Evolutionary Distinctiveness, Threat Status, and Ecological Oddity in Primates

• Published in: Conservation biology Vol. 24; no. 4; pp. 1052 - 1058
• Main Authors: REDDING, DAVID W., DeWOLFF, CURT V., MOOERS, ARNE Ø.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Malden, USA Blackwell Publishing Inc 01.08.2010; Wiley-Blackwell; Blackwell Publishing Ltd
• Subjects: aislamiento filogenético; anatomy & histology; Animal, plant and microbial ecology; Animals; Applied ecology; Biodiversity; Biodiversity conservation; Biological and medical sciences; Biological Evolution; Biological taxonomies; Body Size; Conservation; Conservation biology; Conservation of Natural Resources; Conservation of Natural Resources - methods; conservation priorities; Conservation, protection and management of environment and wildlife; Demography; Diet; Ecological genetics; Ecosystem; Endangered & extinct species; Endangered Species; Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology; Mammalia; Measurement techniques; methods; Models, Biological; Nature conservation; Parks, reserves, wildlife conservation. Endangered species: population survey and restocking; phylogenetic isolation; phylogeny; physiology; Primates; Primates - anatomy & histology; Primates - physiology; prioridades de conservación; Research methodology; Species; Species Specificity; Threatened species; triage; triaje; Vertebrates: general zoology, morphology, phylogeny, systematics, cytogenetics, geographical distribution; Wildlife conservation; Status; phylogenetic isolation; Vertebrata; conservation priorities; Mammalia; Priority; Conservation; Primates; Ecology; Phylogeny; triage; Environmental protection
• ISSN: 0888-8892; 1523-1739; 1523-1739
• DOI: 10.1111/j.1523-1739.2010.01532.x

The EDGE (evolutionary distinct and globally endangered) conservation program (www.edgeofexistence.org) uses a composite measure of threat and phylogenetic isolation to rank species for conservation attention. Using primates as a test case, we examined how species that rank highly with this metric represent the collective from which they are drawn. We considered the ecological and morphological traits, including body mass, diet, terrestriality, and home range size, of all 233 species of primates. Overall, EDGE score and the level of deviance from the mean of 20 different ecological, reproductive, and morphological variables were correlated (mean correlation r = 0.14, combined p = 1.7 x 10¯¹⁴). Although primates with a high EDGE score had characteristics that made them seem odd, they did not seem to express more ancestral characteristics than expected. Sets of primate species with high EDGE scores will, therefore, collectively capture a broader than expected range of the biology of the clade. If similar patterns hold in other groups, the EDGE metric may be useful f or prioritizing biodiversity for conservation. El programa de conservación EDGE (evolutivamente distinto y globalmente en peligro) (www.edgeofexistence.org) utiliza una medida compuesta de la amenaza y el aislamiento genético para clasificar especies para atención de la conservación. Utilizando primates como un estudio de caso, examinamos cómo representan especies que tienen alto valor con esta medida al colectivo de donde son tomadas. Consideramos características ecológicas y morfológicas, incluyendo masa corporal, dieta, terrestrialidad y extensión del rango de hogar, de las 233 especies de primates. En general, el valor EDGE y el nivel de desviación de la media de 20 variables ecológicas, reproductivas y morfológicas estaban correlacionadas (correlación promedio r = 0.14, p combinada = 1.7 x 10⁻⁴). Aunque los primates con un valor EDGE alto tenían características que los hacían ver raros, no parecieron expresar más características ancestrales que lo esperado. Por lo tanto, los conjuntos de primates con valores EDGE altos colectivamente capturan un rango de la biología del ciado más amplio que el esperado. Si se mantienen patrones similares en otros grupos, la medida EDGE puede ser útil para la priorización de la conservación de la biodiversidad.