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Given
current threats of global changes on biodiversity, it is of outstanding
importance to unravel
the
mechanisms that allowed the historical construction of Biodiversity
Hotspots and those that determine distribution of biodiversity within
these species-rich regions. The
Baetic
Mountains
, mostly included within the Andalousian region, is considered one of the
hottest biodiversity spots in
Europe
and the
Mediterranean
, mostly due to its complex geological and climatic history. These factors
determine the adaptation of plant species to the very diverse local
ecological conditions and ultimately their phylogenetic history. In turn,
the phylogenetic relationships among species also mould the final
composition of communities. In this project, we seek to develop an
approach of community phylogenetics using the Flora of a major
Biodiversity Hotspot: the Baetic Mountain Chain in southern
Spain
. This region harbours an extraordinarily large number of narrow endemic
species, most of which have a woody life-form. We will use data of woody
plants community structure in different Sierras of the Baetic Chain and
phylogenetic hypothesis obtained by supertree reconstructions. We will
specifically address the two following key questions: (i) What are the
scenarios of niche evolution and species diversification of different
woody plant clades? (ii) What is the phylogenetic structure of woody plant
communities, and how phylogenetic composition of communities change along
elevation gradients and between adjacent Sierras?
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