endemism

(noun)

The ecological state of a species being unique to a defined geographic location, such as an island, nation, country or other defined zone, or habitat type; organisms that are indigenous to a place are not endemic to it if they are also found elsewhere.

Related Terms

Examples of endemism in the following topics:

  • Biogeography

    • For example, the Venus flytrap is endemic to a small area in North and South Carolina.
    • Approximately 3/4 of living plant and mammal species are endemic species found solely in Australia .
    • Plants can be endemic or generalists.
    • Isolated land masses, such as Australia, Hawaii, and Madagascar, often have large numbers of endemic plant species.
    • Australia is home to many endemic species.

  • Biogeography and the Distribution of Species

    • No species exists everywhere; for example, the Venus flytrap is endemic to a small area in North and South Carolina.
    • An endemic species is one which is naturally found only in a specific geographic area that is usually restricted in size.
    • Approximately 3/4 of living plant and mammal species are endemic species found solely in Australia .
    • Australia is home to many endemic species.

  • Exotic Species

    • The accidental introduction of the brown tree snake via aircraft from the Solomon Islands to Guam in 1950 has led to the extinction of three species of birds and three to five species of reptiles endemic to the island .
    • Islands do not make up a large area of land on the globe, but they do contain a disproportionate number of endemic species because of their isolation from mainland ancestors.

  • Present-Time Extinctions

    • A better relationship to use may be the endemics-area relationship.

  • Habitat Loss and Sustainability

    • In the tropics, these losses also represent the extinction of species because of high levels of endemism.

  • Evidence of Evolution

    • Australia has an abundance of endemic species (those found nowhere else) which is typical of islands whose isolation by expanses of water prevents species from migrating.

  • History of Bacterial Diseases

    • Over the centuries, Europeans tended to develop genetic immunity to endemic infectious diseases, but when European conquerors reached the western hemisphere, they brought with them disease-causing bacteria and viruses, which triggered epidemics that completely devastated populations of Native Americans who had no natural resistance to many European diseases.