Better metric for prioritizing conservation of 'evolutionarily distinctive' species plos PLOSBiology
of closely related species and uncertainty in species' relationships and conservation status.
Applying the EDGE2 methodology to 6,253 mammal species, the researchers found that the Mountain Pygmy Possum scored highest, representing 25 million years of evolution at critical risk of extinction. They identified 645 priority species that together account for 81% of the evolutionary diversity at risk. Protecting the 100 highest ranking species from this list—representing 1.
The Red Panda is the only extant member of its family, Ailuridae, and is one of the highest priority EDGE mammals. Credit: ZSL EDGE2 lists can help guide the effective and practical prioritization of limited conservation funds to preserve distinctive evolutionary features and ecological functions, the authors say. They also propose an EDGE2 research list, calling for further research on species that are evolutionarily distinct, but whose conservation status is unknown.
Gumbs adds,"The variety of life at which we marvel is the product of the shared and unique evolutionary histories of species past and present, yet many of the most evolutionarily distinct species on Earth today are at risk of extinction.
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