Blind spots in traditional approaches to conservation prioritization in a climate change context

In this study, we used desiccation-tolerant vascular plants (DT plants) to investigate how approaches such as exploring species phylogenetic relationships and identifying regions with the highest or most unique diversity can help in prioritizing species and areas for conservation. For that, we used all DT plants recognized to date by the scientific community and available climate data to evaluate the strength of phylogenetic signal in species sensitivity and exposure to climate change, and to correlate centers of diversity and endemism for DT plants with historical climatic variability. We found that exploring species phylogenetic relationships and identifying regions with the highest or most unique diversity has limited usefulness in prioritizing species and areas for conservation. That is because we might find species vulnerable to climate change within the most diverse lineages and regions more prone to climate change in some diversity coldspots. Therefore, we discuss the need for a deeper understanding of the mechanisms driving the diversity of the taxa in question (e.g., the relevance of eco-evolutionary processes leading to ecological convergence or divergence) and adopting multiple lines of evidence (e.g., monitoring species exposure, sensitivity, and adaptive capacity) to guide efficient conservation initiatives.