Endemic species

An endemic species is naturally restricted to a particular geographic region and occurs nowhere else in the wild. Its range may cover an island, a mountain system, or a larger region.

Geographic range: The area in which a species or other biological entity occurs. Endemism is defined by a species’ range being confined to a particular region.
Adaptive radiation: The rapid diversification of one ancestral lineage into species adapted to different ecological niches. A colonizing lineage can diversify into several species confined to one region.
Biodiversity hotspot: A region with exceptional concentrations of endemic species and substantial habitat loss. Hotspot criteria use endemic plants alongside habitat loss to identify conservation priorities.
Lemur: A primate group native to Madagascar and nearby islands, with no native populations elsewhere. Madagascar’s lemurs illustrate a distinctive endemic animal radiation.
Biogeography: The study of the geographic distribution of organisms through space and time. It supplies the geographic framework for describing and explaining endemism.
Founder effect: A change in allele frequencies caused when a new population is founded by few individuals. Small founding populations can establish isolated lineages that later become regionally restricted.
Conservation biology: The scientific study of protecting biological diversity and preventing species loss. Endemic species often receive priority because their global survival depends on one region.
Galápagos giant tortoise: A group of giant tortoise species native to the Galápagos Islands. Their island-restricted populations show how geographic separation can produce localized forms.
Allopatric speciation: The formation of new species after populations become geographically isolated. Isolation can let a regional population evolve into an endemic species.
Genetic drift: Random changes in allele frequencies, strongest in small populations. Small isolated populations often experience drift as they diverge from their ancestors.

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