Phylogenetic Trees (IMAGE)

University of California - Berkeley

Phylogenetic Trees

Caption

The new model focuses on phylogenetic diversity, which is very different from counting species, today's standard measure of biodiversity. The same number of species (three blue circles) can have a very different phylogenetic diversity (the sum of the red branches on the tree connecting them) depending on how closely they are related. Conservation efforts should focus on preserving phylogenetic diversity rather than the total number of species.

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Brent Mishler/UC Berkeley

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