Environment and evolutionary history determine the global biogeography of phytoplankton temperature traits

Thomas, Mridul K.; Kremer, Colin T.; Litchman, Elena
2016
GLOBAL ECOLOGY AND BIOGEOGRAPHY
DOI
10.1111/geb.12387
Aim Ecological and evolutionary forces shape the functional traits of species within and across environments, generating biogeographical patterns in traits. We aimed to: (1) determine the extent to which temperature traits of phytoplankton are adapted to their local environment, and (2) detect and explain differences in patterns of adaptation between functional groups (reflecting evolutionary history) and across ecosystems (freshwater versus marine).