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Illustration of the maximum clade credibility tree (MCC) of New World Vultures inferred by Johnson et al. [12].
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Simple Summary
This study focuses on New World Vultures, a group of seven scavenger bird species with ecological significance. Despite their importance, there is limited knowledge about their evolutionary history and conservation needs. Recent advances in understanding their evolutionary relationships have paved the way for addressing these gaps us...
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Citations
... The EDGE program (https://www.edgeofexistence.org/) is an international conservation effort that prioritizes species based on their extinction risk and the irreplaceability of their evolutionary history (Tensen 2018;Cortés-Díaz et al. 2023). Species are assigned scores based on their Evolutionary Distinctiveness (ED), which measures how long a species has been evolving independently (Tensen 2018;Gumbs et al. 2023). ...
... Although this study offers a general and necessary overview to establish conservation priorities for amphibians worldwide, it is necessary to replicate it at a smaller taxonomic (e.g., families) and geographic level, since many conservation initiatives are directed toward target species groups or implemented at regional or country level. Furthermore, depending on the geographic and taxonomic level of the study, the species considered may vary, and consequently, the EDGE scores of each species may also change, thereby altering the list of species identified as priorities for conservation (Cortés-Díaz et al. 2023;Moya-Bedoya et al. 2024). EDGE scores in amphibians may also have been modified in the last decade due to the description of new species (Rivera-Correa et al. 2021), the development of increasingly robust phylogenetic analyses (Jetz and Pyron 2018;Portik et al. 2023) and recent updates to the IUCN threat categories (Luedtke et al. 2023). ...
... This formula is compiled in a custom R function named edge.species (Cortés-Díaz et al. 2023). Based on these analyzes, we identified the 20 Dendrobatidae species with the highest ED and EDGE scores, highlighting the IUCN threat category they are classified under (Appendix 1). ...
Biodiversity conservation strategies often emphasize areas with high taxonomic diversity and those species that possess charisma and commercial value. This is concerning given that such approach does not imply the protection of species ecological roles and evolutionary diversity. This study seeks to highlight modern approaches to optimize comprehensive biodiversity conservation based on Evolutionary Distinctiveness (ED), Biogeographically weighted Evolutionary Distinctiveness (BED), and the application of the EDGE (Evolutionarily Distinct and Globally Endangered) initiative. For this, we use as a model system the poison frogs of Dendrobatidae because in this family there are species with bright and striking coloration, and species with cryptic coloration, which have been linked to opposite trends in trafficking, conservation and research efforts biased towards the former species. However, despite facing lower pet trade pressure, cryptic species may possess unique functional and evolutionary traits that contribute to ecosystem dynamics and biodiversity, highlighting the need to consider them in conservation efforts. Analyses of 10,000 phylogenetic trees across Dendrobatid species were conducted to calculate their ED, BED and EDGE scores. Since conservation initiatives can be taken at several levels or scales, we calculated scores at regional level (i.e., a pool of countries with presence of Dendrobatidae), but also at country level (e.g., Colombia, Ecuador). Our analysis indicates that less striking colored and charismatic dendrobatids have the highest values of ED, BED and EDGE scores. Contrary to traditional tendencies, cryptic dendrobatids should be a priority for research and conservation efforts. The species and geographical areas with the highest priority can change among countries and depending on whether conservation decisions are made at the regional or country level. These findings underscore the need to diversify conservation efforts, without accounting only for visually iconic species.
