<
https://theconversation.com/the-southern-hemisphere-is-full-of-birds-found-nowhere-else-on-earth-their-importance-has-been-overlooked-260828>
"The snow petrel, a strikingly white bird with black eyes and a black bill, is
one of only three bird species ever observed at the South Pole. In fact, the
Antarctic is the only place on Earth where this bird lives.
It isn’t alone in this. Antarctica and the sub-Antarctic harbour a large number
of endemic species, which means these species are only found in one or a few
locations in the world.
In other words, these regions have a high degree of “endemism” – an important
metric that tells us where to focus species conservation efforts.
But our new study shows that the degree of endemism in Antarctica and the
sub-Antarctic – and in the southern hemisphere more generally – has been
underestimated.
This is important because areas with a high degree of endemism harbour species
with restricted ranges, unique evolutionary history or unique ecological
functions. This makes them potentially more vulnerable to disturbances such as
climate change, fundamental changes in habitat, or invasive introduced species.
If the degree of endemism is underestimated, conservation efforts may overlook
the sites that are home to irreplaceable birds."
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
