Putting height on the map
Average plant height peaks in the tropics
and declines towards the poles, says an
international team after analysing a data set
of almost 6,000 species. Plants living near
to the equator are 29 times taller on average
than those found between 60–75 °N (in
Iceland, say) and 31 times taller than those
at 45–60 °S (such as on the South American
archipelago of Tierra del Fuego).
Plant height drops 2.4-fold at the edge of the
tropics, suggesting that temperate and tropical
species pursue different ecological strategies,
according to Angela Moles of the University of
New South Wales in Sydney, Australia, and her
colleagues. Cold or dry places support plants
with a range of heights, but there are few short
species in warm, wet environments. Rainfall
in the wettest month of the year is the best
predictor of plant height, the researchers say.
0 comments:
Post a Comment