Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

Factors That Threaten and Reduce Endemism

  • Chapter
  • First Online:
Endemism in Vascular Plants

Part of the book series: Plant and Vegetation ((PAVE,volume 9))

Abstract

The factors that threaten and reduce the biota on earth are varied. Here we describe and discuss mass extinctions in the past, different natural and anthropogenic circumstances and processes that promote the loss of species and increase extinction risk.

The recent biotic crisis is caused largely by anthropogenic threats. Important factors are destruction of habitats and resource use. The impact of other factors is discussed as well.

Because their threat level is generally higher, endemics are used as indicators for assessment and conservation management of biodiversity hotspots, ecoregions, and artificially defined regions such as countries.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this chapter

Log in via an institution
Chapter
USD 29.95
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
eBook
USD 129.00
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as EPUB and PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
Softcover Book
USD 169.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Compact, lightweight edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info
Hardcover Book
USD 169.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Durable hardcover edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info

Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout

Purchases are for personal use only

Institutional subscriptions

References

  • Alroy J (2008) Dynamics of origination and extinction in the marine fossil records. Proc Natl Acad Sci USA 105(Suppl 1):11536–11542

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Arens NC, West ID (2008) Press-pulse: a general theory of mass extinction? Paleobiology 34(4):456

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Barrett S, Shearer B, Crane C, Cochrane A (2007) The risk of extinction resulting from disease caused by Phytophthora cinnamomi to threatened flora endemic to the Stirling Range National Park, Western Australia. In: 11th international Mediterranean ecosystems (MEDECOS) conference 2007, Perth, 2–5 Sept 2007

    Google Scholar 

  • Bilz M, Kell SP, Maxted N, Lansdown RV (2011) European red list of vascular plants. Publications Office of the European Union, Luxembourg

    Google Scholar 

  • Broennimann O, Thuiller W, Hughes G, Midgley GF, Alkemande JMR, Guisan A (2006) Do geographic distribution, niche property and life form explain plants’ vulnerability to global change? Glob Chang Biol 12:1079–1093

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Bruchmann I (2011) Plant endemism in Europe: spatial distribution and habitat affinities of endemic vascular plants. Dissertation, University of Flensburg, Flensburg. URL: www.zhb-flensburg.de/dissert/bruchmann

  • Bruchmann I, Hobohm C (2010) Halting the loss of biodiversity: endemic vascular plants in grassland of Europe. Grassland Sci 15:776–778

    Google Scholar 

  • Bruchmann I, Hobohm C (2011) Ãœber Grenzen hinweg: Schutz endemischer Gefäßpflanzen in Europa? Treffpunkt Biologische Vielfalt 10:119–125

    Google Scholar 

  • Burney DA, Flannery TF (2005) Fifty millennia of catastrophic extinctions after human contact. Trends Ecol Evol 20(7):395–401

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Butterfield NJ (2007) Macroevolution and macroecology through deep time. Palaeontology 50(1):41–55

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Caldecott JO, Jenkins MD, Johnson T, Groombridge B (1994) Priorities for conserving global species richness and endemism. World Conservation Press, Cambridge

    Google Scholar 

  • Cassey P (2005) Insights into ecology. In: Sax DF, Stachowicz JJ, Gaines SD (eds) Species invasions: insights into ecology, evolution and biogeography. Sinauer Associates, Sunderland, pp 9–12

    Google Scholar 

  • Ceballos G, Garcia A, Ehrlich PR (2010) The sixth extinction crisis. J Cosmol 8:1821–1831

    Google Scholar 

  • Commission of the European Communities (2009) Report from the commission of the council and the European parliament: composite report on the conservation status of habitat types and species as required under Article 17 of the habitats directive. Commission of the European Communities, Brussels, pp 17

    Google Scholar 

  • Cox NA, Temple HJ (2009) European red list of reptiles. Office for Official Publications of the European Communities, Luxembourg

    Google Scholar 

  • Cuttelod A, Seddon M, Neubert E (2011) European red list of non-marine molluscs. Publications Office of the European Union, Luxembourg

    Google Scholar 

  • EEA (ed) (2007) Europe’s environment: an assessment of assessments. Publications Office of the European Union, Copenhagen

    Google Scholar 

  • EEA (ed) (2011) Europe’s environment: an assessment of assessments. Publications Office of the European Union, Copenhagen

    Google Scholar 

  • Ellenberg H (1996) Vegetation Mitteleuropas mit den Alpen, 5th edn. Ulmer, Stuttgart

    Google Scholar 

  • Fontaine B, Bouchet P, Van Achterberg K, Alonso-Zarazaga MA, Araujo R, Asche M, Aspock U, Audisio P, Aukema B, Bailly N, Balsamo M, Bank RA, Barnard P, Belfiore C, Bogdanowicz W, Bongers T, Boxshall G, Burckhardt D, Camicas JL, Chylarecki P, Crucitti P, Davarveng L, Dubois A, Enghoff H, Faubel A, Fochetti R, Gargominy O, Gibson D, Gibson R, Gomez Lopez MS, Goujet D, Harvey MS, Heller K-G, Van Helsdingen P, Hoch H, De Jong H, De Jong Y, Karsholt O, Los W, Lundqvist L, Magowski W, Manconi R, Martens J, Massard JA, Massard-Geimer G, Mcinnes SJ, Mendes LF, Mey E, Michelsen V, Minelli A, Nielsen C, Nieto Nafria JM, Van Nieukerken EJ, Noyes J, Papa T, Ohl H, De Prins W, Ramos M, Ricci C, Roselaar C, Rota E, Schmidt-Rhaesa A, Segers H, Zur Strassen R, Szeptycki A, Thibaud J-M, Thomas A, Timm T, Van Tol J, Vervoort W, Willmann R (2007) The European Union’s 2010 target: putting rare species in focus. Biol Conserv 139:167–185

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Frankham R (2005) Genetics and extinction. Biol Conserv 126:131–140

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Garfì G (2006) Zelkova sicula. In: IUCN (ed.) 2012. IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. Version 2012.1. www.iucnredlist.org. Downloaded on 24 Sept 2012

  • Gaston KJ, Kunin WE (1997) Rare-common differences: an overview. In: Kunin WE, Gaston KJ (eds) The biology of rarity: causes and consequences of rare-common differences. Chapmann and Hall, London, pp 11–29

    Google Scholar 

  • Gentry AH (1986) Endemism in tropical versus temperate plant communities. In: Soulé ME (ed) Conservation biology: the science of scarcity and diversity. Sinauer Associates, Inc.-Publisher, Sunderland, pp 153–182

    Google Scholar 

  • Gray A, Pelembe T, Stroud S (2005) The conservation of the endemic vascular flora of Ascension Island and threats from alien species. Oryx 39:449–453

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Hobohm C, Bruchmann I (2009) Endemische Gefäßpflanzen und ihre Habitate in Europa – Plädoyer für den Schutz der Grasland-Ökosysteme. RTG-Berichte 21:142–161

    Google Scholar 

  • Imbert E, Youssef S, Carbonell D, Baumel A (2011) Do endemic species always have a low competitive ability? A test for two Mediterranean plant species under controlled conditions. J Plant Ecol 4:1–8

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • IÅŸik K (2011) Rare and endemic species: why are they prone to extinction? Turk J Bot 35:411–417

    Google Scholar 

  • Jamieson IG (2007) Has the debate over genetics and extinction of island endemics truly been resolved? Anim Conserv 10:139–144

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Jansson R (2003) Global patterns in endemism explained by past climatic change. Proc R Soc Lond 270:583–590

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Kalkman VJ, Boudot J-P, Bernard R, Conze K-J, De Knijf G, Dyatlova E, Ferreira S, Jović M, Ott J, Riservato E, Sahlén E (2010) European red list of dragonflies. Publications Office of the European Union, Luxembourg

    Google Scholar 

  • Keith DA, Akcakaya HR, Thuiller W, Midgley GF, Pearson RG, Phillips SJ, Regan HM, Araujo MB, Rebelo TG (2008) Predicting extinction risks under climate change: coupling stochastic population models with dynamic bioclimatic habitat models. Biol Lett 4:560–563

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Kowarik I (2003) Biologische Invasionen – Neophyten und Neozoen in Mitteleuropa. Ulmer, Stuttgart

    Google Scholar 

  • Lambdon PW, Stroud S, Gray A, Niissalo M, Renshaw O, Sarasan V (2010) Anogramma ascensionis. In: IUCN 2012. IUCN red list of threatened species. Version 2012.2. www.iucnredlist.org. Downloaded on 20 June 2012

  • Lansdown RV, Medina Domingo L (2011) Marsilea batardae. In: IUCN 2012. IUCN red list of threatened species. Version 2012.2. www.iucnredlist.org. Downloaded on 20 June 2012

  • Lavergne S, Thompson JD, Garnier E, Debussche M (2004) The biology and ecology of narrow endemic and widespread plants: a comparative study of trait variation in 20 congeneric pairs. Oikos 107:505–518

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Leakey RE, Lewin R (2008) The sixth extinction: patterns of life and the future of humankind. Paw Prints, New York

    Google Scholar 

  • Louys J, Curnoe D, Tong H (2007) Characteristics of Pleistocene megafauna extinctions in Southeast Asia. Palaeogr Palaeocl Palaeoecol 243:152–173

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Marshall C, Grace J (1992) Fruit and seed production: aspects of development, environmental physiology and ecology. Cambridge University Press, New York

    Book  Google Scholar 

  • Martin PS, Klein RG (1989) Quaternary extinctions: a prehistoric revolution. University Arizona Press, Tucson

    Google Scholar 

  • Mendelson JR, Lips KR, Gagliardo RW, Rabb GB, Collins JP, Diffendorfer JE, Daszak P, Ibáñez DR, Zippel KC, Lawson DP, Wright KM, Stuart SN, Gascon C, da Silva HR, Burrowes PA, Joglar RL, La Marca E, Lötters S, du Preez LH, Weldon C, Hyatt A, Rodriguez-Mahecha JV, Hunt S, Robertson H, Lock B, Raxworthy CJ, Frost DR, Lacy RC, Alford RA, Campbell JA, Parra-Olea G, Bolaños F, Domingo JJ, Halliday T, Murphy JB, Wake MH, Coloma LA, Kuzmin SL, Price MS, Howell KM, Lau M, Pethiyagoda R, Boone M, Lannoo MJ, Blaustein AR, Dobson A, Griffiths RA, Crump ML, Wake DB, Brodie ED (2006) Confronting amphibian declines and extinctions. Science 313:48

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Millennium Ecosystem Assessment Board (ed) (2005) Ecosystems and human well-being: synthesis. Island Press, Washington, DC

    Google Scholar 

  • Mucina L, Wardell-Johnson GW (2011) Landscape age and soil fertility, climate stability, and fire regime predictability: beyond the OCBIL framework. Plant Soil. doi:10.1007/s11104-011-0734-x

    Google Scholar 

  • Murray BR, Thrall PH, Gill AM, Nicotra AB (2002) How plant life-history and ecological traits relate to species rarity and commonness at varying spatial scales. Austral Ecol 27:291–310

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Myers N (1988) Threatened biotas: hotspots in tropical forests. Environmentalist 8:1–20

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Myers N (1990) The biodiversity challenge: expended hotspots analysis. Environmentalist 10:243–256

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Nieto A, Alexander KNA (2010) European red list of saproxylic beetles. Publications Office of the European Union, Luxembourg

    Google Scholar 

  • Ohlemüller R, Anderson BJ, Araujo MB, Butchart SHM, Kudrna O, Ridgely RS, Thomas CD (2008) The coincidence of climatic and species rarity: high risk to small-range species from climate change. Biol Lett 4:568–572

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Olesen JM, Rønsted N, Tolderlund U, Cornett C, Mølgaard P, Madsen J, Jones CG, Olsen CE (1998) Mauritian red nectar remains a mystery. Nature 393:529

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Olesen JM, Eskildsen LI, Venkatasamy S (2002) Invasion of pollination networks on oceanic islands: importance of invader complexes and endemic super generalists. Divers Distrib 8:181–192

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Ozinga WA, Schaminée JHJ (eds) (2005) Target species – species of European concern. Alterra-report 1119. Alterra, Wageningen, 193pp

    Google Scholar 

  • Payne JL, Finnegan S (2007) The effect of geographic range on extinction risk during background and mass extinction. Proc Nat Acad Sci USA 104(25):10506–10511

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Pompe S, Hanspach J, Badeck F, Klotz S, Thuiller W, Kühn I (2008) Climate and land use change impacts on plant distributions in Germany. Biol Lett 4:564–567

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Sax DF, Stachowicz JJ, Gaines SD (eds) (2005) Species invasions: Insights into ecology, evolution, and biogeography. Sinauer Associates, Inc. Publication, Sunderland

    Google Scholar 

  • Secretary of the Convention on Biological Diversity (2010) Global biodiversity outlook 3. Progress Press Ltd., Montréal

    Google Scholar 

  • Strahm W (1993) The conservation and restoration of the flora of Mauritius and Rodrigues. Reading University, Reading

    Google Scholar 

  • Temple HJ, Terry A (2007) The status and distribution of European mammals. Office for Official Publications of the European Communities, Luxembourg

    Google Scholar 

  • Temple HJ, Cox NA (2009) European red list of amphibians. Office for Official Publications of the European Communities, Luxembourg

    Google Scholar 

  • Thuiller W, Lavorel S, Araújo MB, Sykes MT, Prentice IC (2005) Climate change threats to plant diversity in Europe. Proc Natl Acad Sci USA 102

    Google Scholar 

  • Thuiller W, Midgley GF, Hughes G, Bomhard B, Drew G, Rutherford MC, Woodward FI (2006) Endemic species and ecosystem sensitivity to climate change in Namibia. Glob Chang Biol 12:759–776

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Traveset A, Richardson DM (2006) Biological invasions as disruptors of plant reproductive mutualisms. Trends Ecol Evol 21:208–216

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Van Swaay C, Cuttelod A, Collins S, Maes D, López Munguira M, Å aÅ¡ić M, Settele J, Verovnik R, Verstrael T, Warren M, Wiemers M, Wynhof I (2010) European red list of butterflies. Publications Office of the European Union, Luxembourg

    Google Scholar 

  • Wignal PB (2001) Large igneous provinces and mass extinctions. Earth Sci Rev 53(1–2):1–33

    Article  Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Ecology and Environmental Education Working Group, Interdisciplinary Institute of Environmental, Social and Human Studies, University of Flensburg, Flensburg, Germany

    Carsten Hobohm & Ines Bruchmann

Authors
  1. Carsten Hobohm
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Ines Bruchmann
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Ecology and Environ. Educ. Working Group, University of Flensburg, Flensburg, Germany

    Carsten Hobohm

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

Copyright information

© 2014 Springer Science+Business Media Dordrecht

About this chapter

Cite this chapter

Hobohm, C., Bruchmann, I. (2014). Factors That Threaten and Reduce Endemism. In: Hobohm, C. (eds) Endemism in Vascular Plants. Plant and Vegetation, vol 9. Springer, Dordrecht. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-007-6913-7_4

Download citation

Publish with us

Policies and ethics

Search

Navigation