Priority setting by sites and by species using rarity, richness and phylogenetic diversity: the case of neotropical glassfrogs (Anura: Centrolenidae)

The identification of priority areas and species for conservation is an urgent endeavor in view of environmental changes threatening biological diversity. New macroecological tools that take advantage of the rapid accumulation of distribution and phylogenetic data have been developed recently to tackle that challenge. Here we use the novel concept of the diversity and dispersion fields, complemented with phylogenetic information, to identify priorities for the conservation of neotropical glass frogs (Centrolenidae), both from the perspective of sites and of species. Through the novel approach used here, the priority level of species and sites could be determined by combinations of different traits based both on diversity (species richness and phylogenetic diversity) and distribution (geographic rarity and phylogenetic endemism). Patterns of diversity and distribution for Centrolenidae, such as extreme level of restrictedness, high levels of rarity and high segregation among species, were readily revealed by the use of range-diversity plots. Results were in some cases consistent with studies based on traditional analyses, but the inclusion of phylogenetic information added a historical-evolutionary perspective that further enhanced the analyses. We identified priority species (such as Rulyrana susatamai and Nymphargus griffithsi) and sites (such as the Guiana Shield) that harbor the evolutionary history of the group but that had been overlooked in prior studies. We suggest that for priority setting and gap analysis, phylogenetic information should not be treated as a full substitute for traditional measures of diversity but as a complementary tool.