First meeting: 19.-22.11.2013

PIs:
Dan Rosauer
Marc Cadotte

iDiv member:
Marten Winter

Project summary:
The use of phylogenetic information in ecology and conservation has blossomed in the past decade. Integrative measures that combine information from multiple levels of organization including evolutionary history, have revolutionized the types of questions asked by ecologists and schemes for conservation prioritization. Scientists no longer simply count species, but try also to measure their differences. However, there has been a proliferation of phylogenetic diversity metrics, with very little understanding of how different metrics quantify phylogenetic patterns. This working group will bring together world leaders in integrating phylogenetic information into ecology and conservation, to assess how different metrics represent phylogenetic information. This group will use simulations and data, and evaluate metric sensitivity to species pool size, phylogenetic imbalance, and spatial autocorrelation in occupancy patterns. The goal is to produce a framework that will help researchers to select appropriate metrics and will supply recommendations for their use. The group will also reassess how appropriate phylogenetic diversity metrics can directly contribute to conservation planning.

Participants:
Marc Cadotte (University of Toronto), Silvia Carvalho (University of Porto), Jonathan Davies (McGill University), Simon Ferrier (CSIRO), Susanne Fritz (Biodiversity and Climate Research Centre (BiK-F) & Senckenberg Gesellschaft für Naturforschung), Rich Grenyer (Oxford University), Matthew Helmus (VU University), Lanna Jin (University of Toronto), Florent Mazel (Univ. Joseph Fourier), Arne Mooers (Simon Fraser University), Sandrine Pavoine (Museum National D'Histoire Naturelle), Oliver Puschke (iDiv), Dave Redding (University College London), Daniel Rosauer (Australian National University), Caroline Tucker (University of Colorado, Boulder), Marten Winter (iDiv)

Meeting report

Second meeting: 20.-23.05.2014

Participants:
Marc Cadotte (University of Toronto), Jonathan Davies (McGill University), Simon Ferrier (CSIRO), Susanne Fritz (Biodiversity and Climate Research Centre (BiK-F) & Senckenberg Gesellschaft für Naturforschung), Rich Grenyer (Oxford University), Lanna Jin (University of Toronto), Florent Mazel (Univ. Joseph Fourier), Arne Mooers (Simon Fraser University), Oliver Puschke (iDiv), Dave Redding (University College London), Daniel Rosauer (Australian National University), Caroline Tucker (University of Colorado, Boulder), Marten Winter (iDiv)

Meeting report