Maximizing the phylogenetic diversity of seed banks |
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Authors: | Kate E Griffiths Sharon T Balding John B Dickie Gwilym P Lewis Tim R Pearce Richard Grenyer |
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Institution: | 1. School of Geography and the Environment, University of Oxford, Oxford, United Kingdom;2. Seed Conservation Department, Royal Botanic Gardens Kew, West Sussex, United Kingdom;3. Herbarium, Royal Botanic Gardens Kew, Richmond, United Kingdom |
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Abstract: | Ex situ conservation efforts such as those of zoos, botanical gardens, and seed banks will form a vital complement to in situ conservation actions over the coming decades. It is therefore necessary to pay the same attention to the biological diversity represented in ex situ conservation facilities as is often paid to protected‐area networks. Building the phylogenetic diversity of ex situ collections will strengthen our capacity to respond to biodiversity loss. Since 2000, the Millennium Seed Bank Partnership has banked seed from 14% of the world's plant species. We assessed the taxonomic, geographic, and phylogenetic diversity of the Millennium Seed Bank collection of legumes (Leguminosae). We compared the collection with all known legume genera, their known geographic range (at country and regional levels), and a genus‐level phylogeny of the legume family constructed for this study. Over half the phylogenetic diversity of legumes at the genus level was represented in the Millennium Seed Bank. However, pragmatic prioritization of species of economic importance and endangerment has led to the banking of a less‐than‐optimal phylogenetic diversity and prioritization of range‐restricted species risks an underdispersed collection. The current state of the phylogenetic diversity of legumes in the Millennium Seed Bank could be substantially improved through the strategic banking of relatively few additional taxa. Our method draws on tools that are widely applied to in situ conservation planning, and it can be used to evaluate and improve the phylogenetic diversity of ex situ collections. Maximizar la Riqueza Filogenética de los Bancos de Semillas |
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Keywords: | conservation planning ex situ conservation Fabaceae Leguminosae Millennium Seed Bank phylogenetic diversity Banco de Semillas Millennium conservació n ex‐situ diversidad filogené tica Fabaceae Leguminosae planeació n de la conservació n |
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