Patterns of biodiversity unveiled

Canarina canariensis, a flowering plant endemic to the Canary Islands Photo: Patrick Weigelt - Research team uncovers global centers of evolutionarily unique and endemic plants. Understanding the origins and preservation of biodiversity is crucial as human impact continues to threaten our planet's rich variety of life. Often overlooked, narrow-ranged and evolutionary unique species play a vital role in shaping biodiversity. Their concentrated presence, quantified as phylogenetic endemism, reveals important centers of biogeographic and evolutionary history. A new study led by a team of international researchers at the University of Göttingen has now uncovered global patterns and factors influencing phylogenetic endemism in seed plants, providing invaluable insights for conservation efforts worldwide. The findings were published in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS) . Analyzing a comprehensive dataset of regional plant inventories spanning 912 geographical regions worldwide and encompassing approximately 320,000 species, the researchers unveiled the geographic distribution of phylogenetic endemism.