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Gumbs R, Gray CL, Hoffmann M, Molina-Venegas R, Owen NR, Pollock LJ. Conserving avian evolutionary history can effectively safeguard future benefits for people. SCIENCE ADVANCES 2023; 9:eadh4686. [PMID: 37729417 PMCID: PMC10511189 DOI: 10.1126/sciadv.adh4686] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/06/2023] [Accepted: 08/21/2023] [Indexed: 09/22/2023]
Abstract
Phylogenetic diversity (PD)-the evolutionary history of a set of species-is conceptually linked to the maintenance of yet-to-be-discovered benefits from biodiversity or "option value." We used global phylogenetic and utilization data for birds to test the PD option value link, under the assumption that the performance of sets of PD-maximizing species at capturing known benefits is analogous to selecting the same species at a point in human history before these benefits were realized. PD performed better than random at capturing utilized bird species across 60% of tests, with performance linked to the phylogenetic dispersion and prevalence of each utilization category. Prioritizing threatened species for conservation by the PD they encapsulate performs comparably to prioritizing by their functional distinctiveness. However, species selected by each metric show low overlap, indicating that we should conserve both components of biodiversity to effectively conserve a variety of uses. Our findings provide empirical support for the link between evolutionary history and benefits for future generations.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rikki Gumbs
- Conservation and Policy, Zoological Society of London, London NW1 4RY, UK
- Science and Solutions for a Changing Planet DTP, Grantham Institute, Imperial College London, London SW7 2AZ, UK
- IUCN SSC Phylogenetic Diversity Task Force, London, UK
| | - Claudia L Gray
- Conservation and Policy, Zoological Society of London, London NW1 4RY, UK
- IUCN SSC Phylogenetic Diversity Task Force, London, UK
| | - Michael Hoffmann
- Conservation and Policy, Zoological Society of London, London NW1 4RY, UK
| | - Rafael Molina-Venegas
- Department of Ecology, Faculty of Science, Universidad Autónoma de Madrid, Madrid, Spain
| | - Nisha R Owen
- IUCN SSC Phylogenetic Diversity Task Force, London, UK
- On the Edge Conservation, London SW3 2JJ, UK
| | - Laura J Pollock
- IUCN SSC Phylogenetic Diversity Task Force, London, UK
- Department of Biology, McGill University, Montréal, Québec H3A 1B1, Canada
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2
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Gumbs R, Gray CL, Böhm M, Burfield IJ, Couchman OR, Faith DP, Forest F, Hoffmann M, Isaac NJB, Jetz W, Mace GM, Mooers AO, Safi K, Scott O, Steel M, Tucker CM, Pearse WD, Owen NR, Rosindell J. The EDGE2 protocol: Advancing the prioritisation of Evolutionarily Distinct and Globally Endangered species for practical conservation action. PLoS Biol 2023; 21:e3001991. [PMID: 36854036 PMCID: PMC9974121 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pbio.3001991] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 03/02/2023] Open
Abstract
The conservation of evolutionary history has been linked to increased benefits for humanity and can be captured by phylogenetic diversity (PD). The Evolutionarily Distinct and Globally Endangered (EDGE) metric has, since 2007, been used to prioritise threatened species for practical conservation that embody large amounts of evolutionary history. While there have been important research advances since 2007, they have not been adopted in practice because of a lack of consensus in the conservation community. Here, building from an interdisciplinary workshop to update the existing EDGE approach, we present an "EDGE2" protocol that draws on a decade of research and innovation to develop an improved, consistent methodology for prioritising species conservation efforts. Key advances include methods for dealing with uncertainty and accounting for the extinction risk of closely related species. We describe EDGE2 in terms of distinct components to facilitate future revisions to its constituent parts without needing to reconsider the whole. We illustrate EDGE2 by applying it to the world's mammals. As we approach a crossroads for global biodiversity policy, this Consensus View shows how collaboration between academic and applied conservation biologists can guide effective and practical priority-setting to conserve biodiversity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rikki Gumbs
- Conservation and Policy, Zoological Society of London, Regent’s Park, London, United Kingdom
- Department of Life Sciences, Silwood Park Campus, Imperial College London, Ascot, Berkshire, United Kingdom
- IUCN SSC Phylogenetic Diversity Task Force, London, United Kingdom
- Science and Solutions for a Changing Planet DTP, Grantham Institute, Imperial College London, South Kensington, London, United Kingdom
- * E-mail:
| | - Claudia L. Gray
- Conservation and Policy, Zoological Society of London, Regent’s Park, London, United Kingdom
| | - Monika Böhm
- Institute of Zoology, Zoological Society of London, Regent’s Park, London, United Kingdom
- Global Center for Species Survival, Indianapolis Zoological Society, Indianapolis, Indiana, United States of America
| | - Ian J. Burfield
- BirdLife International, David Attenborough Building, Cambridge, United Kingdom
| | - Olivia R. Couchman
- Conservation and Policy, Zoological Society of London, Regent’s Park, London, United Kingdom
| | - Daniel P. Faith
- School of Philosophical and Historical Inquiry, The University of Sydney, Sydney, Australia
| | - Félix Forest
- Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, Richmond, Surrey, United Kingdom
| | - Michael Hoffmann
- Conservation and Policy, Zoological Society of London, Regent’s Park, London, United Kingdom
| | - Nick J. B. Isaac
- UK Centre for Ecology & Hydrology, Crowmarsh Gifford, Wallingford, United Kingdom
| | - Walter Jetz
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, Yale University, New Haven, Connecticut, United States of America
- Center for Biodiversity and Global Change, Yale University, New Haven, Connecticut, United States of America
| | - Georgina M. Mace
- Department of Genetics, Evolution & Environment, University College London, London, United Kingdom
| | - Arne O. Mooers
- Biological Sciences, Simon Fraser University, Burnaby, BC, Canada
| | - Kamran Safi
- Max-Planck Institute of Animal Behavior, Department of Migration, Radolfzell, Germany
- University of Konstanz, Department of Biology, Konstanz, Germany
| | - Oenone Scott
- School of Life Sciences, University of Essex, Colchester, United Kingdom
| | - Mike Steel
- Biomathematics Research Centre, University of Canterbury, Christchurch, New Zealand
| | - Caroline M. Tucker
- Environment, Ecology and Energy Program, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, North Carolina, United States of America
| | - William D. Pearse
- Department of Life Sciences, Silwood Park Campus, Imperial College London, Ascot, Berkshire, United Kingdom
- Department of Biology and Ecology Center, Utah State University, Logan, Utah, United States of America
| | - Nisha R. Owen
- Conservation and Policy, Zoological Society of London, Regent’s Park, London, United Kingdom
- IUCN SSC Phylogenetic Diversity Task Force, London, United Kingdom
- On the EDGE Conservation, London, United Kingdom
| | - James Rosindell
- Department of Life Sciences, Silwood Park Campus, Imperial College London, Ascot, Berkshire, United Kingdom
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3
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Ritchie AM, Hua X, Cardillo M, Yaxley KJ, Dinnage R, Bromham L. Phylogenetic diversity metrics from molecular phylogenies: modelling expected degree of error under realistic rate variation. DIVERS DISTRIB 2020. [DOI: 10.1111/ddi.13179] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/30/2022] Open
Affiliation(s)
- Andrew M. Ritchie
- Research School of Biological Sciences Australian National University Canberra ACT Australia
| | - Xia Hua
- Research School of Biological Sciences Australian National University Canberra ACT Australia
- Mathematical Sciences Institute Australian National University Canberra ACT Australia
| | - Marcel Cardillo
- Research School of Biological Sciences Australian National University Canberra ACT Australia
| | - Keaghan J. Yaxley
- Research School of Biological Sciences Australian National University Canberra ACT Australia
| | - Russell Dinnage
- Research School of Biological Sciences Australian National University Canberra ACT Australia
| | - Lindell Bromham
- Research School of Biological Sciences Australian National University Canberra ACT Australia
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4
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Mengual X, Ståhls G, Skevington JH. Life on an island: the phylogenetic placement of Loveridgeana and Afrotropical Sphaerophoria (Diptera: Syrphidae) inferred from molecular characters. SYST BIODIVERS 2020. [DOI: 10.1080/14772000.2020.1795743] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/23/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Ximo Mengual
- Zoologisches Forschungsmuseum Alexander Koenig, Leibniz-Institut für Biodiversität der Tiere, Adenauerallee 160, Bonn, D-53113, Germany
| | - Gunilla Ståhls
- Zoology Unit, Finnish Museum of Natural History Luomus, University of Helsinki, PO Box 17, FI-00014, Finland
| | - Jeffrey H. Skevington
- Canadian National Collection of Insects, Arachnids and Nematodes, Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada, 960 Carling Avenue, Ottawa, K1A 0C6, ON, Canada
- Department of Biology, Carleton University, 1125 Colonel By Drive, Ottawa, K1S 5B6, ON, Canada
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5
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Colston TJ, Kulkarni P, Jetz W, Pyron RA. Phylogenetic and spatial distribution of evolutionary diversification, isolation, and threat in turtles and crocodilians (non-avian archosauromorphs). BMC Evol Biol 2020; 20:81. [PMID: 32650718 PMCID: PMC7350713 DOI: 10.1186/s12862-020-01642-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 24] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/30/2019] [Accepted: 06/17/2020] [Indexed: 12/29/2022] Open
Abstract
Background The origin of turtles and crocodiles and their easily recognized body forms dates to the Triassic and Jurassic. Despite their long-term success, extant species diversity is low, and endangerment is extremely high compared to other terrestrial vertebrate groups, with ~ 65% of ~ 25 crocodilian and ~ 360 turtle species now threatened by exploitation and habitat loss. Here, we combine available molecular and morphological evidence with statistical and machine learning algorithms to present a phylogenetically informed, comprehensive assessment of diversification, threat status, and evolutionary distinctiveness of all extant species. Results In contrast to other terrestrial vertebrates and their own diversity in the fossil record, the recent extant lineages of turtles and crocodilians have not experienced any global mass extinctions or lineage-wide shifts in diversification rate or body-size evolution over time. We predict threat statuses for 114 as-yet unassessed or data-deficient species and identify a concentration of threatened turtles and crocodilians in South and Southeast Asia, western Africa, and the eastern Amazon. We find that unlike other terrestrial vertebrate groups, extinction risk increases with evolutionary distinctiveness: a disproportionate amount of phylogenetic diversity is concentrated in evolutionarily isolated, at-risk taxa, particularly those with small geographic ranges. Our findings highlight the important role of geographic determinants of extinction risk, particularly those resulting from anthropogenic habitat-disturbance, which affect species across body sizes and ecologies. Conclusions Extant turtles and crocodilians maintain unique, conserved morphologies which make them globally recognizable. Many species are threatened due to exploitation and global change. We use taxonomically complete, dated molecular phylogenies and various approaches to produce a comprehensive assessment of threat status and evolutionary distinctiveness of both groups. Neither group exhibits significant overall shifts in diversification rate or body-size evolution, or any signature of global mass extinctions in recent, extant lineages. However, the most evolutionarily distinct species tend to be the most threatened, and species richness and extinction risk are centered in areas of high anthropogenic disturbance, particularly South and Southeast Asia. Range size is the strongest predictor of threat, and a disproportionate amount of evolutionary diversity is at risk of imminent extinction.
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Affiliation(s)
- Timothy J Colston
- Department of Biological Sciences, The George Washington University, Washington, DC, 20052, USA. .,Present address: Department of Biological Science, Florida State University, Tallahassee, FL, 32304, USA.
| | | | - Walter Jetz
- Center for Biodiversity and Global Change, Yale University, New Haven, CT, 06511, USA.,Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, Yale University, New Haven, CT, 06511, USA
| | - R Alexander Pyron
- Department of Biological Sciences, The George Washington University, Washington, DC, 20052, USA
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6
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Derrick DH, Cheok J, Dulvy NK. Spatially congruent sites of importance for global shark and ray biodiversity. PLoS One 2020; 15:e0235559. [PMID: 32628691 PMCID: PMC7337351 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0235559] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/29/2020] [Accepted: 06/17/2020] [Indexed: 11/21/2022] Open
Abstract
Many important areas identified for conservation priorities focus on areas of high species richness, however, it is unclear whether these areas change depending on what aspect of richness is considered (e.g. evolutionary distinctiveness, endemicity, or threatened species). Furthermore, little is known of the extent of spatial congruency between biodiversity measures in the marine realm. Here, we used the distribution maps of all known marine sharks, rays, and chimaeras (class Chondrichthyes) to examine the extent of spatial congruency across the hotspots of three measures of species richness: total number of species, evolutionarily distinct species, and endemic species. We assessed the spatial congruency between hotspots considering all species, as well as on the subset of the threatened species only. We consider three definitions of hotspot (2.5%, 5%, and 10% of cells with the highest numbers of species) and three levels of spatial resolution (1°, 4°, and 8° grid cells). Overall, we found low congruency among all three measures of species richness, with the threatened species comprising a smaller subset of the overall species patterns irrespective of hotspot definition. Areas of congruency at 1° and 5% richest cells contain over half (64%) of all sharks and rays and occurred off the coasts of: (1) Northern Mexico Gulf of California, (2) USA Gulf of Mexico, (3) Ecuador, (4) Uruguay and southern Brazil, (5) South Africa, southern Mozambique, and southern Namibia, (6) Japan, Taiwan, and parts of southern China, and (7) eastern and western Australia. Coarsening resolution increases congruency two-fold for all species but remains relatively low for threatened measures, and geographic locations of congruent areas also change. Finally, for pairwise comparisons of biodiversity measures, evolutionarily distinct species richness had the highest overlap with total species richness regardless of resolution or definition of hotspot. We suggest that focusing conservation attention solely on areas of high total species richness will not necessarily contribute efforts towards species that are most at risk, nor will it protect other important dimensions of species richness.
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Affiliation(s)
- Danielle H. Derrick
- Earth to Ocean Research Group, Simon Fraser University, Burnaby, British Columbia, Canada
- * E-mail:
| | - Jessica Cheok
- Earth to Ocean Research Group, Simon Fraser University, Burnaby, British Columbia, Canada
| | - Nicholas K. Dulvy
- Earth to Ocean Research Group, Simon Fraser University, Burnaby, British Columbia, Canada
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7
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Bennett DJ, Sutton MD, Turvey ST. How the past impacts the future: modelling the performance of evolutionarily distinct mammals through time. Philos Trans R Soc Lond B Biol Sci 2019; 374:20190210. [PMID: 31679492 PMCID: PMC6863496 DOI: 10.1098/rstb.2019.0210] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 08/06/2019] [Indexed: 11/12/2022] Open
Abstract
How does past evolutionary performance impact future evolutionary performance? This is an important question not just for macroevolutionary biologists who wish to chart the phenomena that describe deep-time changes in biodiversity but also for conservation biologists, as evolutionarily distinct species-which may be deemed 'low-performing' in our current era-are increasingly the focus of conservation efforts. Contrasting hypotheses exist to account for the history and future of evolutionarily distinct species: on the one hand, they may be relicts of large radiations, potentially 'doomed' to extinction; or they may be slow-evolving, 'living fossils', likely neither to speciate nor go extinct; or they may be seeds of future radiations. Here, we attempt to test these hypotheses in Mammalia by combining a molecular phylogenetic supertree with fossil record occurrences and measuring change in evolutionary distinctness (ED) at different time slices. With these time slices, we modelled future ED as a function of past ED. We find that past evolutionary performance does indeed have an impact on future evolutionary performance: the most evolutionarily isolated clades tend to become more evolutionarily distinct with time, indicating that low-performing clades tend to remain low-performing throughout their evolutionary history. This article is part of a discussion meeting issue 'The past is a foreign country: how much can the fossil record actually inform conservation?'
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Affiliation(s)
- D. J. Bennett
- Gothenburg Global Biodiversity Centre, PO Box 461, 405 30 Gothenburg, Sweden
- Department of Biological and Environmental Sciences, University of Gothenburg, PO Box 461, 405 30 Gothenburg, Sweden
| | - M. D. Sutton
- Department of Earth Sciences and Engineering, Imperial College London, London SW7 2BP, UK
| | - S. T. Turvey
- Institute of Zoology, Zoological Society of London, London NW1 4RY, UK
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8
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Affiliation(s)
- Graham P. Wallis
- Department of Zoology, University of Otago, Dunedin, New Zealand
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9
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Radović A, Schindler S, Rossiter D, Nikolić T. Impact of biased sampling effort and spatial uncertainty of locations on models of plant invasion patterns in Croatia. Biol Invasions 2018. [DOI: 10.1007/s10530-018-1793-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/28/2022]
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10
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Funk ER, Burns KJ. Evolutionary distinctiveness and conservation priorities in a large radiation of songbirds. Anim Conserv 2018. [DOI: 10.1111/acv.12462] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- E. R. Funk
- Department of Biology San Diego State University San Diego CA USA
| | - K. J. Burns
- Department of Biology San Diego State University San Diego CA USA
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11
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Trotta LB, Baiser B, Possley J, Li D, Lange J, Martin S, Sessa EB. Community phylogeny of the globally critically imperiled pine rockland ecosystem. AMERICAN JOURNAL OF BOTANY 2018; 105:1735-1747. [PMID: 30300935 DOI: 10.1002/ajb2.1168] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/27/2018] [Accepted: 07/30/2018] [Indexed: 06/08/2023]
Abstract
PREMISE OF THE STUDY Community phylogenetic methods incorporate information on evolutionary relationships into studies of organismal assemblages. We used a community phylogenetic framework to investigate relationships and biogeographic affinities and to calculate phylogenetic signal of endemism and invasiveness for the flora of the pine rocklands-a globally critically imperiled ecosystem with a significant portion of its distribution in South Florida, United States. METHODS We reconstructed phylogenetic relationships of 538 vascular plant taxa, which represent 92.28% of the vascular flora of the pine rocklands. We estimated phylogenetic signal for endemism and invasiveness using phylogenetic generalized linear mixed models. We determined the native range for each species in the data set and calculated the total number of species sourced from each region and all possible combinations of these regions. KEY RESULTS The pine rockland flora includes representatives of all major vascular plant lineages, and most species have native ranges in the New World. There was strong phylogenetic signal for endemism, but not for invasiveness. CONCLUSIONS Community phylogenetics has high potential value for conservation planning, particularly for fragmented and endangered ecosystems like the pine rockland. Strong phylogenetic signal for endemic species in our data set, which also tend to be threatened or endangered, can help to identify species at risk, as well as fragments where those species occur, highlighting conservation priorities. Our results indicate, at least in the pine rockland ecosystem, no phylogenetic signal for invasive species, and thus other information must be used to predict the potential for invasiveness.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lauren B Trotta
- Department of Wildlife Ecology and Conservation, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL
| | - Benjamin Baiser
- Department of Wildlife Ecology and Conservation, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL
| | | | - Daijiang Li
- Department of Wildlife Ecology and Conservation, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL
| | - James Lange
- Fairchild Tropical Botanic Garden, Coral Gables, FL
| | - Sarah Martin
- The Nature Conservancy, Maitland, FL
- Institute for Regional Conservation, Delray Beach, FL
| | - Emily B Sessa
- Department of Biology, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL
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12
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Davies TJ, Urban MC, Rayfield B, Cadotte MW, Peres-Neto PR. Deconstructing the relationships between phylogenetic diversity and ecology: a case study on ecosystem functioning. Ecology 2018; 97:2212-2222. [PMID: 27859062 DOI: 10.1002/ecy.1507] [Citation(s) in RCA: 25] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/04/2015] [Revised: 01/22/2016] [Accepted: 05/17/2016] [Indexed: 01/01/2023]
Abstract
Recent studies have supported a link between phylogenetic diversity and various ecological properties including ecosystem function. However, such studies typically assume that phylogenetic branches of equivalent length are more or less interchangeable. Here we suggest that there is a need to consider not only branch lengths but also their placement on the phylogeny. We demonstrate how two common indices of network centrality can be used to describe the evolutionary distinctiveness of network elements (nodes and branches) on a phylogeny. If phylogenetic diversity enhances ecosystem function via complementarity and the representation of functional diversity, we would predict a correlation between evolutionary distinctiveness of network elements and their contribution to ecosystem process. In contrast, if one or a few evolutionary innovations play key roles in ecosystem function, the relationship between evolutionary distinctiveness and functional contribution may be weak or absent. We illustrate how network elements associated with high functional contribution can be identified from regressions between phylogenetic diversity and productivity using a well-known empirical data set on plant productivity from the Cedar Creek Long-Term Ecological Research. We find no association between evolutionary distinctiveness and ecosystem functioning, but we are able to identify phylogenetic elements associated with species of known high functional contribution within the Fabaceae. Our perspective provides a useful guide in the search for ecological traits linking diversity and ecosystem function, and suggests a more nuanced consideration of phylogenetic diversity is required in the conservation and biodiversity-ecosystem-function literature.
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Affiliation(s)
- T Jonathan Davies
- Department of Biology, McGill University, Montreal, Quebec, H3G 0B1, Canada.,African Centre for DNA Barcoding, University of Johannesburg, PO Box 524, Auckland Park, 2006, Johannesburg, South Africa
| | - Mark C Urban
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of Connecticut, Storrs, Connecticut, 06269-3043, USA
| | - Bronwyn Rayfield
- Department of Biology, McGill University, Montreal, Quebec, H3G 0B1, Canada.,Département des sciences naturelles, Institut des sciences de la forêt tempérée, Université du Québec en Outaouais, 58 rue Principale, Ripon, Quebec, J0V 1V0, Canada
| | - Marc W Cadotte
- Biological Sciences, University of Toronto-Scarborough, Toronto, Ontario, M1C 1A4, Canada
| | - Pedro R Peres-Neto
- Canada Research Chair in Spatial Modelling and Biodiversity, Département des sciences biologiques, Université du Québec á Montréal, Montréal, Quebec, H2X 1Y4, Canada
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13
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The interplay of past diversification and evolutionary isolation with present imperilment across the amphibian tree of life. Nat Ecol Evol 2018; 2:850-858. [DOI: 10.1038/s41559-018-0515-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 273] [Impact Index Per Article: 45.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/04/2017] [Accepted: 02/21/2018] [Indexed: 02/02/2023]
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14
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Reintroductions of birds and mammals involve evolutionarily distinct species at the regional scale. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2018. [PMID: 29531037 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.1714599115] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Reintroductions offer a powerful tool for reversing the effects of species extirpation and have been increasingly used over recent decades. However, this species-centered conservation approach has been criticized for its strong biases toward charismatic birds and mammals. Here, we investigated whether reintroduced species can be representative of the phylogenetic diversity within these two groups at a continental scale (i.e., Europe, North and Central America). Using null models, we found that reintroduced birds and mammals of the two subcontinents tend to be more evolutionarily distinct than expected by chance, despite strong taxonomic biases leading to low values of phylogenetic diversity. While evolutionary considerations are unlikely to have explicitly driven the allocation of reintroduction efforts, our results illustrate an interest of reintroduction practitioners toward species with fewer close relatives. We discuss how this phylogenetic framework allows us to investigate the contribution of reintroductions to the conservation of biodiversity at multiple geographic scales. We argue that because reintroductions rely on a parochial approach of conservation, it is important to first understand how the motivations and constraints at stake at a local context can induce phylogenetic biases before trying to assess the relevance of the allocation of reintroduction efforts at larger scales.
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15
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Mazel F, Mooers AO, Riva GVD, Pennell MW. Conserving Phylogenetic Diversity Can Be a Poor Strategy for Conserving Functional Diversity. Syst Biol 2018; 66:1019-1027. [PMID: 28595366 DOI: 10.1093/sysbio/syx054] [Citation(s) in RCA: 57] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/20/2017] [Accepted: 05/24/2017] [Indexed: 11/14/2022] Open
Abstract
For decades, academic biologists have advocated for making conservation decisions in light of evolutionary history. Specifically, they suggest that policy makers should prioritize conserving phylogenetically diverse assemblages. The most prominent argument is that conserving phylogenetic diversity (PD) will also conserve diversity in traits and features (functional diversity [FD]), which may be valuable for a number of reasons. The claim that PD-maximized ("maxPD") sets of taxa will also have high FD is often taken at face value and in cases where researchers have actually tested it, they have done so by measuring the phylogenetic signal in ecologically important functional traits. The rationale is that if traits closely mirror phylogeny, then saving the maxPD set of taxa will tend to maximize FD and if traits do not have phylogenetic structure, then saving the maxPD set of taxa will be no better at capturing FD than criteria that ignore PD. Here, we suggest that measuring the phylogenetic signal in traits is uninformative for evaluating the effectiveness of using PD in conservation. We evolve traits under several different models and, for the first time, directly compare the FD of a set of taxa that maximize PD to the FD of a random set of the same size. Under many common models of trait evolution and tree shapes, conserving the maxPD set of taxa will conserve more FD than conserving a random set of the same size. However, this result cannot be generalized to other classes of models. We find that under biologically plausible scenarios, using PD to select species can actually lead to less FD compared with a random set. Critically, this can occur even when there is phylogenetic signal in the traits. Predicting exactly when we expect using PD to be a good strategy for conserving FD is challenging, as it depends on complex interactions between tree shape and the assumptions of the evolutionary model. Nonetheless, if our goal is to maintain trait diversity, the fact that conserving taxa based on PD will not reliably conserve at least as much FD as choosing randomly raises serious concerns about the general utility of PD in conservation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Florent Mazel
- Department of Biological Sciences, Simon Fraser University, 8888 University Drive, Burnaby BC V5A 1S6, Canada
| | - Arne O Mooers
- Department of Biological Sciences, Simon Fraser University, 8888 University Drive, Burnaby BC V5A 1S6, Canada
| | - Giulio Valentino Dalla Riva
- Department of Zoology and Biodiversity Research Centre, University of British Columbia, Vancouver BC V6T 1Z4, Canada
| | - Matthew W Pennell
- Department of Zoology and Biodiversity Research Centre, University of British Columbia, Vancouver BC V6T 1Z4, Canada
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16
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Stein RW, Mull CG, Kuhn TS, Aschliman NC, Davidson LNK, Joy JB, Smith GJ, Dulvy NK, Mooers AO. Global priorities for conserving the evolutionary history of sharks, rays and chimaeras. Nat Ecol Evol 2018; 2:288-298. [PMID: 29348644 DOI: 10.1038/s41559-017-0448-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 111] [Impact Index Per Article: 18.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/01/2016] [Accepted: 12/08/2017] [Indexed: 01/06/2023]
Abstract
In an era of accelerated biodiversity loss and limited conservation resources, systematic prioritization of species and places is essential. In terrestrial vertebrates, evolutionary distinctness has been used to identify species and locations that embody the greatest share of evolutionary history. We estimate evolutionary distinctness for a large marine vertebrate radiation on a dated taxon-complete tree for all 1,192 chondrichthyan fishes (sharks, rays and chimaeras) by augmenting a new 610-species molecular phylogeny using taxonomic constraints. Chondrichthyans are by far the most evolutionarily distinct of all major radiations of jawed vertebrates-the average species embodies 26 million years of unique evolutionary history. With this metric, we identify 21 countries with the highest richness, endemism and evolutionary distinctness of threatened species as targets for conservation prioritization. On average, threatened chondrichthyans are more evolutionarily distinct-further motivating improved conservation, fisheries management and trade regulation to avoid significant pruning of the chondrichthyan tree of life.
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Affiliation(s)
- R William Stein
- Department of Biological Sciences, Simon Fraser University, Burnaby, British Columbia, Canada
| | - Christopher G Mull
- Department of Biological Sciences, Simon Fraser University, Burnaby, British Columbia, Canada.
| | | | | | - Lindsay N K Davidson
- Department of Biological Sciences, Simon Fraser University, Burnaby, British Columbia, Canada
| | - Jeffrey B Joy
- BC Centre for Excellence in HIV/AIDS, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada.,Department of Medicine, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
| | - Gordon J Smith
- Department of Biological Sciences, Simon Fraser University, Burnaby, British Columbia, Canada
| | - Nicholas K Dulvy
- Department of Biological Sciences, Simon Fraser University, Burnaby, British Columbia, Canada.
| | - Arne O Mooers
- Department of Biological Sciences, Simon Fraser University, Burnaby, British Columbia, Canada.
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17
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Steel M, Pourfaraj V, Chaudhary A, Mooers A. Evolutionary isolation and phylogenetic diversity loss under random extinction events. J Theor Biol 2017; 438:151-155. [PMID: 29146280 DOI: 10.1016/j.jtbi.2017.11.005] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/29/2017] [Revised: 11/06/2017] [Accepted: 11/08/2017] [Indexed: 11/27/2022]
Abstract
The extinction of species at the present leads to the loss of 'phylogenetic diversity' (PD) from the evolutionary tree in which these species lie. Prior to extinction, the total PD present can be divided up among the species in various ways using measures of evolutionary isolation (such as 'fair proportion' and 'equal splits'). However, the loss of PD when certain combinations of species become extinct can be either larger or smaller than the cumulative loss of the isolation values associated with the extinct species. In this paper, we show that for trees generated under neutral evolutionary models, the loss of PD under a null model of random extinction at the present can be predicted from the loss of the cumulative isolation values, by applying a non-linear transformation that is independent of the tree. Moreover, the error in the prediction provably converges to zero as the size of the tree grows, with simulations showing good agreement even for moderate sized trees (n=64).
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Affiliation(s)
- Mike Steel
- Biomathematics Resarch Centre, University of Canterbury, Christchurch, New Zealand.
| | - Vahab Pourfaraj
- Department of Biological Sciences and IRMACS, Simon Fraser University, Burnaby, British Columbia, V5A1S6, Canada.
| | - Abhishek Chaudhary
- Institute of Food, Nutrition and Health, ETH Zurich, Schmelzbergstrasse 9, Zurich 8092, Switzerland
| | - Arne Mooers
- Department of Biological Sciences and IRMACS, Simon Fraser University, Burnaby, British Columbia, V5A1S6, Canada
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18
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Rosauer DF, Pollock LJ, Linke S, Jetz W. Phylogenetically informed spatial planning is required to conserve the mammalian tree of life. Proc Biol Sci 2017; 284:20170627. [PMID: 29070718 PMCID: PMC5666089 DOI: 10.1098/rspb.2017.0627] [Citation(s) in RCA: 31] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/27/2017] [Accepted: 09/27/2017] [Indexed: 01/27/2023] Open
Abstract
In the face of the current extinction crisis and severely limited conservation resources, safeguarding the tree of life is increasingly recognized as a high priority. We conducted a first systematic global assessment of the conservation of phylogenetic diversity (PD) that uses realistic area targets and highlights the key areas for conservation of the mammalian tree of life. Our approach offers a substantially more effective conservation solution than one focused on species. In many locations, priorities for PD differ substantially from those of a species-based approach that ignores evolutionary relationships. This discrepancy increases rapidly as the amount of land available for conservation declines, as does the relative benefit for mammal conservation (for the same area protected). This benefit is equivalent to an additional 5900 Myr of distinct mammalian evolution captured simply through a better informed choice of priority areas. Our study uses area targets for PD to generate more realistic conservation scenarios, and tests the impact of phylogenetic uncertainty when selecting areas to represent diversity across a phylogeny. It demonstrates the opportunity of using rapidly growing phylogenetic information in conservation planning and the readiness for a new generation of conservation planning applications that explicitly consider the heritage of the tree of life's biodiversity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Dan F Rosauer
- Research School of Biology & Centre for Biodiversity Analysis, Australian National University, Acton, Australian Capital Territory 2601, Australia
| | - Laura J Pollock
- Laboratoire d'Écologie Alpine (LECA-CNRS), University Grenoble Alpes, 38000 Grenoble, France
| | - Simon Linke
- Australian Rivers Institute, Griffith University, Nathan Campus, Kessels Road, Nathan 4111, Queensland, Australia
| | - Walter Jetz
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, Yale University, 165 Prospect Street, New Haven 06520, CT, USA
- Department of Life Sciences, Imperial College London, Silwood Park Campus, Buckhurst Road, Ascot, Berkshire SL5 7PY, UK
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19
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Tucker CM, Cadotte MW, Carvalho SB, Davies TJ, Ferrier S, Fritz SA, Grenyer R, Helmus MR, Jin LS, Mooers AO, Pavoine S, Purschke O, Redding DW, Rosauer DF, Winter M, Mazel F. A guide to phylogenetic metrics for conservation, community ecology and macroecology. Biol Rev Camb Philos Soc 2017; 92:698-715. [PMID: 26785932 PMCID: PMC5096690 DOI: 10.1111/brv.12252] [Citation(s) in RCA: 281] [Impact Index Per Article: 40.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/18/2015] [Revised: 12/01/2015] [Accepted: 12/14/2015] [Indexed: 01/02/2023]
Abstract
The use of phylogenies in ecology is increasingly common and has broadened our understanding of biological diversity. Ecological sub-disciplines, particularly conservation, community ecology and macroecology, all recognize the value of evolutionary relationships but the resulting development of phylogenetic approaches has led to a proliferation of phylogenetic diversity metrics. The use of many metrics across the sub-disciplines hampers potential meta-analyses, syntheses, and generalizations of existing results. Further, there is no guide for selecting the appropriate metric for a given question, and different metrics are frequently used to address similar questions. To improve the choice, application, and interpretation of phylo-diversity metrics, we organize existing metrics by expanding on a unifying framework for phylogenetic information. Generally, questions about phylogenetic relationships within or between assemblages tend to ask three types of question: how much; how different; or how regular? We show that these questions reflect three dimensions of a phylogenetic tree: richness, divergence, and regularity. We classify 70 existing phylo-diversity metrics based on their mathematical form within these three dimensions and identify 'anchor' representatives: for α-diversity metrics these are PD (Faith's phylogenetic diversity), MPD (mean pairwise distance), and VPD (variation of pairwise distances). By analysing mathematical formulae and using simulations, we use this framework to identify metrics that mix dimensions, and we provide a guide to choosing and using the most appropriate metrics. We show that metric choice requires connecting the research question with the correct dimension of the framework and that there are logical approaches to selecting and interpreting metrics. The guide outlined herein will help researchers navigate the current jungle of indices.
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Affiliation(s)
- Caroline M. Tucker
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary BiologyUniversity of ColoradoBox 334BoulderCO80309‐0334U.S.A.
| | - Marc W. Cadotte
- Biological SciencesUniversity of Toronto‐ScarboroughScarboroughM1C 1A4Canada
- Stake Key Laboratory of Biocontrol, Key Laboratory of Biodiversity Dynamics and Conservation of Guangdong, Higher Education Institutes, College of Ecology and EvolutionSun Yat‐sen UniversityGuangzhouPR China
| | - Silvia B. Carvalho
- CIBIO/InBIO, Centro de Investigação em Biodiversidade e Recursos Genéticos da Universidade do Porto4485‐661VairãoPortugal
| | - T. Jonathan Davies
- Department of BiologyMcGill UniversityMontréalH3A 1B1Canada
- African Centre for DNA BarcodingUniversity of JohannesburgPO Box 524Johannesburg2006South Africa
| | - Simon Ferrier
- CSIRO Ecosystem Sciences, Climate Adaptation FlagshipGPO BOX 1600Canberra2601Australia
| | - Susanne A. Fritz
- Biodiversity & Climate Research Centre (BiK‐F) and Senckenberg Gesellschaft für Naturforschung60325Frankfurt am MainGermany
- Institute of Ecology, Evolution and DiversityGoethe University60438FrankfurtGermany
| | - Rich Grenyer
- School of Geography and the EnvironmentUniversity of OxfordOxfordOX1 3QYU.K.
| | - Matthew R. Helmus
- Department of Ecological Sciences ‐ Animal EcologyVrije UniversiteitAmsterdamNetherlands
- Center for Biodiversity, Department of BiologyTemple UniversitySuite 502PhiladelphiaPA19122U.S.A.
| | - Lanna S. Jin
- Ecology & Evolutionary BiologyUniversity of TorontoRoom 3055TorontoM5S 3B2Canada
| | - Arne O. Mooers
- Department of BiologySimon Fraser UniversityBurnabyV5A 1S6Canada
| | - Sandrine Pavoine
- Centre of Ecology and Conservation Sciences (UMR 7204 CESCO)Museum National d'Histoire NaturelleParisFrance
- Department of ZoologyUniversity of OxfordOxfordOX1 3QYUK
| | - Oliver Purschke
- German Centre of Integrative Biodiversity Research (iDiv) Halle‐Jena‐LeipzigDeutscher Platz 5eDE‐04103LeipzigGermany
- Geobotany and Botanical Garden, Institute of BiologyMartin Luther University, Halle‐WittenbergDE‐06108Halle (Saale)Germany
- Department of Computer ScienceMartin‐Luther‐University, Halle‐WittenbergDE‐06120Halle (Saale)Germany
| | - David W. Redding
- Centre for Biodiversity and Environmental Research, Department of Genetics, Evolution and EnvironmentUniversity College LondonLondonWC1E 6BTU.K.
| | - Dan F. Rosauer
- Research School of BiologyAustralian National UniversityActon2601Australia
| | - Marten Winter
- German Centre of Integrative Biodiversity Research (iDiv) Halle‐Jena‐LeipzigDeutscher Platz 5eDE‐04103LeipzigGermany
| | - Florent Mazel
- Laboratoire d'Ecologie Alpine (LECA), CNRS ‐ Université Grenoble Alpes (UMR 5553)BP 5338041Grenoble Cedex 9France
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20
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What Is the Meaning of Extreme Phylogenetic Diversity? The Case of Phylogenetic Relict Species. BIODIVERSITY CONSERVATION AND PHYLOGENETIC SYSTEMATICS 2016. [DOI: 10.1007/978-3-319-22461-9_6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/23/2022]
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21
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Arponen A, Zupan L. Representing Hotspots of Evolutionary History in Systematic Conservation Planning for European Mammals. BIODIVERSITY CONSERVATION AND PHYLOGENETIC SYSTEMATICS 2016. [DOI: 10.1007/978-3-319-22461-9_13] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/24/2023]
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22
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Veron S, Davies TJ, Cadotte MW, Clergeau P, Pavoine S. Predicting loss of evolutionary history: Where are we? Biol Rev Camb Philos Soc 2015; 92:271-291. [PMID: 26467982 DOI: 10.1111/brv.12228] [Citation(s) in RCA: 60] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/28/2014] [Revised: 09/10/2015] [Accepted: 09/17/2015] [Indexed: 01/29/2023]
Abstract
The Earth's evolutionary history is threatened by species loss in the current sixth mass extinction event in Earth's history. Such extinction events not only eliminate species but also their unique evolutionary histories. Here we review the expected loss of Earth's evolutionary history quantified by phylogenetic diversity (PD) and evolutionary distinctiveness (ED) at risk. Due to the general paucity of data, global evolutionary history losses have been predicted for only a few groups, such as mammals, birds, amphibians, plants, corals and fishes. Among these groups, there is now empirical support that extinction threats are clustered on the phylogeny; however this is not always a sufficient condition to cause higher loss of phylogenetic diversity in comparison to a scenario of random extinctions. Extinctions of the most evolutionarily distinct species and the shape of phylogenetic trees are additional factors that can elevate losses of evolutionary history. Consequently, impacts of species extinctions differ among groups and regions, and even if global losses are low within large groups, losses can be high among subgroups or within some regions. Further, we show that PD and ED are poorly protected by current conservation practices. While evolutionary history can be indirectly protected by current conservation schemes, optimizing its preservation requires integrating phylogenetic indices with those that capture rarity and extinction risk. Measures based on PD and ED could bring solutions to conservation issues, however they are still rarely used in practice, probably because the reasons to protect evolutionary history are not clear for practitioners or due to a lack of data. However, important advances have been made in the availability of phylogenetic trees and methods for their construction, as well as assessments of extinction risk. Some challenges remain, and looking forward, research should prioritize the assessment of expected PD and ED loss for more taxonomic groups and test the assumption that preserving ED and PD also protects rare species and ecosystem services. Such research will be useful to inform and guide the conservation of Earth's biodiversity and the services it provides.
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Affiliation(s)
- Simon Veron
- Centre d'Ecologie et des Sciences de la Conservation (CESCO UMR7204), Sorbonne Universités, MNHN, CNRS, UPMC, CP51, 55-61 rue Buffon, 75005 Paris, France
| | - T Jonathan Davies
- Department of Biology, McGill University, 1205 ave Docteur Penfield, Montreal, Quebec H3A 1B1, Canada.,African Centre for DNA Barcoding, University of Johannesburg, APK Campus, PO Box 524, Auckland Park 2006, Johannesburg, South Africa
| | - Marc W Cadotte
- Department of Biology, University of Toronto Scarborough, 1265 Military Trail, Toronto, Ontario M1C 1A4, Canada
| | - Philippe Clergeau
- Centre d'Ecologie et des Sciences de la Conservation (CESCO UMR7204), Sorbonne Universités, MNHN, CNRS, UPMC, CP51, 55-61 rue Buffon, 75005 Paris, France
| | - Sandrine Pavoine
- Centre d'Ecologie et des Sciences de la Conservation (CESCO UMR7204), Sorbonne Universités, MNHN, CNRS, UPMC, CP51, 55-61 rue Buffon, 75005 Paris, France.,Mathematical Ecology Research Group, Department of Zoology, University of Oxford, South Parks Road, Oxford, OX1 3PS, U.K
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23
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Huang D, Roy K. The future of evolutionary diversity in reef corals. Philos Trans R Soc Lond B Biol Sci 2015; 370:20140010. [PMID: 25561671 DOI: 10.1098/rstb.2014.0010] [Citation(s) in RCA: 56] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/12/2022] Open
Abstract
One-third of the world's reef-building corals are facing heightened extinction risk from climate change and other anthropogenic impacts. Previous studies have shown that such threats are not distributed randomly across the coral tree of life, and future extinctions have the potential to disproportionately reduce the phylogenetic diversity of this group on a global scale. However, the impact of such losses on a regional scale remains poorly known. In this study, we use phylogenetic metrics in conjunction with geographical distributions of living reef coral species to model how extinctions are likely to affect evolutionary diversity across different ecoregions. Based on two measures-phylogenetic diversity and phylogenetic species variability-we highlight regions with the largest losses of evolutionary diversity and hence of potential conservation interest. Notably, the projected loss of evolutionary diversity is relatively low in the most species-rich areas such as the Coral Triangle, while many regions with fewer species stand to lose much larger shares of their diversity. We also suggest that for complex ecosystems like coral reefs it is important to consider changes in phylogenetic species variability; areas with disproportionate declines in this measure should be of concern even if phylogenetic diversity is not as impacted. These findings underscore the importance of integrating evolutionary history into conservation planning for safeguarding the future diversity of coral reefs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Danwei Huang
- Department of Biological Sciences, National University of Singapore, Singapore 117543, Singapore Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences, University of Iowa, Iowa City, IA 52242, USA
| | - Kaustuv Roy
- Section of Ecology, Behavior and Evolution, University of California, San Diego, La Jolla, CA 92093, USA
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24
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Mee JA, Bernatchez L, Reist JD, Rogers SM, Taylor EB. Identifying designatable units for intraspecific conservation prioritization: a hierarchical approach applied to the lake whitefish species complex (Coregonus spp.). Evol Appl 2015; 8:423-41. [PMID: 26029257 PMCID: PMC4430767 DOI: 10.1111/eva.12247] [Citation(s) in RCA: 51] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/29/2014] [Accepted: 01/05/2015] [Indexed: 01/19/2023] Open
Abstract
The concept of the designatable unit (DU) affords a practical approach to identifying diversity below the species level for conservation prioritization. However, its suitability for defining conservation units in ecologically diverse, geographically widespread and taxonomically challenging species complexes has not been broadly evaluated. The lake whitefish species complex (Coregonus spp.) is geographically widespread in the Northern Hemisphere, and it contains a great deal of variability in ecology and evolutionary legacy within and among populations, as well as a great deal of taxonomic ambiguity. Here, we employ a set of hierarchical criteria to identify DUs within the Canadian distribution of the lake whitefish species complex. We identified 36 DUs based on (i) reproductive isolation, (ii) phylogeographic groupings, (iii) local adaptation and (iv) biogeographic regions. The identification of DUs is required for clear discussion regarding the conservation prioritization of lake whitefish populations. We suggest conservation priorities among lake whitefish DUs based on biological consequences of extinction, risk of extinction and distinctiveness. Our results exemplify the need for extensive genetic and biogeographic analyses for any species with broad geographic distributions and the need for detailed evaluation of evolutionary history and adaptive ecological divergence when defining intraspecific conservation units.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jonathan A Mee
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of CalgaryCalgary, AB, Canada
| | - Louis Bernatchez
- Institut de Biologie Intégrative et des Systèmes (IBIS), Université LavalQuébec, QC, Canada
| | | | - Sean M Rogers
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of CalgaryCalgary, AB, Canada
| | - Eric B Taylor
- Department of Zoology, Biodiversity Research Centre and Beaty Biodiversity Museum, University of British ColumbiaVancouver, BC, Canada
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25
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Hipp AL, Larkin DJ, Barak RS, Bowles ML, Cadotte MW, Jacobi SK, Lonsdorf E, Scharenbroch BC, Williams E, Weiher E. Phylogeny in the service of ecological restoration. AMERICAN JOURNAL OF BOTANY 2015; 102:647-648. [PMID: 26022478 DOI: 10.3732/ajb.1500119] [Citation(s) in RCA: 30] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/04/2023]
Affiliation(s)
| | | | - Rebecca S Barak
- Chicago Botanic Garden, Glencoe, Illinois 60222 USA Plant Biology and Conservation, Northwestern University, Evanston, Illinois 60208 USA
| | | | - Marc W Cadotte
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Toronto-Scarborough, Toronto ON M1C 1A4 Canada
| | | | | | - Bryant C Scharenbroch
- The Morton Arboretum, Lisle, Illinois 60532 USA College of Natural Resources, University of Wisconsin Stevens Point, Stevens Point, Wisconsin 54481 USA
| | | | - Evan Weiher
- Department of Biology, University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire, Eau Claire, Wisconsin 54702 USA
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26
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Nagalingum NS, Knerr N, Laffan SW, González-Orozco CE, Thornhill AH, Miller JT, Mishler BD. Continental scale patterns and predictors of fern richness and phylogenetic diversity. Front Genet 2015; 6:132. [PMID: 25926846 PMCID: PMC4396410 DOI: 10.3389/fgene.2015.00132] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/30/2014] [Accepted: 03/19/2015] [Indexed: 12/02/2022] Open
Abstract
Because ferns have a wide range of habitat preferences and are widely distributed, they are an ideal group for understanding how diversity is distributed. Here we examine fern diversity on a broad-scale using standard and corrected richness measures as well as phylogenetic indices; in addition we determine the environmental predictors of each diversity metric. Using the combined records of Australian herbaria, a dataset of over 60,000 records was obtained for 89 genera to infer richness. A molecular phylogeny of all the genera was constructed and combined with the herbarium records to obtain phylogenetic diversity patterns. A hotspot of both taxic and phylogenetic diversity occurs in the Wet Tropics of northeastern Australia. Although considerable diversity is distributed along the eastern coast, some important regions of diversity are identified only after sample-standardization of richness and through the phylogenetic metric. Of all of the metrics, annual precipitation was identified as the most explanatory variable, in part, in agreement with global and regional fern studies. However, precipitation was combined with a different variable for each different metric. For corrected richness, precipitation was combined with temperature seasonality, while correlation of phylogenetic diversity to precipitation plus radiation indicated support for the species-energy hypothesis. Significantly high and significantly low phylogenetic diversity were found in geographically separate areas. These separate areas correlated with different climatic conditions such as seasonality in precipitation. The phylogenetic metrics identified additional areas of significant diversity, some of which have not been revealed using traditional taxonomic analyses, suggesting that different ecological and evolutionary processes have operated over the continent. Our study demonstrates that it is possible and vital to incorporate evolutionary metrics when inferring biodiversity hotspots from large compilations of data.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nathalie S. Nagalingum
- National Herbarium of New South Wales, Royal Botanic Gardens and Domain TrustSydney, NSW, Australia
| | - Nunzio Knerr
- Centre for Australian National Biodiversity Research, Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation Plant IndustryCanberra, ACT, Australia
| | - Shawn W. Laffan
- Centre for Ecosystem Science, School of Biological, Earth and Environmental Sciences, University of New South WalesSydney, NSW, Australia
| | - Carlos E. González-Orozco
- Centre for Australian National Biodiversity Research, Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation Plant IndustryCanberra, ACT, Australia
- Institute for Applied Ecology and Collaborative Research Network for Murray-Darling Basin Futures, University of CanberraACT, Australia
| | - Andrew H. Thornhill
- Centre for Australian National Biodiversity Research, Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation Plant IndustryCanberra, ACT, Australia
- Australian Tropical Herbarium, James Cook UniversityCairns, QLD, Australia
| | - Joseph T. Miller
- Centre for Australian National Biodiversity Research, Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation Plant IndustryCanberra, ACT, Australia
| | - Brent D. Mishler
- University and Jepson Herbaria, and Department of Integrative Biology, University of CaliforniaBerkeley, CA, USA
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27
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Pollock LJ, Rosauer DF, Thornhill AH, Kujala H, Crisp MD, Miller JT, McCarthy MA. Phylogenetic diversity meets conservation policy: small areas are key to preserving eucalypt lineages. Philos Trans R Soc Lond B Biol Sci 2015; 370:20140007. [PMID: 25561668 PMCID: PMC4290421 DOI: 10.1098/rstb.2014.0007] [Citation(s) in RCA: 36] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/27/2022] Open
Abstract
Evolutionary and genetic knowledge is increasingly being valued in conservation theory, but is rarely considered in conservation planning and policy. Here, we integrate phylogenetic diversity (PD) with spatial reserve prioritization to evaluate how well the existing reserve system in Victoria, Australia captures the evolutionary lineages of eucalypts, which dominate forest canopies across the state. Forty-three per cent of remaining native woody vegetation in Victoria is located in protected areas (mostly national parks) representing 48% of the extant PD found in the state. A modest expansion in protected areas of 5% (less than 1% of the state area) would increase protected PD by 33% over current levels. In a recent policy change, portions of the national parks were opened for development. These tourism development zones hold over half the PD found in national parks with some species and clades falling entirely outside of protected zones within the national parks. This approach of using PD in spatial prioritization could be extended to any clade or area that has spatial and phylogenetic data. Our results demonstrate the relevance of PD to regional conservation policy by highlighting that small but strategically located areas disproportionally impact the preservation of evolutionary lineages.
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Affiliation(s)
- Laura J Pollock
- School of Botany, The University of Melbourne, Parkville, Victoria, Australia
| | - Dan F Rosauer
- Research School of Biology, Australian National University, Canberra, Australian Capital Territory, Australia
| | - Andrew H Thornhill
- Australian Tropical Herbarium, James Cook University, Cairns, Queensland, Australia Australian National Herbarium, CSIRO, Plant Industry, Canberra, Australian Capital Territory, Australia
| | - Heini Kujala
- School of Botany, The University of Melbourne, Parkville, Victoria, Australia
| | - Michael D Crisp
- Research School of Biology, Australian National University, Canberra, Australian Capital Territory, Australia
| | - Joseph T Miller
- Australian National Herbarium, CSIRO, Plant Industry, Canberra, Australian Capital Territory, Australia
| | - Michael A McCarthy
- School of Botany, The University of Melbourne, Parkville, Victoria, Australia
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28
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29
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Schweizer M, Ayé R, Kashkarov R, Roth T. Conservation action based on threatened species capture taxonomic and phylogenetic richness in breeding and wintering populations of Central Asian birds. PLoS One 2014; 9:e110511. [PMID: 25337861 PMCID: PMC4206344 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0110511] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/05/2014] [Accepted: 09/15/2014] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Although phylogenetic diversity has been suggested to be relevant from a conservation point of view, its role is still limited in applied nature conservation. Recently, the practice of investing conservation resources based on threatened species was identified as a reason for the slow integration of phylogenetic diversity in nature conservation planning. One of the main arguments is based on the observation that threatened species are not evenly distributed over the phylogenetic tree. However this argument seems to dismiss the fact that conservation action is a spatially explicit process, and even if threatened species are not evenly distributed over the phylogenetic tree, the occurrence of threatened species could still indicate areas with above average phylogenetic diversity and consequently could protect phylogenetic diversity. Here we aim to study the selection of important bird areas in Central Asia, which were nominated largely based on the presence of threatened bird species. We show that although threatened species occurring in Central Asia do not capture phylogenetically more distinct species than expected by chance, the current spatially explicit conservation approach of selecting important bird areas covers above average taxonomic and phylogenetic diversity of breeding and wintering birds. We conclude that the spatially explicit processes of conservation actions need to be considered in the current discussion of whether new prioritization methods are needed to complement conservation action based on threatened species.
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Affiliation(s)
- Manuel Schweizer
- Naturhistorisches Museum der Burgergemeinde Bern, Bern, Switzerland
| | - Raffael Ayé
- SVS/BirdLife Switzerland, Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Roman Kashkarov
- National University of Uzbekistan, Tashkent, Uzbekistan
- Uzbekistan Society for the Protection of Birds, Tashkent, Uzbekistan
| | - Tobias Roth
- University of Basel, Zoological Institute, Basel, Switzerland
- Hintermann & Weber AG, Reinach, Switzerland
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30
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Zupan L, Cabeza M, Maiorano L, Roquet C, Devictor V, Lavergne S, Mouillot D, Mouquet N, Renaud J, Thuiller W. Spatial mismatch of phylogenetic diversity across three vertebrate groups and protected areas in Europe. DIVERS DISTRIB 2014; 20:674-685. [PMID: 24791146 DOI: 10.1111/ddi.12186] [Citation(s) in RCA: 39] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/27/2022] Open
Abstract
AIM We investigate patterns of phylogenetic diversity in relation to species diversity for European birds, mammals and amphibians, to evaluate their congruence and highlight areas of particular evolutionary history. We estimate the extent to which the European network of protected areas (PAs) network retains interesting evolutionary history areas for the three groups separately and simultaneously. LOCATION Europe. METHODS Phylogenetic (QEPD) and species diversity (SD) were estimated using the Rao's quadratic entropy at 10' resolution. We determined the regional relationship between QEPD and SD for each taxa with a spatial regression model and used the tails of the residuals (QERES) distribution to identify areas of higher and lower QEPD than predicted. Spatial congruence of biodiversity between groups was assessed with Pearson's correlation. A simple classification scheme allowed building a convergence map where a convergent pixel equalled to a QERES value of the same sign for the 3 groups. This convergence map was overlaid to the current PAs network to estimate the level of protection in convergent pixels and compared it to a null expectation built on 1000 randomization of PAs over the landscape. RESULTS QERES patterns across vertebrates show a strong spatial mismatch highlighting different evolutionary histories. Convergent areas represent only 2.7% of the Western Palearctic, with only 8.4% of these areas being covered by the current PAs network while a random distribution would retain 10.4% of them. QERES are unequally represented within PAs: areas with higher QEPD than predicted are better covered than expected, while low QEPD areas are undersampled. MAIN CONCLUSIONS Patterns of diversity strongly diverge between groups of vertebrates in Europe. Although Europe has the world's most extensive PAs network, evolutionary history of terrestrial vertebrates is unequally protected. The challenge is now to reconcile effective conservation planning with a contemporary view of biodiversity integrating multiple facets.
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Affiliation(s)
- Laure Zupan
- Laboratoire d'Écologie Alpine, UMR CNRS 5553, Université Joseph Fourier, Grenoble Cedex 9, France
| | - Mar Cabeza
- Metapopulation Research Group, Department of Biosciences, P.O. Box 65, 00014 University of Helsinki, Finland
| | - Luigi Maiorano
- Department of Biology and Biotechnologies "Charles Darwin", University of Rome "La Sapienza", viale dell'Università 32, 00185 Roma, Italia
| | - Cristina Roquet
- Laboratoire d'Écologie Alpine, UMR CNRS 5553, Université Joseph Fourier, Grenoble Cedex 9, France
| | - Vincent Devictor
- Institut des Sciences de l'Evolution, UMR 5554, CNRS, Université Montpellier 2, CC 065, Place Eugène Bataillon, 34095 Montpellier Cedex 05, France
| | - Sébastien Lavergne
- Laboratoire d'Écologie Alpine, UMR CNRS 5553, Université Joseph Fourier, Grenoble Cedex 9, France
| | - David Mouillot
- Laboratoire ECOSYM UMR 5119, Université Montpellier 2, 34095 Montpellier Cedex 5, France
| | - Nicolas Mouquet
- Institut des Sciences de l'Evolution, UMR 5554, CNRS, Université Montpellier 2, CC 065, Place Eugène Bataillon, 34095 Montpellier Cedex 05, France
| | - Julien Renaud
- Laboratoire d'Écologie Alpine, UMR CNRS 5553, Université Joseph Fourier, Grenoble Cedex 9, France
| | - Wilfried Thuiller
- Laboratoire d'Écologie Alpine, UMR CNRS 5553, Université Joseph Fourier, Grenoble Cedex 9, France
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Cotterill FPD, Taylor PJ, Gippoliti S, Bishop JM, Groves CP. Why One Century of Phenetics is Enough: Response to “Are There Really Twice As Many Bovid Species As We Thought?”. Syst Biol 2014; 63:819-32. [DOI: 10.1093/sysbio/syu003] [Citation(s) in RCA: 41] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
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Scriber JM. Climate-Driven Reshuffling of Species and Genes: Potential Conservation Roles for Species Translocations and Recombinant Hybrid Genotypes. INSECTS 2013; 5:1-61. [PMID: 26462579 PMCID: PMC4592632 DOI: 10.3390/insects5010001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/11/2013] [Revised: 12/04/2013] [Accepted: 12/06/2013] [Indexed: 01/11/2023]
Abstract
Comprising 50%-75% of the world's fauna, insects are a prominent part of biodiversity in communities and ecosystems globally. Biodiversity across all levels of biological classifications is fundamentally based on genetic diversity. However, the integration of genomics and phylogenetics into conservation management may not be as rapid as climate change. The genetics of hybrid introgression as a source of novel variation for ecological divergence and evolutionary speciation (and resilience) may generate adaptive potential and diversity fast enough to respond to locally-altered environmental conditions. Major plant and herbivore hybrid zones with associated communities deserve conservation consideration. This review addresses functional genetics across multi-trophic-level interactions including "invasive species" in various ecosystems as they may become disrupted in different ways by rapid climate change. "Invasive genes" (into new species and populations) need to be recognized for their positive creative potential and addressed in conservation programs. "Genetic rescue" via hybrid translocations may provide needed adaptive flexibility for rapid adaptation to environmental change. While concerns persist for some conservationists, this review emphasizes the positive aspects of hybrids and hybridization. Specific implications of natural genetic introgression are addressed with a few examples from butterflies, including transgressive phenotypes and climate-driven homoploid recombinant hybrid speciation. Some specific examples illustrate these points using the swallowtail butterflies (Papilionidae) with their long-term historical data base (phylogeographical diversity changes) and recent (3-decade) climate-driven temporal and genetic divergence in recombinant homoploid hybrids and relatively recent hybrid speciation of Papilio appalachiensis in North America. Climate-induced "reshuffling" (recombinations) of species composition, genotypes, and genomes may become increasingly ecologically and evolutionarily predictable, but future conservation management programs are more likely to remain constrained by human behavior than by lack of academic knowledge.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jon Mark Scriber
- Department of Entomology, Michigan State University, East Lansing, Michigan, MI 48824, USA.
- McGuire Center for Lepidoptera and Biodiversity, Florida Museum of Natural History, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL 32611, USA.
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Diniz-Filho JAF, Loyola RD, Raia P, Mooers AO, Bini LM. Darwinian shortfalls in biodiversity conservation. Trends Ecol Evol 2013; 28:689-95. [PMID: 24091208 DOI: 10.1016/j.tree.2013.09.003] [Citation(s) in RCA: 83] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/28/2013] [Revised: 08/30/2013] [Accepted: 09/03/2013] [Indexed: 11/25/2022]
Abstract
If we were to describe all the species on Earth and determine their distributions, we would solve the popularly termed 'Linnean' and 'Wallacean' shortfalls in biodiversity conservation. Even so, we would still be hindered by a 'Darwinian shortfall', that is, the lack of relevant phylogenetic information for most organisms. Overall, there are too few comprehensive phylogenies, large uncertainties in the estimation of divergence times, and, most critically, unknown evolutionary models linking phylogenies to relevant ecological traits and life history variation. Here, we discuss these issues and offer suggestions for further research to support evolutionary-based conservation planning.
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Why are Red List species not on the EDGE? A response to Winter et al. Trends Ecol Evol 2013; 28:321-2. [PMID: 23582754 DOI: 10.1016/j.tree.2013.03.006] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/06/2013] [Accepted: 03/19/2013] [Indexed: 11/22/2022]
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Winter M, Devictor V, Schweiger O. Conquering current obstacles for avoiding the misuse of evolutionary diversity in nature conservation: a reply to Rosauer and Mooers. Trends Ecol Evol 2013; 28:323-4. [PMID: 23529110 DOI: 10.1016/j.tree.2013.02.011] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/20/2013] [Revised: 02/22/2013] [Accepted: 02/27/2013] [Indexed: 11/24/2022]
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