<
https://theconversation.com/more-than-20-of-earths-plant-species-are-found-only-on-islands-and-time-is-running-out-to-save-them-238433>
"Islands have long intrigued explorers and scientists. These isolated
environments serve as natural laboratories for understanding how species evolve
and adapt.
Islands are also centres of species diversity. It has long been speculated that
islands support exceptionally high amounts of global biodiversity, but the true
extent was unknown until now.
In world-first research published in
Nature today, my colleagues and I
counted and mapped the diversity of plant life on Earth’s islands. We found 21%
of the world’s total plant species are endemic to islands, meaning they occur
nowhere else on the planet.
These findings are important. Island plants are at higher risk of extinction
than those on mainlands. Detailed knowledge of plants species, and where they
grow, is essential for monitoring and conserving them."
Cheers,
*** Xanni ***
--
mailto:xanni@xanadu.net Andrew Pam
http://xanadu.com.au/ Chief Scientist, Xanadu
https://glasswings.com.au/ Partner, Glass Wings
https://sericyb.com.au/ Manager, Serious Cybernetics
