J Syst Evol ›› 2023, Vol. 61 ›› Issue (6): 957-966.DOI: 10.1111/jse.13019

• Research Articles • Previous Articles     Next Articles

Banksia (Proteaceae) contains less phylogenetic diversity than expected in Southwestern Australia

Joseph T. Miller1,2*, Emily Prentice1,3, Elisabeth N. Bui4, Nunzio Knerr1, Brent D. Mishler5, Alexander N. Schmidt-Lebuhn1, Carlos González-Orozco1,6, and Shawn Laffan7   

  1. 1 National Research Collections Australia, CSIRO National Facilities and Collections, GPO Box 1600, Canberra, ACT 2601, Australia;
    2 Global Biodiversity Information Facility, Copenhagen, Denmark;
    3 NSW Office of Environment & Heritage, 480 Weeroona Road, Lidcombe, NSW 2141, Australia;
    4 CSIRO Land and Water GPO Box 1700, Canberra, ACT 2601, Australia;
    5 Department of Integrative Biology, University and Jepson Herbaria, University of California, Berkeley, CA 94720-2465, USA;
    6 Corporación Colombiana de Investigación Agropecuaria, Corpoica, km 17 Vía, Puerto López, Meta, Colombia;
    7 Earth and Sustainability Science Research Centre, School of Biological Earth and Environmental Sciences, University of New South Wales, Sydney, NSW 2052, Australia
    *Author for correspondence. E-mail: joe@acaciamulga.net
  • Received:2019-08-07 Accepted:2023-08-01 Online:2023-09-12 Published:2023-11-01

Abstract: Banksia L.f., an iconic genus of the Proteaceae, is endemic to Australia, with its highest species richness and phylogenetic diversity (PD) in southwestern Western Australia. Analysis of the phylogenetic component of richness and endemism uncovered important patterns of Banksia evolutionary history that are not seen at the species level. We found that Banksia is significantly phylogenetically clustered in this region, likely due to recent evolutionary radiations. We also found significant concentrations of phylogenetic endemism in this region, both neoendemism (short, range-restricted evolutionary branches) and paleoendemism (long, range-restricted evolutionary branches). There is a striking northwest to southeast divide in phyloturnover in southwestern Western Australia. The majority of the variation in turnover patterns can be explained by environmental factors, with climate representing the largest covariate. This study adds to the growing body of evidence that indicates the importance of integrating phylogenetic and biodiversity data to inform conservation planning.

Key words: CANAPE, phylogenetic turnover, range-weighted turnover, spatial phylogenetics