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RESEARCH ARTICLE
Contents Vol 53(6)

Life histories, ecological tolerance limits, and the evolution of geographic range size in Eucalyptus (Myrtaceae)

Sally Mathews A and Stephen P. Bonser A B
+ Author Affiliations
- Author Affiliations

A School of Biological, Earth and Environmental Sciences, University of New South Wales, Sydney, NSW 2052, Australia.

B Corresponding author. Email: s.bonser@unsw.edu.au

Australian Journal of Botany 53(6) 501-508 https://doi.org/10.1071/BT05010
Submitted: 10 January 2005  Accepted: 9 June 2005   Published: 30 September 2005

Abstract

Current theories explaining variability in species geographic range sizes in plants tend to focus on how traits associated with either physiological tolerance limits or life histories are related to range size. In trees, aspects of both physiological tolerance (e.g. drought tolerance) and life history (e.g. life span and growth rate) are related to stem traits such as wood density and height relative to diameter. We examined how the evolution of stem traits is related to geographic range sizes in Eucalyptus at two spatial scales: across the Australian continent and within the wet forests near the east coast of Australia. Geographic range sizes were estimated from herbarium records. Stem trait data were collected from both natural populations and published sources. We used phylogenetically independent contrasts to test for evolutionary associations between stem traits and geographic range sizes. Across Australia, the evolution of stem traits conferring drought tolerance were not consistently associated greater range sizes. This was surprising since arid and semi-arid environments are geographically expansive. Within the eastern forests, the evolution of stem traits defining slow growing, competitively dominant life histories were associated with greater range sizes. These stem traits should confer both a capacity to disperse into previously unoccupied habitats and the ability to persist in habitats already occupied. Traits associated with physiological tolerance and life history had significant effects on the evolution of range sizes in Eucalyptus. However, we demonstrate that the impact of these traits on range size evolution depends on both environmental conditions and the scale at which these traits are examined.


Acknowledgments

We thank B. Hawkins and M. Forster for field assistance and S. Laffan for assistance with range size calculations. Field samples were collected with permission from NSW National Parks and State Forests. This research was supported by a University of New South Wales Faculty Research Grant to S.P.B.


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Appendix 1.  Species examined in this study
A1

(a) Across Australia

  • Angophora costata

  • Corymbia calophylla

  • Corymbia citriodora

  • Corymbia eximia

  • Corymbia gummifera

  • Corymbia haematoxylon

  • Corymbia intermedia

  • Corymbia maculata

  • Corymbia polycarpa

  • Corymbia tessellaris

  • Corymbia trachyphloia

  • Eucalyptus alba

  • Eucalyptus albens

  • Eucalyptus amygdalina

  • Eucalyptus baileyana

  • Eucalyptus brockwayi

  • Eucalyptus camaldulensas

  • Eucalyptus cloeziana

  • Eucalyptus cloezianaa

  • Eucalyptus dives

  • Eucalyptus dunnii

  • Eucalyptus erythrocorys

  • Eucalyptus gamophylla

  • Eucalyptus globulus

  • Eucalyptus gongylocarpa

  • Eucalyptus grandis

  • Eucalyptus megacarpa

  • Eucalyptus meliodora

  • Eucalyptus micocorys

  • Eucalyptus microtheca

  • Eucalyptus nitens

  • Eucalyptus obliqua

  • Eucalyptus ovata

  • Eucalyptus pachyphylla

  • Eucalyptus pauciflora

  • Eucalyptus pilularis

  • Eucalyptus polyanthemos

  • Eucalyptus populnea

  • Eucalyptus radiata

  • Eucalyptus regnans

  • Eucalyptus salmonophloia

  • Eucalyptus sieberi

  • Eucalyptus tenuipes

  • Eucalyptus tereticornis

  • Eucalyptus umbra

  • Eucalyptus wandoo

(b) Within the eastern forests

  • Angophora bakeri

  • Angophora costata

  • Eucalyptus amplifoliaA

  • Eucalyptus bauerianaA

  • Eucalyptus considenianaA

  • Eucalyptus dives

  • Eucalyptus globoidea

  • Eucalyptus maidenii

  • Eucalyptus melliodora

  • Eucalyptus muellerianaA

  • Eucalyptus nitens

  • Eucalyptus polyanthemos

  • Eucalyptus radiata

  • Eucalyptus sieberi

  • Eucalyptus tereticornis

  • Eucalyptus tricarpaA

ASpecies selected from the same subgenera, section and subsection as a species included in the eucalypt phylogeny (see text).