2026/03/31 by Julia C. Geue, Laura D. Bertola, Bloomer Paulette +20 · 2 voices
Agricultural and Biological Sciences · Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology · #Genetic and phenotypic traits in livestock #Invertebrate Taxonomy and Ecology
paper · doi:10.1093/biosci/biag042
openalex created_date 2025/10/10 · openalex publication_date 2026/03/31 · openalex updated_date 2026/07/28
Abstract Species conservation assessments evaluate extinction risk, and recovery potential, advancing species persistence through guiding resource prioritization and planning. Assessment frameworks, including the International Union for Conservation of Nature Red List and Green Status of Species, typically focus on species as a whole. Importantly, they do not routinely account for genetically distinct units or do not have standardized methods of unit delineation. This limits the representation of genetically distinct components, including adaptive genetic diversity that underpins long-term resilience and recovery. Incorporating standardized within-species units like subpopulations and Evolutionarily Significant Units (ESUs) into species assessments could help address this oversight. However, identifying and delineating such units remain challenging, particularly when molecular data are limited. Here, we propose a flexible framework that integrates molecular and non-molecular evidence to identify both subpopulations and ESUs across taxa, providing a practical tool to incorporate within-species diversity into conservation assessments.