Macroecological patterns and drivers of Himalayan plant species diversity and distribution through the Ages
Abstract
The Himalaya started with mostly immigrant flora but is today home to about 3500–4000 endemic plants that have evolved within a time span of 40–50 million years. It is, however, still unknown as to what factors have been responsible for the development of such high endemism within such a short evolutionary time. It is also unclear as to how plant diversity patterns are structured across the present-day environmental gradients in the Himalaya and whether these diversity patterns will change in the future. My results point towards a positive coincidence between endemic plant species diversification, changes in geo-physical characteristics, and climate in the Himalaya. The present-day plant species richness patterns are hump-shaped, life-form and endemic specific, and scale-dependent. Furthermore, shrublands would emerge as the most successful plant community in future climates, and there would be a need to redesign the Protected Area network due to ensuing climate change in the Himalaya.