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Science 13 June 2003:
Vol. 300. no. 5626, pp. 1707 - 1709
DOI: 10.1126/science.1085510

Viewpoint

Preserving the Tree of Life

Georgina M. Mace,1 John L. Gittleman,2 Andy Purvis3

Phylogenies provide new ways to measure biodiversity, to assess conservation priorities, and to quantify the evolutionary history in any set of species. Methodological problems and a lack of knowledge about most species have so far hampered their use. In the future, as techniques improve and more data become accessible, we will have an expanded set of conservation options, including ways to prioritize outcomes from evolutionary and ecological processes.

1 Institute of Zoology, Zoological Society of London, Regent's Park, London NW1 4RY, UK.
2 Department of Biology, Gilmer Hall, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, VA 22904, USA.
3 Department of Biological Sciences, Imperial College London, Silwood Park Campus, Ascot SL5 7PY, UK.

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E-Letters:

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Biodiversity conservation and the tree-of-life
Daniel P. Faith
Science Online, 28 Jul 2003 [Full text]



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