The researchers plan to use the findings to explore other aspects of plants’ evolutionary history, including examining how they respond to environmental changes other than freezing temperatures.
“The onset of freezing temperatures did not affect the entire world, but only certain habitats became colder,” Pam Soltis said. “Certain lineages could not move into the cold, but were able to persist unaffected by the cold in warmer areas. With climate change that is human-induced, all habitats will be affected over a short period of time, and plants and other organisms will have to adapt quickly if they are to survive.”
Check the following link to read/download the Full Study – “Three Keys to the Radiation of Angiosperms into Freezing Environments”:
http://www.nature.com/nature/journal/v506/n7486/full/nature12872.html
Source: University of Florida.
