BayCEER Workshop 2024
10/11 October 2024
Volcanic ash deposition as a selection mechanism towards woodiness
Carl Beierkuhnlein1, Frank Weiser1, Anna Walentowitz1, Anke Jentsch2, Manuel Nogales3, Richard Field4, Ole Vetaas5, Maria Guerrero-Campos6, Felix Medina7, Alessandro Chiarucci8
1 Chair of Biogeography, University of Bayreuth
2 Disturbance Ecology, University of Bayreuth
3 CSIC, La Laguna, Spain
4 Geography, University of Nottingham, UK
5 Geography, University of Bergen, NO
6 GESPLAN, ES
7 Cabildo Insular, Santa Cruz, ES
8 Environmental and Applied Botany, University of Bologny, I
2 Disturbance Ecology, University of Bayreuth
3 CSIC, La Laguna, Spain
4 Geography, University of Nottingham, UK
5 Geography, University of Bergen, NO
6 GESPLAN, ES
7 Cabildo Insular, Santa Cruz, ES
8 Environmental and Applied Botany, University of Bologny, I
P 6.9 in Posters
Volcanic eruptions and the deposition of large amounts of tephra (ash) are characteristic for oceanic islands worldwide. These events are frequent at evolutionary time scales, but rare for a human perspective.
Oceanic islands exhibit a high proportion of endemic plants. Many of these are woody, although their ancestral species on continents are herbaceous. This phenomenon has been explained until now with the climatic conditions on islands.
However, an environment that is characterized by equilibrated climatic conditions is not a strong selective force. Here, we show how tephra deposition drives the selection of woodiness.
