Niche conservatism in a tree community of a Bornean rain forest: is phylogenetic diversity a significant index for biodiversity conservation of tropical rain forest?

2016 Fiscal Year Final Research Report

• Project/Area Number: 26304027
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research (B)
• Allocation Type: Partial Multi-year Fund
• Section: 海外学術
• Research Field: Forest science
• Research Institution: Osaka City University
• Principal Investigator: ITOH Akira 大阪市立大学, 大学院理学研究科, 教授 (40274344)
• Co-Investigator(Kenkyū-buntansha): 名波 哲 大阪市立大学, 大学院理学研究科, 准教授 (70326247) ; 上谷 浩一 愛媛大学, 農学部, 准教授 (80638792)
• Research Collaborator: MATSUYAMA SHUHEI 酪農学園大学, 農食環境学群, 講師 (30570048) ; MOHAMAD MOHIZAH サラワク森林局, 研究員 ; STUART DAVIES スミソニアン熱帯林研究センター, センター長 ; SYLVESTER TAN スミソニアン熱帯林研究センター, 研究員 ; YIN TINGTING 大阪市立大学, 大学院理学研究科, 院生 ; OKUNO SEIYA 大阪市立大学, 理学部, 学生 ; NTKATANI TAKAHITO 愛媛大学, 農学部, 学生
• Project Period (FY): 2014-04-01 – 2017-03-31
• Keywords: 熱帯林生態学 / 生物多様性保全 / 進化 / 系統 / ボルネオ

Outline of Final Research Achievements

We discussed the significance of "phylogenetic diversity (diversity of evolutionary history)" as an index for biodiversity conservation of tropical rain forest. Using a detailed molecular phylogeny estimated for 699 tree species in a Bornean rain forest, we found that maximum size and demographic traits, such as mortality and growth rates, were more similar among phylogenetically more closely related species, while habitat niche was various even among them. This suggests that niche habitat is an evolutionary labile trait and that divergence in habitat niche may enhance coexistence of closely related species, which have similar adult size and demographic traits. We also found that the relationship between species and phylogenetic diversity was not straightforward but rather complicated, which suggested that we need to consider both species and phylogenetic diversity simultaneously in biodiversity conservation of tropical rain forest.

Free Research Field

植物生態学