Abstract
To conserve evolutionary processes within taxa as well as local co-evolutionary associations among taxa, habitat reservation and production forestry management needs to take account of natural genetic-geographic patterns. While vertebrates tend to have at least moderate dispersal and gene flow on a landscape-scale, there are good reasons to expect many small, flightless, ecologically specialized saproxylic invertebrates to be strongly subdivided owing to low powers of dispersal, long-lived stable microhabitats and multiple generations within a single log. Phylogeographic studies have repeatedly demonstrated that, in low vagility taxa, (1) traditional morphological taxonomy underestimates genetic diversity, (2) conservation strategies focused at and above the species-level are inadequate, and (3) it is not atypical for sedentary invertebrates to exhibit high local endemism over very fine spatial scales. Phylogeography and comparative phylogeography provide an empirical framework for maximizing the conservation benefit of reserves, and directing conservation strategies and sustainable management practices outside of protected areas.
Parent Publication
Citation
Garrick, Ryan C.; Sands, Chester J.; Sunnucks, Paul. 2006. The use and application of phylogeography for invertebrate conservation research and planning. Gen. Tech. Rep. SRS-93. Asheville, NC: U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Southern Research Station. pp. 15-22