Jeannine Cavender-Bares on Ecology & Phylogenetic Biology
New Hot Paper Commentary, September 2010
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Article: The merging of community ecology and phylogenetic biology
Authors: Cavender-Bares, J;Kozak, KH;Fine,
PVA;Kembel, SW |
Jeannine Cavender-Bares talks with ScienceWatch.com and answers a few questions about this month's New Hot Papers paper in the field of Environment/Ecology.
Why do you think your paper is highly
cited?
The past decade has witnessed a rapidly increasing effort to bring information about the evolutionary history and genealogical relationships of species to bear on critical questions in almost all aspects of ecology, from community assembly and diversity to ecosystem ecology, invasive species biology and global change.
These efforts are providing important tools and conceptual advances for enhanced management and sustainability of global ecological systems in the 21st century. Hundreds of papers have been published in this area.
"Phylogenetic biology provides more information than simply counting species. Hence all issues that link biodiversity to ecosystem services and sustainability are more informed by incorporating phylogenetic information..."
The paper synthesizes these efforts, particularly in the area of community ecology, providing a path forward for harnessing phylogenetic information to understand the assembly of communities and dynamics of ecosystems, critical for restoring our human dominated biosphere.
Does it describe a new discovery, methodology, or synthesis of knowledge?
The article synthesizes the rapidly increasing integration of community ecology and phylogenetic biology. It identifies key insights emerging from this integration, highlights potential pitfalls, and provides a framework for advancing ecology by harnessing an evolutionary perspective.
Would you summarize the significance of your paper
in layman's terms?
Early naturalists seamlessly integrated ecological and evolutionary thinking. However, theoretical developments in the first half of the 20th century led to a growing separation between ecology and evolutionary biology, reinforcing the convenient assumption that evolutionary processes were not relevant at the time scales of ecological dynamics.
Now, rapidly increasing availability of phylogenetic data, computing power and informatics tools has facilitated a re-integration of ecological and evolutionary thinking. A fundamental reorientation of ecology is underway.
The paper synthesizes this reorientation and lays a framework for advancing this area of ecology. In particular, it highlights the critical importance of this work in understanding community dynamics, ecosystem responses to global change, and restoration of the biosphere.
How did you become involved in this research, and
how would you describe the particular challenges, setbacks, and
successes that you've encountered along the way?
My efforts began in hyper-diverse oak dominated forests in Florida, where my research on the coexistence of these closely related species demonstrated the importance of adaptive radiation in the assembly and functional trait composition of communities (Cavender-Bares J, et al., "Phylogenetic overdispersion in Floridian oak communities," Amer. Naturalist 163[6]: 823-43, June 2004; Cavender-Bares J, et al., "Multiple trait associations in relation to habitat differentiation among 17 Floridian oak species," Ecol. Monogr. 74[4]: 635-62, November 2004).
An important challenge to this kind of work is to maintain focus on processes that influence diversity and community assembly rather than remaining content with patterns that are often difficult to interpret.
Where do you see your research leading in the
future?
I am working with a team of systematists, genomicists, and ecologists in the US and Mexico to understand the evolutionary component of community assembly in the New World Oaks, a highly diverse and biomass-intensive lineage of trees in North America. We are using a computationally rigorous approach to investigate the key functional innovations that permitted radiation and colonization of the temperate zone.
I am also leading an international team of investigators examining the adaptive differentiation in tropical oaks across climatic gradients in Central America with implications for understanding physiological and evolutionary responses to global climate change.
Do you foresee any social or political
implications for your research?
Phylogenetic biology provides more information than simply counting
species. Hence all issues that link biodiversity to ecosystem services and
sustainability are more informed by incorporating phylogenetic information.
Global change models will be enhanced by incorporating phylogenetic
information, and these, in turn can inform policy and aid in monitoring of
global biological process and implementation of policies aimed at
sustainable stewardship of the biosphere.
Jeannine Cavender-Bares, Ph.D.
Associate Professor
Ecology, Evolution and Behavior
Resident Fellow
Institute on Environment
University of Minnesota
St. Paul, MN, USA
KEYWORDS: PLANT-POLLINATOR INTERACTIONS; NICHE CONSERVATISM; TROPICAL FORESTS; CHARACTER DISPLACEMENT; ADAPTIVE RADIATION; SEED PLANTS; SALAMANDERS PLETHODONTIDAE; HABITAT SPECIALIZATION; DIVERSIFICATION RATES; POSITIVE INTERACTIONS .