Biodiversity is goverened by two processes: extinction and origination. A primary goal of conservation biology has been to address extinction rates; decisions are made on the basis of the number of current species that will be protected. Because extinction can be a much more rapid process than origination, this emphasis has been very important for the short-term preservation of biodiversity. For a truly long-term conservation approach, origination must also be included in conservation decisions. Our work seeks to identify areas of unusually high origination rate in the state of California, so that biodiversity conservation decisions in the state can be made with both the short-term goal of preventing human-caused extinctions and the long-term goal of maximizing ongoing originations. For the natural world to recover from the current extinction crisis, we must be sure to conserve its natural ability to generate new species.

Phylogeographic endemism based on lineages of 22 species of California reptiles and amphibians. Areas with higher values have more unique evolutionary lineages and may be candidates for evolutionary hotspots. From Rissler et al. 2005. American Naturalist.