1 research outputs found
Wind as a Long-distance Dispersal Vehicle in the Southern Hemisphere
Anisotropic (direction-dependent) long-distance dispersal (LDD) by wind has been
invoked to explain the strong floristic affinities shared among landmasses in the
Southern Hemisphere. Its contribution has not yet been systematically tested
because of the previous lack of global data on winds.Weused global winds coverage
from the National Aeronautics and Space Administration SeaWinds scatterometer
to test whether floristic similarities of Southern Hemisphere moss, liverwort, lichen,
and pteridophyte floras conform better with (i) the anisotropic LDD hypothesis,
which predicts that connection by âwind highwaysâ increases floristic similarities,
or (ii) a direction-independent LDD hypothesis, which predicts that floristic similarities
among sites increase with geographic proximity. We found a stronger
correlation of floristic similarities with wind connectivity than with geographic
proximities, which supports the idea that wind is a dispersal vehicle for many
organisms in the Southern Hemisphere.Peer reviewe