Spatial mismatch and congruence between taxonomic, phylogenetic and functional diversity: the need for integrative conservation strategies in a changing world.
Functional and phylogenetic diversity are increasingly quantified in various fields of ecology and conservation biology. The need to maintain diversity turnover among sites, so-called beta-diversity, has also been raised in theoretical and applied ecology. In this study, we propose the first comprehensive framework for the large-scale mapping of taxonomic, phylogenetic and functional diversity and of their respective turnover. Using high-resolution data on the spatial distribution and abundance of birds at a country scale, we disentangled areas of mismatches and congruencies between biodiversity components. We further revealed unequal representation of each component in protected areas: functional diversity was significantly under-represented whereas taxonomic diversity was significantly over-represented in protected areas. Our results challenge the use of any one diversity component as a surrogate for other components and stress the need to adopt an integrative approach to biodiversity conservation.
Devictor
Vincent
V
Institut des Sciences de l'Evolution, UMR CNRS-UM2 5554, Université Montpellier 2, Place Eugène Bataillon, 34095 Montpellier, France. vincent.devictor@univmontp2.fr
Mouillot
David
D
Meynard
Christine
C
Jiguet
Frédéric
F
Thuiller
Wilfried
W
Mouquet
Nicolas
N
D000818:Animals; D044822:Biodiversity; D001717:Birds / Q000145:classification / Q000502:physiology*; D003247:Conservation of Natural Resources; D010802:Phylogeny; D011156:Population Density