Endemism: a botanical perspective

Abstract

A taxon is endemic if confined to a particular area through historical, ecological or physiological reasons. Endemics can be old (palaeoendemics) or new (neoendemics) and the endemic taxon can be of any rank, though it is usually at family level or below. The phenomenon of endemism is important to biogeographers, evolutionary biologists and ecologists in general. Whilst both plants and animals can be endemic, this chapter will use plants as examples although notable differences do exist (Harper, 1968). A historical discussion of plant endemism is given by Prentice (1976).