Endemic (ecology)
From Free net encyclopedia
- This article is about the ecological meaning of "endemic". See also endemic (epidemiology).
In biology and ecology endemic means exclusively native to a place or biota, in contrast to cosmopolitan or introduced. However, it is also differentiated from indigenous: a species that is endemic is unique to that place or region, found naturally nowhere else, whereas a species that is indigenous may be native to other locations as well. Usually the term is applied to a discrete geographical unit, most often an island or island group, but sometimes a country or other defined area.
Islands are especially likely to develop endemic forms because of their geographical isolation; remote island groups, such as Hawaii and the Galápagos Islands, have large numbers of endemic species. The restricted area and vulnerability to the depredations of man and introduced species mean that endemics all too easily can become extinct.
Endemism can also develop in other biologically isolated areas, such as the highlands of Ethiopia or large bodies of water like Lake Baikal.
According to the World Wildlife Fund, the following ecoregions have the highest percentage of endemic plants:
- Fynbos (South Africa)
- Hawaii tropical dry forests (United States)
- Hawaii tropical moist forests (United States)
- Kwongan heathlands (Australia)
- Madagascar dry deciduous forests (Madagascar)
- Madagascar lowland forests (Madagascar)
- New Caledonia dry forests (New Caledonia)
- New Caledonia rain forests (New Caledonia)
- Sierra Madre de Oaxaca and Sierra Madre del Sur pine-oak forests (Mexico, Guatemala)
See also
ca:Endemisme cs:Endemit da:Endemisk et:Endeemne liik es:Endemismo fr:Endémisme it:Endemismo he:אנדמיות nl:Endemisme (ecologie) ja:固有種 no:Endemisk art pl:Endemit pt:Endémico fi:Kotoperäisyys sv:Endemer zh:特有種