Integrating phylogenetic and functional biodiversity facets to guide conservation: a case study using anurans in a global biodiversity hotspot

Author(s)

Ouchi-Melo, Lilian Sayuri ^{[1, 2]} ; Meynard, Christine N. ^[3] ; Goncalves-Souza, Thiago ^[4] ; Rossa-Feres, Denise de Cerqueira ^[1]

Affiliation

^[1] Univ Estadual Paulista, UNESP, Dept Zool & Bot, Inst Biociencias Letras & Ciencias Exatas Ibilce, Campus Sao Jose do Rio Preto, Sao Paulo - Brazil

^[2] Univ Estadual Paulista, UNESP, Postgrad Course Anim Biol, Campus Sao Jose do Rio Preto, Sao Paulo - Brazil

^[3] Univ Montpellier, Montpellier SupAgro, INRA, CBGP, CIRAD, IRD, Montpellier - France

^[4] Univ Fed Rural Pernambuco, Dept Biol, Area Ecol, Recife, PE - Brazil

• Document type: Journal article
• Source: BIODIVERSITY AND CONSERVATION; v. 27, n. 12, p. 3247-3266, OCT 2018.
• Web of Science Citations: 1

Abstract

The Cerrado is one of the most threatened biomes in Brazil, with little spatial representation within the Protected Area network. Recently, proposed conservation plans worldwide have advocated for the use of multiple biodiversity facets to protect unique evolutionary and functional processes. Our aim was to identify areas with high biodiversity representa-tiveness applying this multifaceted perspective, and propose conservation plans based on the joint analysis of taxonomic, functional and phylogenetic diversity. We used a database of the Brazilian National Program for Research in Biodiversity, which employs a standard protocol for sampling tadpoles. The Cerrado database includes samples from 165 water bodies spread over 15 localities, covering most of the Central Brazilian Cerrado. We selected four morphological traits to calculate functional diversity and used a dated phylogeny available in the literature to compute phylogenetic diversity. Our approach selected five priority areas for conservation, one of which is already protected. Our results highlighted the importance of four new areas which show high values of diversity, including original lineages and traits, and urgently need conservation prioritization. Furthermore, unlike the current protected network, our approach performs significantly better than random at protecting sites with high phylogenetic and functional diversity. We therefore discuss how the multifaceted indices considered can help protect key ecosystem functions and evolutionary legacy in anuran communities of the Brazilian Cerrado. (AU)

• FAPESP's process: 13/26101-8 - What is the importance of integrating several diversity metrics for understanding the function and structure of the amphibian tadpole communities in brasilian biomes?
• Grantee: Lilian Sayuri Ouchi de Melo
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Doctorate
• FAPESP's process: 10/52321-7 - Diversity and ecology of tadpoles from Central Amazonia
• Grantee: Denise de Cerqueira Rossa-Feres
• Support Opportunities: BIOTA-FAPESP Program - Regular Research Grants