Phylogentic Diversity comparison between prairies at different latitudes

Phylogenetic Diversity (PD) is a measure of differences between taxa in a phylogenetic tree. This makes PD a useful tool in describing biodiversity. In this study, taxa that are members of the angiosperm asterids and rosids clades present at Nine Mile Prairie (NMP) and the Ladybird Johnson Wildflower Center (LJWC) were used to estimate four phylogenies and compare the PD between the sites. The phylogenetic trees were inferred using GenBank sequences of the chloroplast genes matK and rbcL, as well as nuclear ITS 1 and ITS 2. The latitudinal diversity gradient, which is a correlation of decreasing diversity approaching the poles, was also observed since NMP (Latitude 40ºN) had much less species richness than LJWC (Latitude 28ºN)