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An Altitudinal Cline in Tropical African Grass Floras and Its Paleoecological Significance

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  20 January 2017

D.A. Livingstone  and
W. D. Clayton
D.A. Livingstone
Affiliation:
Department of Zoology, Duke University, Durham, North Carolina 27706
W. D. Clayton
Affiliation:
The Herbarium, Royal Botanic Garden, Kew, Richmond, Surrey TW9 3AB, England
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Abstract

At altitudes below 1300 m most species of grasses in tropical Africa are ones that use 4-carbon photosynthesis. Above 4000 m only species of the subfamily Pooideae using 3-carbon photosynthesis are found. At intermediate altitudes the percent of 3-carbon genera and species in the grass flora is a very regular function of altitude. The correlate of altitude that controls the distribution of grasses appears to be temperature. Fossil grass cuticles are identifiable to genus and should provide a useful paleothermometer. If no other errors were involved, the regular altitudinal distribution of genera in the flora of tropical East Africa would permit paleotemperature estimates with 95% confidence limits of ± 1.2°C.

Type
Research Article
Information
Quaternary Research , Volume 13 , Issue 3 , May 1980 , pp. 392 - 402
Copyright
University of Washington

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