Does phylogenetic diversity offer benefits to people?

2012年《自然》杂志的一项高姿态评论将生物多样性和保护领域纳入生物多样性被列为四个重要的“新兴趋势”之一。自2007年以来，我的发现资助的研究计划的长期目标是（i）开发和使用新的方法来研究我们如何使用生物多样性来更有效地优先考虑特定的种群，物种或保护活动的区域，以及（ii）应用该方法来记录和预测生物多样性变化。我们对第一个“如何”的问题做出了重大贡献，我们已经进行了几项研究，探索“在哪里和什么”的问题，针对人类活动对生命之树的影响。然而，我们沿着了其他人的论点，他们认为恐龙灭绝实际上是一个值得关注的保护焦点。这个发现资助周期的短期目标是退一步问“为什么”的问题：我提出了一系列的比较测试，以帮助回答基本问题“系统发育多样性（PD）为人们提供了什么好处？”“拟议的HQP重点项目将询问（i）区域和地方PD如何联系（预期和调查数据）;（ii）地方PD如何随时间变化（将BioTIME数据系列与大型脊椎动物和植物共生相结合）;（iii）地方PD是否与自然系统中的植物生态系统功能相关（使用HerbDivNet数据与L. Fraser和J. Pither）;（iv）PD是否预测了过去人类对植物的更多使用（将SESYNC工作组的数据与植物适应性基因相结合）;（v）中性和假定的适应性遗传变异如何在种群间共同变化（使用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).