of the trait data compiled in TRY and analyse emerging patterns of data coverage and representativeness. Best species coverage is achieved for categorical traits—almost complete coverage for ‘plant growth form’. However, most traits relevant for ecology and vegetation modelling are characterized by continuous intraspecific variation and trait–environmental relationships. These traits have to be measured on individual plants in their respective environment. Despite unprecedented data coverage, we observe a humbling lack of completeness and representativeness of these continuous traits in many aspects. We, therefore, conclude that reducing data gaps and biases in the TRY database remains a key challenge and requires a coordinated approach to data mobilization and trait measurements. This can only be achieved in collaboration with other initiatives.Rest of authors: Decky Junaedi, Robert R. Junker, Eric Justes, Richard Kabzems, Jeffrey Kane, Zdenek Kaplan, Teja Kattenborn, Lyudmila Kavelenova, Elizabeth Kearsley, Anne Kempel, Tanaka Kenzo, Andrew Kerkhoff, Mohammed I. Khalil, Nicole L. Kinlock, Wilm Daniel Kissling, Kaoru Kitajima, Thomas Kitzberger, Rasmus Kjøller, Tamir Klein, Michael Kleyer, Jitka Klimešová, Joice Klipel, Brian Kloeppel, Stefan Klotz, Johannes M. H. Knops, Takashi Kohyama, Fumito Koike, Johannes Kollmann, Benjamin Komac, Kimberly Komatsu, Christian König, Nathan J. B. Kraft, Koen Kramer, Holger Kreft, Ingolf Kühn, Dushan Kumarathunge, Jonas Kuppler, Hiroko Kurokawa, Yoko Kurosawa, Shem Kuyah, Jean-Paul Laclau, Benoit Lafleur, Erik Lallai, Eric Lamb, Andrea Lamprecht, Daniel J. Larkin, Daniel Laughlin, Yoann Le Bagousse-Pinguet, Guerric le Maire, Peter C. le Roux, Elizabeth le Roux, Tali Lee, Frederic Lens, Simon L. Lewis, Barbara Lhotsky, Yuanzhi Li, Xine Li, Jeremy W. Lichstein, Mario Liebergesell, Jun Ying Lim, Yan-Shih Lin, Juan Carlos Linares, Chunjiang Liu, Daijun Liu, Udayangani Liu, Stuart Livingstone, Joan Llusià, Madelon Lohbeck, Álvaro López-García, Gabriela Lopez-Gonzalez, Zdeňka Lososová, Frédérique Louault, Balázs A. Lukács, Petr Lukeš, Yunjian Luo, Michele Lussu, Siyan Ma, Camilla Maciel Rabelo Pereira, Michelle Mack, Vincent Maire, Annikki Mäkelä, Harri Mäkinen, Ana Claudia Mendes Malhado, Azim Mallik, Peter Manning, Stefano Manzoni, Zuleica Marchetti, Luca Marchino, Vinicius Marcilio-Silva, Eric Marcon, Michela Marignani, Lars Markesteijn, Adam Martin, Cristina Martínez-Garza, Jordi Martínez-Vilalta, Tereza Mašková, Kelly Mason, Norman Mason, Tara Joy Massad, Jacynthe Masse, Itay Mayrose, James McCarthy, M. Luke McCormack, Katherine McCulloh, Ian R. McFadden, Brian J. McGill, Mara Y. McPartland, Juliana S. Medeiros, Belinda Medlyn, Pierre Meerts, Zia Mehrabi, Patrick Meir, Felipe P. L. Melo, Maurizio Mencuccini, Céline Meredieu, Julie Messier, Ilona Mészáros, Juha Metsaranta, Sean T. Michaletz, Chrysanthi Michelaki, Svetlana Migalina, Ruben Milla, Jesse E. D. Miller, Vanessa Minden, Ray Ming, Karel Mokany, Angela T. Moles, Attila Molnár V, Jane Molofsky, Martin Molz, Rebecca A. Montgomery, Arnaud Monty, Lenka Moravcová, Alvaro Moreno-Martínez, Marco Moretti, Akira S. Mori, Shigeta Mori, Dave Morris, Jane Morrison, Ladislav Mucina, Sandra Mueller, Christopher D. Muir, Sandra Cristina Müller, François Munoz, Isla H. Myers-Smith, Randall W. Myster, Masahiro Nagano, Shawna Naidu, Ayyappan Narayanan, Balachandran Natesan, Luka Negoita, Andrew S. Nelson, Eike Lena Neuschulz, Jian Ni, Georg Niedrist, Jhon Nieto, Ülo Niinemets, Rachael Nolan, Henning Nottebrock, Yann Nouvellon, Alexander Novakovskiy, The Nutrient Network, Kristin Odden Nystuen, Anthony O'Grady, Kevin O'Hara, Andrew O'Reilly-Nugent, Simon Oakley, Walter Oberhuber, Toshiyuki Ohtsuka, Ricardo Oliveira, Kinga Öllerer, Mark E. Olson, Vladimir Onipchenko, Yusuke Onoda, Renske E. Onstein, Jenny C. Ordonez, Noriyuki Osada, Ivika Ostonen, Gianluigi Ottaviani, Sarah Otto, Gerhard E. Overbeck, Wim A. Ozinga, Anna T. Pahl, C. E. Timothy Paine, Robin J. Pakeman, Aristotelis C. Papageorgiou, Evgeniya Parfionova, Meelis Pärtel, Marco Patacca, Susana Paula, Juraj Paule, Harald Pauli, Juli G. Pausas, Begoña Peco, Josep Penuelas, Antonio Perea, Pablo Luis Peri, Ana Carolina Petisco-Souza, Alessandro Petraglia, Any Mary Petritan, Oliver L. Phillips, Simon Pierce, Valério D. Pillar, Jan Pisek, Alexandr Pomogaybin, Hendrik Poorter, Angelika Portsmuth, Peter Poschlod, Catherine Potvin, Devon Pounds, A. Shafer Powell, Sally A. Power, Andreas Prinzing, Giacomo Puglielli, Petr Pyšek, Valerie Raevel, Anja Rammig, Johannes Ransijn, Courtenay A. Ray, Peter B. Reich, Markus Reichstein, Douglas E. B. Reid, Maxime Réjou-Méchain, Victor Resco de Dios, Sabina Ribeiro, Sarah Richardson, Kersti Riibak, Matthias C. Rillig, Fiamma Riviera, Elisabeth M. R. Robert, Scott Roberts, Bjorn Robroek, Adam Roddy, Arthur Vinicius Rodrigues, Alistair Rogers, Emily Rollinson, Victor Rolo, Christine Römermann, Dina Ronzhina, Christiane Roscher, Julieta A. Rosell, Milena Fermina Rosenfield, Christian Rossi, David B. Roy, Samuel Royer-Tardif, Nadja Rüger, Ricardo Ruiz-Peinado, Sabine B. Rumpf, Graciela M. Rusch, Masahiro Ryo, Lawren Sack, Angela Saldaña, Beatriz Salgado-Negret, Roberto Salguero-Gomez, Ignacio Santa-Regina, Ana Carolina Santacruz-García, Joaquim Santos, Jordi Sardans, Brandon Schamp, Michael Scherer-Lorenzen, Matthias Schleuning, Bernhard Schmid, Marco Schmidt, Sylvain Schmitt, Julio V. Schneider, Simon D. Schowanek, Julian Schrader, Franziska Schrodt, Bernhard Schuldt, Frank Schurr, Galia Selaya Garvizu, Marina Semchenko, Colleen Seymour, Julia C. Sfair, Joanne M. Sharpe, Christine S. Sheppard, Serge Sheremetiev, Satomi Shiodera, Bill Shipley, Tanvir Ahmed Shovon, Alrun Siebenkäs, Carlos Sierra, Vasco Silva, Mateus Silva, Tommaso Sitzia, Henrik Sjöman, Martijn Slot, Nicholas G. Smith, Darwin Sodhi, Pamela Soltis, Douglas Soltis, Ben Somers, Grégory Sonnier, Mia Vedel Sørensen, Enio Egon Sosinski Jr, Nadejda A. Soudzilovskaia, Alexandre F. Souza, Marko Spasojevic, Marta Gaia Sperandii, Amanda B. Stan, James Stegen, Klaus Steinbauer, Jörg G. Stephan, Frank Sterck, Dejan B. Stojanovic, Tanya Strydom, Maria Laura Suarez, Jens-Christian Svenning, Ivana Svitková, Marek Svitok, Miroslav Svoboda, Emily Swaine, Nathan Swenson, Marcelo Tabarelli, Kentaro Takagi, Ulrike Tappeiner, Rubén Tarifa, Simon Tauugourdeau, Cagatay Tavsanoglu, Mariska te Beest, Leho Tedersoo, Nelson Thiffault, Dominik Thom, Evert Thomas, Ken Thompson, Peter E. Thornton, Wilfried Thuiller, Lubomír Tichý, David Tissue, Mark G. Tjoelker, David Yue Phin Tng, Joseph Tobias, Péter Török, Tonantzin Tarin, José M. Torres-Ruiz, Béla Tóthmérész, Martina Treurnicht, Valeria Trivellone, Franck Trolliet, Volodymyr Trotsiuk, James L. Tsakalos, Ioannis Tsiripidis, Niklas Tysklind, Toru Umehara, Vladimir Usoltsev, Matthew Vadeboncoeur, Jamil Vaezi, Fernando Valladares, Jana Vamosi, Peter M. van Bodegom, Michiel van Breugel, Elisa Van Cleemput, Martine van de Weg, Stephni van der Merwe, Fons van der Plas, Masha T. van der Sande, Mark van Kleunen, Koenraad Van Meerbeek, Mark Vanderwel, Kim André Vanselow, Angelica Vårhammar, Laura Varone, Maribel Yesenia Vasquez Valderrama, Kiril Vassilev, Mark Vellend, Erik J. Veneklaas, Hans Verbeeck, Kris Verheyen, Alexander Vibrans, Ima Vieira, Jaime Villacís, Cyrille Violle, Pandi Vivek, Katrin Wagner, Matthew Waldram, Anthony Waldron, Anthony P. Walker, Martyn Waller, Gabriel Walther, Han Wang, Feng Wang, Weiqi Wang, Harry Watkins, James Watkins, Ulrich Weber, James T. Weedon, Liping Wei, Patrick Weigelt, Evan Weiher, Aidan W. Wells, Camilla Wellstein, Elizabeth Wenk, Mark Westoby, Alana Westwood, Philip John White, Mark Whitten, Mathew Williams, Daniel E. Winkler, Klaus Winter, Chevonne Womack, Ian J. Wright, S. Joseph Wright, Justin Wright, Bruno X. Pinho, Fabiano Ximenes, Toshihiro Yamada, Keiko Yamaji, Ruth Yanai, Nikolay Yankov, Benjamin Yguel, Kátia Janaina Zanini, Amy E. Zanne, David Zelený, Yun-Peng Zhao, Jingming Zheng, Ji Zheng, Kasia Ziemińska, Chad R. Zirbel, Georg Zizka, Irié Casimir Zo-Bi, Gerhard Zotz, Christian Wirth.Max Planck Institute for Biogeochemistry; Max Planck Society; German Centre for Integrative Biodiversity Research (iDiv) Halle-Jena-Leipzig; International Programme of Biodiversity Science (DIVERSITAS); International Geosphere-Biosphere Programme (IGBP); Future Earth; French Foundation for Biodiversity Research (FRB); GIS ‘Climat, Environnement et Société'.http://wileyonlinelibrary.com/journal/gcbhj2021Plant Production and Soil Scienc

Diversité, écologie et évolution des plantes monocaules de Nouvelle-Calédonie

The convergent evolution in growth habit is a fundamental phenomenon linking plant ecology and evolution. Remarkably illustrated in island biotas, this phenomenon has never been identified in the original and megadiverse New Caledonian biodiversity hotspot. Through an approach combining plant architecture, functional traits, taxonomy, phylogeny and environmental data, this thesis analyses the evolutionary history of the scarcely known monocaulous growth habit in New Caledonia. Monocauls are self-supporting woody plants whose cardinal functions rely on a single visible stem. In New Caledonia, they are represented by 182 dicotyledonous species belonging to 41 genera and 30 families and are critically endangered. The repeated evolution of the monocaulie in New Caledonia, resulting from at least 31 independent events, is one of the most remarkable cases of convergence in insular environments. In the genus Atractocarpus (Rubiaceae), monocauly evolved recently two to three times through branch reductions into inflorescences, emphasizing the importance of heterochronic processes in the evolution of growth habit. Monocauly is strongly correlated with several traits illustrating major constraints in functional coordination. The evolution of monocauly is strongly associated with rainforests and ultramafic substrate, and seems to have contributed to the diversification of lineages by niche partitioning. The remarkable convergence toward monocauly in New Caledonia can be explained by four major hypotheses: (i) the structural features of rainforests (related to cyclone frequency and intensity) favoring unidirectional exploration of space, (ii) the edaphic constraints associated with ultramafic substrate favoring architectural pauperization, (iii) the historical absence of large native browsers to which monocauls are particularly sensitive, and (iv) the persistence of rainforest during – and spread-out after – glacial episodes that served as refugia and further provided ecological opportunities.L’évolution convergente des formes de croissance est un phénomène fondamental reliant l’écologie et l’évolution des plantes. Remarquablement illustré dans plusieurs systèmes insulaires, ce phénomène n’a jamais été identifié en Nouvelle-Calédonie, pourtant connue pour la richesse et l’originalité de sa flore. Par une approche combinant architecture des plantes, traits fonctionnels, taxonomie, phylogénie et données environnementales, cette thèse analyse l’histoire évolutive de la monocaulie, une forme de croissance mal connue, en Nouvelle-Calédonie. Les monocaules sont des plantes autoportantes ligneuses dont les fonctions majeures sont assurées par une seule tige apparente. En Nouvelle-Calédonie, elles sont représentées par 182 espèces dicotylédones appartenant à 41 genres et 30 familles et sont gravement menacées d’extinction. L’évolution répétée de la monocaulie en Nouvelle-Calédonie, issue d’au moins 31 événements d’apparition, est l’un des cas les plus remarquables de convergence en milieu insulaire. Dans le genre Atractocarpus, la monocaulie est apparue récemment deux à trois fois via diverses réductions des branches en inflorescences, montrant l’importance des processus hétérochroniques dans l’évolution des formes de croissance. La monocaulie est fortement corrélée à plusieurs traits démontrant des contraintes majeures dans la coordination fonctionnelle. L’évolution de la monocaulie est fortement associée aux forêts denses humides et au substrat ultramafique, et semble avoir contribué à la diversification des lignées par des phénomènes de partitionnement de niche. La remarquable convergence de la monocaulie en Nouvelle-Calédonie peut s’expliquer par quatre hypothèses majeures liées (i) à la structure particulière des forêts denses humides (en lien avec les cyclones) favorisant l’exploration unidirectionnelle de l’espace, (ii) aux contraintes édaphiques liées aux substrats ultramafiques favorisant la paupérisation architecturale, (iii) à l’absence historique de grands brouteurs, auxquels les monocaules sont particulièrement sensibles, et (iv) à la persistance des forêts denses humides lors des épisodes glaciaires (servant de refuges pour ces espèces sensibles) et leur expansion post-glaciaire (fournissant de nombreuses opportunités écologiques)

Diversity, ecology and evolution of Monocaulous plants in New Caledonia

L'évolution convergente des formes de croissance est un phénomène fondamental reliant l'écologie et l'évolution des plantes. Remarquablement illustré dans plusieurs systèmes insulaires, ce phénomène n'a jamais été identifié en Nouvelle-Calédonie, pourtant connue pour la richesse et l'originalité de sa flore. Par une approche combinant architecture des plantes, traits fonctionnels, taxonomie, phylogénie et données environnementales, cette thèse analyse l'histoire évolutive de la monocaulie, une forme de croissance mal connue, en Nouvelle-Calédonie. Les monocaules sont des plantes autoportantes ligneuses dont les fonctions majeures sont assurées par une seule tige apparente. En Nouvelle-Calédonie, elles sont représentées par 182 espèces dicotylédones appartenant à 41 genres et 30 familles et sont gravement menacées d'extinction. L'évolution répétée de la monocaulie en Nouvelle-Calédonie, issue d'au moins 31 événements d'apparition, est l'un des cas les plus remarquables de convergence en milieu insulaire. Dans le genre Atractocarpus, la monocaulie est apparue récemment deux à trois fois via diverses réductions des branches en inflorescences, montrant l'importance des processus hétérochroniques dans l'évolution des formes de croissance. La monocaulie est fortement corrélée à plusieurs traits démontrant des contraintes majeures dans la coordination fonctionnelle. L'évolution de la monocaulie est fortement associée aux forêts denses humides et au substrat ultramafique, et semble avoir contribué à la diversification des lignées par des phénomènes de partitionnement de niche. La remarquable convergence de la monocaulie en Nouvelle-Calédonie peut s'expliquer par quatre hypothèses majeures liées (i) à la structure particulière des forêts denses humides (en lien avec les cyclones) favorisant l'exploration unidirectionnelle de l'espace, (ii) aux contraintes édaphiques liées aux substrats ultramafiques favorisant la paupérisation architecturale, (iii) à l'absence historique de grands brouteurs, auxquels les monocaules sont particulièrement sensibles, et (iv) à la persistance des forêts denses humides lors des épisodes glaciaires (servant de refuges pour ces espèces sensibles) et leur expansion post-glaciaire (fournissant de nombreuses opportunités écologiques)

The Herbarium of New Caledonia (NOU): 60 years at the service of science for development

International audienceThe Herbarium of New Caledonia (NOU) was founded in 1961 within the Institut Français d?Océanie (now Institut de Recherche pour le Developpement) by J.P. Blanchon. Qualitatively and quantitatively enriched by the consecutive curators and associated staff, it is today rich of more than 90000 specimens including 834 nomenclatural types. These specimens represent a total of 6665 taxa coming essentially from New Caledonia but also from 15 other Pacific territories, and particularly from Vanuatu and Wallis and Futuna. With more than 300 citations on GoogleScholar and each year nearly 270 consultations, 100 requests for data and 3500 visits to the website, the NOU Herbarium is today an indispensable scientific, heritage and educational tool for New Caledonia. Its influence extends beyond the Pacific with exchanges of material with 70 international institutions. In the current context of global change and political and social instability, means must be found with all local actors so that the NOU Herbarium can continue to ensure its role in the service of sustainable development and heritage

The climbing flora of New Caledonia: a comprehensive checklist

International audienceNew Caledonia, an archipelago located in the southwest Pacific Ocean, hosts a rich and highly original vascular flora, distributed within a remarkable mosaic of habitats. Despite intensive research on the flora, the diversity and ecology of the climbing flora within the archipelago remain virtually unknown. More globally, while most liana studies have been carried out in continental forests, data from island ecosystems remain scarce. This study aims to document the taxonomic diversity, and to analyze the ecology and functional traits of angiosperms climbers in New Caledonia. Using herbarium data, exhaustive bibliographic review and field studies, we provide a checklist of 274 autochthonous climbing taxa, distributed in 45 families. The majority of climbing plant species in New Caledonia are woody, herbaceous vine being infrequent. Climbing plants account for?~?8% of the native flora (angiosperms), a rather small contribution compared with continental tropical floras. There is, however, a great heterogeneity in the distribution of climbing plants within the different vegetation, as they represent up to 19% of species in the sclerophyll forests, and only?~?8 and 6.5% in respectively shrublands (maquis) and rain forests, which are the most original ecosystems in New Caledonia. The endemicity is relatively low (64%) compared to the global flora (75% of endemism). Three endemic genera are exclusively climbers (Artia, Balgoya and Clematepistephium). The diversity of climbing plants is concentrated within few families: ~29% belonging to Apocynaceae and more than half of the species are included in just four families