http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2005-09/bpl-eta092705.php
Public release date: 27-Sep-2005
Exploring the avian biodiversity of Africa with different species
concepts
A recent debate over the usefulness and relevance of the widely used
Biological Species Concept, based on reproductive isolation, versus the
Phylogenetic Species Concept, which is centred around identifying the
smallest group with common ancestry, has raised concerns that changing
nomenclatural foundations might result in the appearance of previously
unrecognized patterns of biodiversity.
A recent study, published in the journal Ecography evaluates this
suggestion on a continental scale for the first time, using a dataset
that encompasses the entire bird fauna of sub-Saharan Africa.
Identifying 1,572 biological species defined in the African 'Atlas of
Speciation' and 2,098 phylogenetic species, the study found that
large-scale patterns of species richness and endemisms were remarkably
robust to changes in species concepts. By in-depth analysis, the study
was able to document further complexity within long-recognized centres
of endemism.
Both species concepts agree on their view on endemism, with certain
areas acting as "species pumps" and large intervening areas being
characterised by a predominance of widespread species, which distribute
themselves in accordance with contemporary environmental conditions.
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