Phylogenetic homogenization of amphibian assemblages in human-altered habitats across the globe
Abstract
Widespread conversion of natural habitats to human land use creates evolutionarily novel environments and causes declines of native species. Stemming biodiversity loss requires an understanding of why some species persist while others decline in these novel habitats. We analyzed survey data of amphibian species from around the globe to determine whether closely related species respond similarly to habitat conversion. We find that species that persist in converted habitats tend to come from the same clades within the amphibian tree of life and that by favoring these widely distributed clades, habitat conversion leads to nonrandom extirpations and loss of evolutionary history. Our results show that the identity of winners and losers during the Anthropocene can be tightly linked to their evolutionary history.
- Publication:
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Proceedings of the National Academy of Science
- Pub Date:
- April 2018
- DOI:
- 10.1073/pnas.1714891115
- Bibcode:
- 2018PNAS..115E3454N