Phylogenetic Measures of Biodiversity

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Author(s)Helmus, Matthew R.
Author(s)Bland, Thomas J.
Author(s)Williams, Christopher K.
Author(s)Ives, Anthony R.
Date Accessioned2023-12-12T14:21:46Z
Date Available2023-12-12T14:21:46Z
Publication Date2007-01-17
DescriptionThis article was originally published in The American Naturalist on January 17, 2007. The version of record is available at: https://doi.org/10.1086/511334. © 2007 by The University of Chicago.
AbstractWe developed a theoretical framework based on phylogenetic comparative methods to integrate phylogeny into three measures of biodiversity: species variability, richness, and evenness. These metrics can be used in conjunction with permutation procedures to test for phylogenetic community structure. As an illustration, we analyzed data on the composition of 58 lake fish communities in Wisconsin. The fish communities showed phylogenetic underdispersion, with communities more likely to contain closely related species. Using information about differences in environmental characteristics among lakes, we demonstrated that phylogenetic underdispersion in fish communities was associated with environmental factors. For example, lakes with low pH were more likely to contain species in the same clade of acid‐tolerant species. Our metrics differ from existing metrics used to calculate phylogenetic community structure, such as net relatedness index and Faith’s phylogenetic diversity. Our metrics have the advantage of providing an integrated and easy‐to‐understand package of phylogenetic measures of species variability, richness, and evenness with well‐defined statistical properties. Furthermore, they allow the easy evaluation of contributions of individual species to different aspects of the phylogenetic organization of communities. Therefore, these metrics should aid with the incorporation of phylogenetic information into strategies for understanding biodiversity and its conservation.
SponsorWe thank J. Behm, B. J. Cardinale, R. T. Gilman, J. Harmon, C. T. Harvey, P. Johnson, and N. Mercado‐Silva and two reviewers, who provided useful comments on an earlier version of this manuscript. Research was funded by the University of Wisconsin Center for Limnology Biocomplexity, National Science Foundation (NSF) grant DEB‐00835454 (S. R. Carpenter), the North Temperate Lakes Long Term Ecological Research grant DEB‐0217533, and NSF grant DEB‐0415670 to A.R.I.
CitationHelmus, Matthew R., Thomas J. Bland, Christopher K. Williams, and Anthony R. Ives. “Phylogenetic Measures of Biodiversity.” The American Naturalist 169, no. 3 (March 1, 2007): E68–83. https://doi.org/10.1086/511334.
ISSN1537-5323
URLhttps://udspace.udel.edu/handle/19716/33683
Languageen_US
PublisherThe American Naturalist
Keywordsphylogenetic species diversity
Keywordsphylogenetic community structure
Keywordsfreshwater fish
Keywordslife on land
TitlePhylogenetic Measures of Biodiversity
TypeArticle
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