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Science 14 April 2000:
Vol. 288. no. 5464, pp. 328 - 330
DOI: 10.1126/science.288.5464.328
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Reports

Nonrandom Extinction and the Loss of Evolutionary History

Andy Purvis, 1* Paul-Michael Agapow, 1 John L. Gittleman, 2 Georgina M. Mace 3

The hierarchical nature of phylogenies means that random extinction of species affects a smaller fraction of higher taxa, and so the total amount of evolutionary history lost may be comparatively slight. However, current extinction risk is not phylogenetically random. We show the potentially severe implications of the clumped nature of threat for the loss of biodiversity. An additional 120 avian and mammalian genera are at risk compared with the number predicted under random extinction. We estimate that the prospective extra loss of mammalian evolutionary history alone would be equivalent to losing a monotypic phylum.

1 Department of Biology, Imperial College, Silwood Park, Ascot SL5 7PY, UK.
2 Department of Biology, Gilmer Hall, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, VA 22903, USA.
3 Institute of Zoology, The Zoological Society of London, Regent's Park, London NW1 4RY, UK.
*   To whom correspondence should be addressed. E-mail: a.purvis{at}ic.ac.uk

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