phylogenetic diversity

Although species richness is a commonly used measure of biodiversity, it fails to capture the reality that species without close relatives contribute more uniqueness than do species with many close relatives. Phylogenetic diversity is used as a general term for a range of measures that consider the total length of all the branches linking a set of species on their phylogeny (“evolutionary tree”) and so reflect species’ evolutionary uniqueness. One of the first such measures is simply the sum of the branch lengths.

Although species richness is a commonly used measure of biodiversity, it fails to capture the reality that species without close relatives contribute more uniqueness than do species with many close relatives. Phylogenetic diversity is used as a general te.

Phylogenetic diversity (PD) describes the breadth of evolutionary history that is represented among the organisms found in a particular area. It can capture both the diversity of ecological functions that are represented, and perhaps more importantly for human well-being, the evolutionary potential of a community to respond to future stressors.