PHYLOGENETIC PERSPECTIVES ON COMMUNITY ECOLOGY

Ecologists have long been interested in the differences that exist amo ng communities. If species adapted rapidly and without constraint, and if any lineage could occur in any community, then we would expect dif ferences in community structure to be indicative of environmental diff erences. Because lineages differ in their evolutionary potential and a re geographically restricted, however, comparisons of community struct ure must take account of communities' histories. Phylogenetic informat ion about the constituent lineages in a community can allow lineage ef fects to be factored out, thus allowing an assessment of environmental determinants of community structure. In addition, phylogenetic inform ation permits understanding of how communities have evolved through ti me and suggests hypotheses that may be tested using extant communities . Methodological difficulties with the application of these methods to community ecological issues are also discussed.