DOI: 10.5061/dryad.c8v5630
title: Data from: Rare species, Restionaceae, and the Cape flora

description: Aim: I test whether species range size variation is driven by the age of
 the species, their intrinsic traits, environment, or by
 historical-geographical patterns (eg the location of climatic or
 environmental refugia). Location: Greater Cape Floristic Region (GCFR) of
 South Africa. Taxon: Angiosperms, Restionaceae (restios). Methods: I
 determined the area of occupancy and extent of occurrence of all restios
 in the GCFR, and derive a list of “single-site endemics” (SSE). I inferred
 a rate-corrected and dated phylogeny which includes 98% of the species. I
 explored the correlates of range size variation with phylogenetically
 corrected regressions, focussing on likely candidate traits (dispersal and
 fire survival modes), habitats (soil drainage, elevation), climatic
 variables (rainfall and temperature) and history (age of species). I
 calculated the species richness, community mean range sizes, and numbers
 of SSE for 49 sites and 938 10m diameter circular relevés across the GCFR,
 and sought correlates of these, specifically testing for
 historical-geographical patterns in relationship to the distance from the
 centre of the region. Results: Narrow-range restios are correlated with
 higher elevations, rainfall and rainfall seasonality; are found more
 likely in marshes and seepages; and are more likely killed by fire and
 have to re-establish from seed after fire. Wide-ranging species are found
 in areas with lower rainfall, at lower elevations, in well-drained
 habitats, and resprout after fire. Community mean ranges sizes are larger
 towards the eastern part of the GCFR; and relevé data show that
 sandstones, shale, laterite and granites are associated with wider
 distribution ranges, as are soils with pebbles or sandy soils without
 rocks, and limestones with smaller community mean ranges than other
 bedrock types. The number of SSE is largely correlated with species
 richness, except that SSE are more likely at higher elevations. Main
 Conclusion: Range size variation in the restios is largely driven by
 history (expressed as the distance from the Kogelberg region), suggesting
 that the Kogelberg region may have been most climatically stable during
 the Neogene and Pleistocene. The second-most important driver is the
 environment (i.e. rock type, elevation, rainfall), generally with
 spatially restricted habitats hosting range-restricted species.
description: Cape Restionaceae Plot
 dataComplete data recorded
 for each of 937 circular, 10 m diameter plots across the Greater Cape
 Floristic Region. Each contains a complete list of restio species,
 geographical coordinates, elevation, and several habitat descriptors
 (bedrock, soil drainage, slope, aspect, rockiness, dominant
 vegetation)FullPlotData.csvRestionoideae_Bayesian_1000_posterior_treesA random selection of 1000 posterior trees from a BEAST analysis of African Restionaceae, including 339 of the 346 species from the Cape flora, for some 10k chloroplast nucleotidesRestionoideaeBayesian1000posttrees.txtGeoreferences_African_RestionaceaeIncludes only the georeferences (thus no vouchers or sources, for this see other similar submission, such as Wuest et al) for all African Restionaceae, with an accuracy of at least 2 min, mostly much moreSpeciesGeorefs.csv