Journal
BIOLOGY LETTERS
Volume 7, Issue 1, Pages 96-97Publisher
ROYAL SOC
DOI: 10.1098/rsbl.2010.0557
Keywords
reptile; amphibian; molecular dating; intraspecific diversification; conservation status
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Funding
- Australian Research Council
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Despite controversy over alternative definitions, the species is the fundamental operational unit of biodiversity, and species are the building-blocks of conservation. But is a 'species' from one part of the world the same as a 'species' from elsewhere? Our meta-analysis of molecular phylogenetic data reveals that reptile and amphibian species distributed in temperate-zone areas of the Northern Hemisphere are younger than taxa from the Southern Hemisphere, probably reflecting the greater impact of past climatic variation on Northern Hemisphere habitats. Because a species' age may influence its vulnerability to anthropogenic threats, geographical variation in species ages should be incorporated into conservation planning.
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