Defining ‘Evolutionarily Significant Units’ for conservation

摘要: writing in the first issue of TREE, Ryder’ brought term ‘Evolutionarily Significant Unit’ (ESU) to attention a broad audience ecologists and evolutionary biologists. The ESU concept was developed provide rational basis for prioritizing taxa conservation effort (e.g. captive breeding), given that resources are limited existing taxonomy may not adequately reflect underlying genetic diversity*. With explicit recognition component biodiversity legislation many countries Convention on Biological Diversity, is set become increasingly significant natural as well populations.