Evolutionary history and the global distribution of seed dispersal modes in angiosperms

Seed dispersal modes play a crucial role in angiosperm migration, adaptation, and responses to climate change, yet their global spatiotemporal patterns and underlying drivers remain largely unexplored. Here, using a global dataset on seed dispersal modes (zoochory, anemochory, hydrochory, and autochory) of 35 131 angiosperm species, we provide a large-scale assessment of their evolutionary dynamics, diversification impact, and geographic variation. We found that the increase in zoochorous lineages began after c. 105 Ma, and the transition rate from abiotic-to-biotic dispersal strongly correlated with paleotemperature, being positive from 105 to 90 Ma and negative thereafter. However, contrary to previous hypotheses, we found no significant effect of seed dispersal mode on diversification rates across angiosperms. Spatially, the prevalence of zoochory declined, and that of autochory increased with latitude, both closely linked to contemporary temperature. Meanwhile, the frequency of zoochory and anemochory was positively associated with temperature anomalies since the Last Glacial Maximum, suggesting that dispersal modes facilitating long-distance dispersal are favored in climatically unstable regions. These findings highlight the key role of climate fluctuations in shaping the spatiotemporal patterns of angiosperm seed dispersal modes and suggest a more complex relationship between dispersal modes and angiosperm diversification than previously assumed.

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