Phylogenetic diversity

Phylogenetic diversity (PD) is a measure of biodiversity which takes evolution into account. It is calculated as the sum of the lengths of the phylogenetic tree branches representing the minimum tree-spanning path among a group of species. Phylogenetic diversity can be used in conservation planning to maximise a variety of features, meaning we do not aim to conserve specific features, but rather want to boost a diverse range of features. Conserving a variety of features could be particularly useful in light of the changing environmental conditions, as we can only guess which features will be important in the future.