{"id":205082,"date":"2024-10-16T08:00:00","date_gmt":"2024-10-16T18:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/?p=205082"},"modified":"2024-10-15T15:56:18","modified_gmt":"2024-10-16T01:56:18","slug":"islands-host-one-third-earths-plants","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/2024\/10\/16\/islands-host-one-third-earths-plants\/","title":{"rendered":"Islands host 1\/3 of Earth\u2019s plant species, conservation needed"},"content":{"rendered":"Reading time: <\/span> 3<\/span> minutes<\/span><\/span>
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Doryopteris takeuchii<\/em>, a type of fern endemic to Leʻahi<\/span> (Diamond Head) (Photo courtesy: Tom Ranker)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Islands are home to nearly one-third of the world\u2019s plant species, despite covering just 5.3% of the Earth\u2019s land surface. That\u2019s according to a new groundbreaking study published in Nature<\/em> on October 16<\/a>, co-authored by a University of Hawaiʻi<\/span> at M\u0101noa botanist.<\/p>\n

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Adenophorus periens<\/em> or “pendant kihi fern,” effectively extinct in the wild (Photo courtesy: Tom Ranker)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

An international team of a dozen researchers analyzed data on more than 304,103 vascular (vascular plants are trees, ferns, and flowering plants; non-vascular plants are mosses, and liverworts) plants—essentially all species known to science worldwide. The team found 94,052 species are native to islands, and of these, 63,280 are endemic—found nowhere else in the world. This research provides the first comprehensive assessment of plants native and endemic to islands worldwide.<\/p>\n

“This comprehensive study reveals the important role islands play in Earth\u2019s botanical richness,” said study co-author and 东精影业<\/abbr> M\u0101noa School of Life Sciences<\/a> Professor Emeritus Tom Ranker. “By quantifying the uniqueness of island flora and highlighting its vulnerability, this research underscores the urgent need for targeted conservation efforts to protect these irreplaceable hotspots of plant evolution.”<\/p>\n

Large tropical islands such as Madagascar, New Guinea and Borneo lead in endemic species counts, while oceanic archipelagos such as Hawaiʻi<\/span> boast the highest proportions of endemic flora. Hawaiʻi<\/span> stands out with 83% of its plant species being endemic to the state. However, individual Hawaiian Islands showed lower single-island endemism, meaning that a large percentage of flora are found on multiple islands in the state. Maui, for instance, has only 14% single-island endemics in its native flora.<\/p>\n

Critical conservation needed<\/h2>\n
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Kokia cookei<\/em> or “Kokiʻo<\/span>,” a flowering plant endemic to Molokaʻi<\/span> (Photo courtesy: Tom Ranker)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The study also highlighted the urgent conservation needs of island plants. Of the island endemics assessed by the International Union for Conservation of Nature, 51% are threatened, and 55% of all documented global plant extinctions occurred on islands.<\/p>\n

Hawaiʻi<\/span> faces significant conservation challenges. Its dry forests and other unique habitats are highly endangered. According to the Hawaiʻi<\/span> Division of Forestry and Wildlife<\/a>, Hawaiʻi<\/span> is often referred to as the “Endangered Species Capital of the World.” It said that more than 100 plant taxa have gone extinct, and over 200 are considered to have 50 or fewer individuals remaining in the wild. Officially, 366 of the Hawaiian plant taxa are listed as endangered or threatened, and an additional 48 species are proposed as endangered. While only comprising less than 1% of the U.S. land mass, Hawaiʻi<\/span> contains 44% of the nation\u2019s endangered and threatened plant species.<\/p>\n

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Marsilea villosa<\/em> or “ ʻihiʻihilau\u0101kea<\/span>,” a fern that resembles a four-leaf clover (Photo courtesy: Tom Ranker)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Some examples of plants endemic to Hawaiʻi<\/span> include:<\/p>\n