Life history lability underlies rapid climate niche evolution in the angiosperm clade Montiaceae

- We examined niche evolution in Montiaceae, a plant lineage of diverse habitats.
- Life history is evolutionarily labile, driven by simple changes in body plan.
- This facilitated repeated evolutionary transitions between alpine and arid habitats.
- In contrast to phylogenetic niche conservatism, niche shifting can also be pervasive.

Despite the recent focus on phylogenetic niche conservatism in macroevolutionary studies, many clades have diversified widely along multiple niche dimensions. The factors underlying lineage-specific niche lability are still not well understood. We examined morphological and climate niche evolution in Montiaceae (Caryophyllales), an ecologically variable plant lineage distributed primarily along the mountain chains of the western Americas. Montiaceae inhabit a broader range of temperatures than their relatives, with an increase in the evolutionary rate of temperature niche diversification at the node subtending this clade. Within Montiaceae, life history is highly labile and significantly correlated with temperature, with perennials consistently occurring in cooler environments. This elevated evolutionary lability facilitated repeated shifts between habitats as new environments were created by post-Eocene orogenic events and aridification in the western Americas. The shifts between annual and perennial forms are elaborations of an underlying rosette body plan in most cases, and may involve simple alterations in biomass allocation. Montiaceae stand as another clear counterexample to phylogenetic niche conservatism, and demonstrate a mechanism by which pronounced ecological shifts may occur frequently and rapidly among closely related species.