Does phylogenetic diversity offer benefits to people?

在2012年《自然》杂志的一篇备受瞩目的评论中，将系统发育纳入生物多样性和保护领域，被列为四个重要的“新兴趋势”之一。自2007年以来，我的发现号资助的研究计划的长期目标是(I)开发和使用新的方法来调查我们如何利用系统发育学来更有效地优先保护特定的种群、物种或地区，以及(Ii)应用这种方法来记录和预测生物多样性的变化。我们对第一个“如何”的问题做出了重大贡献，我们还进行了几项研究，探索“在哪里和什么”的问题，这些问题针对的是人为变化对生命树的影响。然而，我们在一定程度上是因为其他人的论点很有说服力，即进化史实际上是值得关注的保护重点。这个探索基金周期的短期目标是退一步问“为什么”这个问题：我提出了一系列比较测试，以帮助回答“系统发育多样性(PD)给人类带来什么好处？”这个基本问题。拟议的以HQP为重点的项目将询问(I)地区和当地PD如何联系(在预期中和与调查数据)；(Ii)当地PD如何随时间变化(将BioTime数据系列与大规模脊椎动物和植物系统学结合起来)；(Iii)当地PD是否与自然系统中的植物生态系统功能有关(使用HerbDivNet与L.Fraser和J.Pither的数据)；(Iv)PD是否预测过去人类对植物的更多使用(结合来自SESYNC工作组的数据与植物系统学)；(V)中性和假定的适应性遗传差异在不同种群之间是如何变化的(使用来自林莺和大西洋鲑鱼的基因组数据)。

Integrating phylogenies into the fields of biodiversity and conservation was listed as one of four important "emerging trends" in a high-profile review in Nature in 2012. The long-term objective of my Discovery-funded research program since 2007 has been to (i) develop and use novel methods to investigate how we can use phylogenies to more efficiently prioritize particular populations, species or areas for conservation activity, and (ii) to apply the approach to document and predict biodiversity change. We have made significant contributions to this first "how" question, and we have undertaken several studies exploring the "where and what" questions directed at the effects of anthropogenic change on the Tree of Life. However, we have been carried along partly by the strength of arguments by others that the phylogeny is in fact a worthy focus of conservation attention. The short-term objective of this Discovery Grant cycle is to take a step back to ask the "why" question: I propose a series of comparative tests to help answer the basic question "What benefits does phylogenetic diversity (PD) offer to people?" The proposed HQP-focussed projects will ask (i) how regional and local PD are linked (in expectation and with survey data); (ii) how local PD has changed through time (combining BioTIME data series with large-scale vertebrate and plant phylogenies); (iii) whether local PD is associated with plant ecosystem function in natural systems (using HerbDivNet data with L. Fraser and J. Pither); (iv) whether PD predicts more past human uses of plants (combining data from a SESYNC working group with plant phylogenies); (v) how neutral and putative adaptive genetic variance co-vary across populations (using genomic data from warblers and Atlantic salmon).