Endemism
In biology, endemism is defined as:
- the phenomenon where species or genus is only found in a certain geographical area.
Islands isolate land organisms from others with water, and isolate aquatic organisms living on them with land.[20]
Island ecosystems have the highest rates of endemism globally.
This means that islands contribute heavily to global biodiversity.[21]
Areas with high lives of biodiversity are a priority target of conservation efforts, to prevent the extinction of these species.[22] Despite high levels of endemism, the total species richness, the total number of unique species in a region, is lower on islands than on mainlands.[23] The level of species richness on islands is proportional to the area of that island, a phenomenon known as the species-area relationship. This is because larger areas have more resources and thus can support more organisms. Populations with a higher carrying capacity also have more genetic diversity, which promotes speciation.[20]
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Wednesday, September 09, 2026 11:14AM