Course: Conservation Biology

Lecture 27

Topic:

Phylogenetic Consideration of Biodiversity Loss/Extinction

This topic comes under the scope of Phylogenetic Systematics that is the
scientific discipline describing and naming the different organisms, assessing their
relatedness(relationships) in the Tree of Life and proposing their classifications.

▪ Species phylogenetic relationships are assessed on the basis of originally

shared characters modified during evolution.

What is tree of life?

⮚ It describes the interrelatedness of all organisms (living and extinct), based

on their evolutionary history.

● The contribution of phylogenetic systematics in assessment of biodiversity

loss originated from the idea that species are not equal and from the

possibility of characterization in terms of evolutionary history.

● Systematics addresses the interrelatedness of organisms in terms of shared

inherited and original features.

● This old but recently revived science moved from describing and classifying

the living beings in the eighteenth century to macro-evolutionary biology in

the twentieth century with modern phylogenetics.

● Phylogenies are trees of history, showing both the species relationships and

the evolution of sets of characters.

● These are the basis for organizing and retrieving all current knowledge about

biodiversity, either structural or functional in an evolutionary context.

● The consideration of phylogenetic systematics in biodiversity conservation

opened a completely new line of investigation as it has turned the focus to

the need of protecting the Tree of Life.

● Since its introduction in biodiversity conservation thinking much has been

developed in order to compose our present conceptual understanding of the

importance of protecting the Tree of Life.

● Several methodological issues were developed and refined; the input of

phylogenetic diversity in comparison with species richness was assessed in

different ways; several studies attempting to prioritize species and areas for

conservation were developed.

● The relationship between the losses of evolutionary history with extinctions

was studied in different contexts; and different new concepts emerged

● . The main aim of this topic is to contribute to the ongoing international

search for reducing biodiversity losses in this critical period for life on Earth

by exploring several approaches for the conservation of phylogenetic

diversity.

● Phylogenies are the end result of differential species extinction.

● Some taxa are obviously more susceptible to extinction than others; for

example, the estimated average species’ life span for mammals is around 1

million years, while for marine invertebrates it is 4–10 million years.

● But how are differences in extinction rates related to the various patterns of

evolutionary history that are observed?

● Nee and May recently simulated phylogenetic trees and, guided by

mathematical models, pruned different branches (clades) of the tree to

simulate the effects of extinction.

● By preserving as much phylogenetic history as possible, it will be more

likely that the evolutionary potential of our world’s biota is preserved too.