Incorporating evolutionary history into conservation planning in biodiversity hotspots.

ABSTRACT: There is increased evidence that incorporating evolutionary history directly in conservation actions is beneficial, particularly given the likelihood that extinction is not random and that phylogenetic diversity (PD) is lost at higher rates than species diversity. This evidence is even more compelling in biodiversity hotspots, such as Madagascar, where less than 10% of the original vegetation remains. Here, we use the Leguminosae, an ecologically and economically important plant family, and a combination of phylogenetics and species distribution modelling, to assess biodiversity patterns and identify regions, coevolutionary processes and ecological factors that are important in shaping this diversity, especially during the Quaternary. We show evidence that species distribution and communit

SUBMITTER: Buerki S 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC4290428 | biostudies-literature | 2015 Feb

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature