Phylogenetic Diversity and Phylogenetic Endemism in the California Flora

University Of California-Berkeley, Berkeley CA

Investigators

Abstract

This project will take the perspective of phylogenetic diversity in order to understand biodiversity with an emphasis on evolutionary history. Biodiversity hot spots, and endemism, are traditionally measured by changes in the number of species across a region. Such studies miss the full richness of analyses that a phylogenetic approach can provide. The investigators will use a combination of spatial distribution data, phylogenetic relationships, and new analysis tools to provide exciting new insights into the patterns of vascular plant diversity within California, a globally recognized region of high plant diversity. Plants currently missing from phylogenetic analyses will be collected, and this project promises to provide new information about patterns of plant diversity that will be useful not only to researchers, but also conservation planners and amateur plant enthusiasts. One postdoctoral researcher and several undergraduates will be trained in the methods being used to investigate phylogenetic endemism. These training activities will be coupled with extensive outreach to citizen scientists and amateur botanists through talks highlighting the importance of integrating information on phylogenetic relationships when evaluating patterns of biological diversity. The suite of analysis tools generated by this project will also provide a model for future analyses of phylogenetic endemism that could be used in diverse organisms throughout the world.