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Abstract Detail



Ecology

Jantzen, Johanna [1], Whitten, Mark W. [2], Neubig, Kurt M. [3], Majure, Lucas Charles [4], Soltis, Douglas E. [5], Soltis, Pamela S. [2].

Patterns of phylogenetic diversity based on alternative taxonomic sampling and tree reconstruction strategies: a case study from Florida.

The phylogenetic diversity in a community is often used to draw inferences about the local and historical factors affecting community assembly and can be used to prioritize communities for conservation. Because measures of phylogenetic diversity (PD) are based on the topology and branch lengths of phylogenetic trees, which are affected by the number and diversity of taxa that are included in the tree, these analyses may be sensitive to changes in taxonomic sampling and tree reconstruction methods. As a case study to investigate the effects of taxonomic sampling on measures of phylogenetic diversity, we investigated the community phylogenetics of the Ordway-Swisher Biological Station (OSBS) at the University of Florida. We used barcoding sequences (rbcL and matK) from 572 vascular plant taxa, representing approximately 95% of the estimated 600 species of vascular plants found at the site, to reconstruct community-level phylogenies for the OSBS. Each taxon was assigned to one or more communities for calculating the PD of individual communities within OSBS, and each taxon was also designated as either woody or herbaceous. We used these data to test a number of hypotheses related to taxonomic sampling and tree reconstruction methods. We studied the effects of 1) calculating PD on trees reconstructed using molecular data, trees pruned from a larger reconstructed tree, or taxonomy-based trees from the Open Tree of Life (tree.opentreeoflife.org); 2) changing the number of taxa included in the tree by either randomly selecting subsets of taxa, or by targeting taxa based on proportional or equal representation at a family level; and 3) calculating PD on trees that include only taxa with specific growth forms (i.e., woody or herbaceous) or from specific taxonomic groups (e.g., Asteraceae, Poaceae). These analyses revealed which of these factors are most important to consider when designing community phylogenetic studies due to their potential to affect measurements of PD, and therefore their potential to alter the conclusions that may be drawn from these studies. By identifying potential biases that taxonomic sampling and tree reconstruction can introduce into the analysis of phylogenetic diversity, this study will inform taxon sampling for future community phylogenetic studies and will allow for more accurate interpretation of results from these types of studies.


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1 - University of Florida, Department of Biology, Dickinson Hall, 1659 Museum Rd, Gainesville, FL, 32611, USA
2 - University Of Florida, Florida Museum Of Natural History, PO BOX 117800, Gainesville, FL, 32611-7800, USA, 352/273-1964
3 - Southern Illinois University, Plant Biology, 1125 Lincoln Dr., LSII, room 420, MC6509,, Carbondale, IL, 62901, USA
4 - Desert Botanical Garden, Research, Conservation, and Collections, 1201 N. Galvin Parkway, Phoenix, AZ, 85008, USA
5 - University of Florida, Florida Museum of Natural History, 1659 Museum Road, Gainesville, Florida, 32611, United States

Keywords:
Community Phylogenetics
Phylogenetic Diversity
phylogeny.

Presentation Type: Oral Paper
Session: 3, Ecology Section - Community Processes and Delineation
Location: Sundance 5/Omni Hotel
Date: Monday, June 26th, 2017
Time: 9:15 AM
Number: 3005
Abstract ID:277
Candidate for Awards:None


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