The rarefaction of phylogenetic diversity: formulation, extension and application

David A. Nipperess*

*Corresponding author for this work

    Research output: Chapter in Book/Report/Conference proceedingChapterpeer-review

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    Abstract

    Like other measures of diversity, Phylogenetic Diversity (PD) increases monotonically and asymptotically with increasing sample size. This relationship can be described by a rarefaction curve tracing the expected PD for a given number of accumulation units. Accumulation units represent individual organisms, collections of organisms (e.g. sites), or even species (or equivalent), giving individual-based, sample-based and species-based curves respectively. The formulation for the exact analytical solution for the rarefaction of PD is given in an expanded form to demonstrate congruence with the classic formulation for the rarefaction of species richness. Rarefaction is commonly applied as a standardisation for diversity values derived from differing numbers of sampling units. However, the solution can be simply extended to create measures of phylogenetic evenness, phylogenetic beta-diversity and phylogenetic dispersion, derived from individual-based, sample-based and species-based curves respectively. This extension, termed Delta PD, is simply the initial slope of the rarefaction curve and is related to entropy measures such as PIE (Probability of Interspecific Encounter) and Gini-Simpson entropy. The application of rarefaction of PD to sample standardisation and measurement of phylogenetic evenness, phylogenetic beta-diversity and phylogenetic dispersion is demonstrated. Future prospects for PD rarefaction include the recognition of evolutionary hotspots (independent of species richness), the basis for ecological theory such as phylogeny-area relationships, and the prediction of unseen biodiversity.

    Original languageEnglish
    Title of host publicationBiodiversity conservation and phylogenetic systematics
    Subtitle of host publicationpreserving our evolutionary heritage in an extinction crisis
    EditorsRoseli Pellens, Philippe Grandcolas
    Place of PublicationSwitzerland
    PublisherSpringer, Springer Nature
    Chapter10
    Pages197-218
    Number of pages22
    ISBN (Print)9783319224602
    DOIs
    Publication statusPublished - 2016

    Publication series

    NameTopics in Biodiversity and Conservation
    PublisherSpringer
    Volume14
    ISSN (Print)1875-1288

    Bibliographical note

    Copyright the Author(s) 2016. Version archived for private and non-commercial use with the permission of the author/s and according to publisher conditions. For further rights please contact the publisher.

    Keywords

    • alpha diversity
    • beta diversity
    • evenness
    • phylogeny
    • sampling curves

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