Trends in Ecology & Evolution
OpinionPhylogenetic diversity and nature conservation: where are we?
Section snippets
A promising but yet ambiguous additional biodiversity component for conservation
More than two decades ago, Richard Vane-Wright et al. [1] proposed phylogenetic diversity (see Glossary) as an additional component for nature conservation. The idea was to integrate information on the phylogenetic positions of species as a legacy of evolutionary processes (e.g., speciation, radiation) into conservation assessments [2]. Research on the applicability of aspects of phylogenetic diversity has steadily increased since then 3, 4. Phylogenetic diversity has been repeatedly suggested
Phylogenetic diversity as an intrinsic biodiversity component
One general agreement is to conserve all components of biodiversity [11], including evolutionary information. If we lose species we will inevitably lose evolutionary information 5, 12. The concern about losing evolutionary information as a value on its own can also be seen in the context of the general motivation of nature conservation and leads to the fields of moral and ethical questions. However, it is unclear how protecting phylogenetic diversity per se can be an ultimate objective for
The rarity aspect
Humans usually value entities higher when they are rare. Because rare species are often the first to become extinct, rare species in addition to charismatic and ecological keystone species have received priority protection [13]. The corresponding concept of rarity in an evolutionary framework is ‘phylogenetic rarity’, which can be measured as uniqueness or phylogenetic distinctiveness [14]. The extinction of a species from a young and species-rich clade will result in a smaller loss of
The richness aspect
The focus on single species has a long tradition in nature conservation [17], but more recent developments highlight the importance of considering whole areas in which communities and their ecological processes can be maintained [1]. Traditional area-based conservation often relies on species richness, which has been related to ecosystem functioning (stability, productivity) 21, 22, 23. This is a research field with important implications, but also with many remaining questions [24] and
Phylogenetic diversity as a proxy for functional diversity
It is argued that phylogenetically distinct species are likely to also have distinct functional traits. For example, the African plant Welwitschia mirabilis is the only member of the family Welwitschiaceae. Due to its unique combination of life history and leaf traits, it is one of the very few plants able to survive under extreme arid conditions and thus serves as an important refuge for many desert animals. Intuitively, the loss of evolutionarily distinct species is assumed to constitute an
Phylogenetic diversity as a proxy for evolutionary potential
Another line of argument considers an evolutionary perspective in the sense of ‘evolutionary potential’; that is, species capacities to evolve in response to environmental changes 33, 43, 44. From a species-centered point of view, the loss of phylogenetically distinct species might also result in the loss of evolutionary potential, which is of particular concern in the face of ongoing global change 45, 46. However, despite an increasing body of evidence for differences in the evolutionary
The jungle of different indices
Even if the integration of phylogenetic diversity into conservation assessments can be justified, a major question will remain: what is the best measure and methodological approach to increase the conservation benefit compared with other, more commonly used conservation measures? Choosing the right metric of phylogenetic diversity is, in itself, not an easy task. There is a large variety of metrics and they are designed to quantify different aspects of phylogenetic diversity [52], such as the
The need for a solid conceptual basis and reliable guidance
If we accept rarity and richness to represent values deserving protection on their own, as has long been done by conservationists for the species- and area-centered approaches, phylogenetic diversity has the potential to enrich modern conservation practice. It can help by the identification and prioritization of species in need of protection and it can improve the spatial planning of conservation areas by the identification of locations with high levels of phylogenetic diversity in addition to
Acknowledgments
We are grateful to Ingolf Kühn for comments on earlier drafts and thank Walter Durka, Stefan Michalski, and the team at the EEF symposium ‘Evolutionary history, ecosystem function and conservation biology: new perspectives’ [68] for fruitful discussions. We also acknowledge the helpful and detailed comments and suggestions from three anonymous reviewers and Paul Craze.
Glossary
- Complementarity approach
- in terms of conservation, this approach uses optimization algorithms to select a set of areas that, if protected, would represent components of biodiversity not adequately represented in existing protected areas [1]. Components could be, for example, species, regions, landscape features, evolutionary lineages, or functional characteristics.
- Distinctiveness
- ‘distinctiveness’ describes the phylogenetic relationship of a species to other extant species regardless of whether
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