title: Geographic range size is predicted by plant mating system.
abstract: Species' geographic ranges vary enormously, and even closest relatives may differ in range size by several orders of magnitude. With data from hundreds of species spanning 20 genera in 15 families, we show that plant species that autonomously reproduce via self-pollination consistently have larger geographic ranges than their close relatives that generally require two parents for reproduction. Further analyses strongly implicate autonomous self-fertilisation in causing this relationship, as it is not driven by traits such as polyploidy or annual life history whose evolution is sometimes correlated with selfing. Furthermore, we find that selfers occur at higher maximum latitudes and that disparity in range size between selfers and outcrossers increases with time since their evolutionary divergence. Together, these results show that autonomous reproduction--a critical biological trait that eliminates mate limitation and thus potentially increases the probability of establishment--increases range size.
authors.affiliation: Department of Plant Biology, University of Minnesota, St. Paul, MN, 55108, USA.
authors.forename: Dena
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Grossenbacher
authors.affiliation: Department of Plant Biology, University of Minnesota, St. Paul, MN, 55108, USA.
authors.forename: Ryan
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Briscoe Runquist
authors.affiliation: Department of Ecology, Evolution and Behavior, University of Minnesota, St. Paul, MN, 55108, USA.
authors.forename: Emma E
authors.initials: EE
authors.lastname: Goldberg
authors.affiliation: Department of Plant Biology, University of Minnesota, St. Paul, MN, 55108, USA.
authors.forename: Yaniv
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Brandvain
mesh_terms: D005075:Biological Evolution; D005843:Geography; D016014:Linear Models; D010802:Phylogeny; D063148:Plant Dispersal; D018521:Plant Physiological Phenomena; D010944:Plants / Q000235:genetics*; D011003:Ploidies; D054817:Pollination; D012098:Reproduction; D057945:Self-Fertilization
keywords: Baker's Law; outcrossing; phylogeny; range size; selfing