Comparative avian phylogeography of Cameroon and Equatorial Guinea mountains: implications for conservation

Abstract

We illustrate the use of Faith's 'Phylogenetic Diversity' measure to compare the phylogeographic structure of two bird species with patterns of avian endemism across six mountains in Cameroon and Equatorial Guinea. The Mountain Greenbul and Cameroon Blue-headed Sunbird showed phylogeographic patterns that together defined three biogeographic regions: Bioko, Mt. Cameroon, and the northern mountains of Cameroon. In contrast, the distributions of endemic species were largely a function of geographical distance, with close mountains sharing more endemic species than distant mountains. Moreover, for both species, populations on Mt. Cameroon were distinctive with respect to the ecologically relevant character bill size. Our results, while preliminary, illustrate the utility of a comparative approach for identifying geographical regions that harbour evolutionarily distinct populations and caution against using only the distributional patterns of endemics to prioritize regions for conservation. Results show that patterns of endemism may not be concordant with patterns of phylogenetic diversity nor morphological variation in a character important in fitness. While incorporation of additional species from unrelated taxa will be necessary to draw definitive conclusions about evolutionarily distinct regions, our preliminary results suggest a conservation approach for the Afromontane region of the Gulf of Guinea that would: (i) emphasize protection of both Bioko and Mt. Cameroon, thereby maximizing preservation of within-species phylogenetic and morphologic diversity; (ii) emphasize protection within the northern mountains to further conserve intraspecific phylogenetic diversity and maximize protection of endemic species.

Blood Parasites of Some West African Rainforest Birds

“…The samples used in this study were collected as part of an ongoing study of avian evolution in Central and West Africa [23,24]. All birds were classified to Family based on the taxonomy of Sibley and Monroe [20].…”

“…Samples were collected over a period of 12 years (between 1989-2001) from Cameroon, Equatorial Guinea, and the Ivory Coast. The blood samples collected were obtained from a variety of habitats, including contiguous rainforest, fragmented rainforest sites in the ecotone (the transition zone between the rainforest and grassland [23]), and one montane site [24]. Rainforest sites are characterized by predictable periods of high rainfall, and consistent temperatures.…”

The role of Pleistocene refugia and rivers in shaping gorilla genetic diversity in central Africa

“…Although palynological and biogeographical data have been used to infer forest refugia (11)(12)(13)(14)(15)(16), their precise location and role in Pleistocene diversification is controversial. Several molecular studies suggest that refugia may have played an important role in structuring montane birds (17)(18)(19), primates (20)(21)(22), and trees (23). However, other forest species such as chimpanzees (24)(25)(26) and elephants (27,28) show relatively weak regional genetic structure, suggesting that wideranging and/or savannah-tolerant species may be poor indicators of range changes in tropical forest cover.…”

Budgeted Nature Reserve Selection with diversity feature loss and arbitrary split systems

“…Motivated by this quote and applications of using phylogenetic diversity across areas to make assessments in conservation planning (Moritz and Faith 1998; Rodrigues and Gaston 2002; Smith et al 2000), Bordewich and Semple (2008) considered a natural computational problem in the context of conserving whole habitats instead of individual species. In this paper, we consider two extensions of this problem.…”