Publications [#228743] of Daniel A. Livingstone
search PubMed.Papers Published
- DA Livingstone and WD Clayton, An altitudinal cline in tropical African grass floras and its paleoecological significance,
Quaternary Research, vol. 13 no. 3
(1980),
pp. 392-402 .
(last updated on 2016/04/09)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. © 1980.