Phylogenetic niche conservatism

Phylogenetic niche conservatism is the tendency of species to retain their ancestral traits, resulting in closely related species being more ecologically similar than would be expected based on their phylogenetic relations. The occurrence of this phenomenon suggests that processes that prevent divergence are in operation in the lineage under consideration. This is different from phylogenetic signal, which is simply that species that are related phylogenetically tend to be ecologically similar.

Phylogenetic niche conservatism is now being used to explain latitudinal gradients in diversity, and other spatial patterns of species distributions.

See also

• Cladistics
• Ecological niche
• Niche differentiation

References

• Losos, B, J., 2008. Phylogenetic niche conservatism, phylogenetic signal and the relationship between phylogenetic relatedness and ecological similarity among species. Ecology Letters, (2008) 11: 995–1007

• Niche conservatism as an emerging principle in ecology and conservation biology - Ecology Letters, (2010) 13: 1310–1324 doi: 10.1111/j.1461-0248.2010.01515.x