NCEAS Project 2150

Phylogeny and conservation: Problems in the quantification of biodiversity

  • Gittleman, John
  • McKinney, Michael


Data for public consumption

ActivityDatesFurther Information
Working Group15th—22nd August 1999Participant List   Agenda
Working Group21st—24th August 2000Participant List  
Working Group22nd—24th February 2001Participant List   Agenda
Working Group22nd—26th July 2001Participant List   Agenda
Working Group7th—11th February 2002Participant List   Agenda
Working Group26th—29th September 2002Participant List  

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Abstract
We propose a working group to assess the usefulness of algorithms and quantitative approaches to measuring biodiversity in terms of 'taxonomic distinctiveness' or 'independent evolutionary units'. We will critically evaluate whether and how phylogenetic information can be used to measure species value. Specifically, we will analyze the effects of sample size, topology, branch lengths and model of evolutionary change on various quantitative measures of phylogenetic diversity. Measures of phylogenetic diversity will then be applied to various conservation problems such rarity, species' conservation status, and extinction risk. The working group will provide a collaborative effort among ecologists, evolutionary biologists, paleontologists, systematists (both molecular and morphological) and conservation biologists, all of whom deal with synthetic comparative data in their respective fields. The end product will be a series of papers and an edited volume, Phylogeny and Conservation.

TypeProducts of NCEAS Research
PublicationAgapow, Paul-Michael ; Bininda-Emonds, Olaf R. P.; Crandall, Keith A.; Gittleman, John L.; Mace, Georgina ; Marshall, Jonathon G.; Purvis, Andy 2004. The impact of species concept on biodiversity studies. Quarterly Review of Biology. Vol: 79(2). Pages 161-179.
PublicationBininda-Emonds, Olaf R. P.; Gittleman, John L.; Steel, M. A.2002. The (super) tree of life: Procedures, problems, and prospects. Annual Review of Ecology, Evolution, and Systematics. Vol: 33. Pages 265-289. (Abstract)
PublicationBininda-Emonds, Olaf R. P.; Jones, Kate E.; Price, Sam ; Grenyer, Richard ; Cardillo, Marcel ; Habib, Mike ; Purvis, Andy ; Gittleman, John L.2003. Supertrees are a necessary not-so-evil: A comment on Gatesy et al. Systematic Biology. Vol: 52. Pages 724-729.
PublicationBininda-Emonds, Olaf R. P.; Vazquez, Diego P.; Manne, Lisa L.2000. The calculus of biodiversity: Integrating phylogeny and conservation. Trends in Ecology and Evolution. Vol: 15. Pages 92-94.
PublicationCassey, Phillip ; Blackburn, Tim M.; Jones, Kate E.; Lockwood, Julie L.2004. Mistakes in the analysis of exotic species establishment: Source pool designation and correlates of introduction success among parrots (Aves: Psittaciformes) of the world. Journal of Biogeography. Vol: 31(2). Pages 277-284.
PublicationCrandall, Keith A.; Bininda-Emonds, Olaf R. P.; Mace, Georgina ; Wayne, Robert K.2000. Considering evolutionary processes in conservation biology. Trends in Ecology and Evolution. Vol: 15. Pages 290-295.
PublicationFaith, Dan 2002. Quantifying biodiversity: A phylogenetic perspective. Conservation Biology. Vol: 16. Pages 248-252.
PublicationLockwood, Julie L.; Russell, Gareth J.; Gittleman, John L.; Daehler, Curtis C.; McKinney, Michael L.; Purvis, Andy 2002. A metric for analyzing taxonomic patterns of extinction risk. Conservation Biology. Vol: 16. Pages 1137-1142.
PublicationMace, Georgina ; Gittleman, John L.; Purvis, Andy 2003. Preserving the tree of life. Science. Vol: 300. Pages 1707-1709.
PublicationPurvis, Andy ; Agapow, Paul-Michael ; Gittleman, John L.; Mace, Georgina 2000. Nonrandom extinction and the loss of evolutionary history. Science. Vol: 288. Pages 328-330.
PublicationPurvis, Andy ; Gittleman, John L.; Brooks, Thomas 2005. Phylogeny and Conservation. Cambridge University Press. Cambridge. Pages 446.
PublicationPurvis, Andy ; Mace, Georgina ; Gittleman, John L.2001. Past and future carnivore extinctions: A phylogenetic perspective. Edited by Gittleman, J. L.; Funk, S.; MacDonald, D. W.; Wayne, R. K..Carnivore Conservation. Cambridge University Press. Cambridge. Pages 11-34.
PublicationSechrest, Wes ; Brooks, Thomas ; da Fonseca, Gustavo A. B.; Konstant, William R.; Mittermeier, Russell A.; Purvis, Andy ; Rylands, Anthony B.; Gittleman, John L.2002. Hotspots and the conservation of evolutionary history. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. Vol: 99. Pages 2067-2071.
PublicationWilliams, Paul ; Faith, Dan ; Manne, Lisa L.; Sechrest, Wes ; Preston, Chris 2006. Complementarity analysis: Mapping the performance of surrogates for biodiversity. Biological Conservation. Vol: 128. Pages 253-264.
Publicationvon Euler, Fredrik 2001. Selective extinction and rapid loss of evolutionary history in the bird fauna. Proceedings of the Royal Society: Biological Sciences. Vol: 268. Pages 127-130.
Data setCrandall, Keith A.2006. Evolutionary significant units (ESU) table. (Abstract) (Online version)
ProposalGittleman, John L.; Brooks, Thomas ; Williams, Paul 2001. The macroecology of mammalian geographic ranges. National Science Foundation.
Student TrainingGittleman, John L.In preparation. Doctoral Dissertation. Diego Vazquez. Tennessee.
Student TrainingGittleman, John L.In preparation. Doctoral Dissertation. Wes Sechrest. Virginia.