Percentage Of Endemism Research Articles

Freshwater halacarid mites (Acari: Halacaridae) from Madagascar. New records and the description of a new species

In recent years the numbers of aquatic mite species from Madagascar has increased considerably (Gerecke 2004a, b, 2006, 2009; Goldschmidt 2008; Tuzovski and Gerecke 2009), but the area is still a white spot with respect to knowledge of its freshwater halacarid (Halacaridae) fauna. Recently, some halacarid specimens were extracted from sandy deposits of the banks of streams and creeks. These samples included four species, namely Limnohalacarus cultellatus Viets, 1940, Limnohalacarus novus Bartsch, 2013, Lobohalacarus weberi (Romijn and Viets, 1924), and a new species of the genus Ropohalacarus. The new species, Ropohalacarus pallidus n. sp., is described, and the characters of the other species are outlined. The three genera collected in Madagascar are cosmopolitan and the Lobohalacarus and Limnohalacarus species are wide-spread. The halacarid fauna of Madagascar seems to be poor in endemic species, which is contrary to the situation for the freshwater Hydrachnidia mites. Future studies will certainly increase the number of halacarid species but not the percentage of endemics.

Shocks and Bribri Agriculture Past and Present

Shocks and Bribri Agriculture Past and Present

Major issues in threat analysis and resolving such problems: an addendum to the GAP analysis

Identification of regions that warrant conservation attention is a top priority among global environmental concerns. Conventionally, this objective was achieved via recognizing natural landscapes based on the number of IUCN Red Listed species, percentage of endemism and species diversity. A recent innovation in conservation biology is the use of GIS-based threat analysis models to identify key areas of conservation importance. Compared with GAP Analysis, which only identifies biodiversity-rich unprotected lands, threat analysis serves as a rigorous tool in conservation planning which specifically recognizes threats and habitat suitability to different taxa based on a spatially-explicit analysis. Threat analysis is a highly flexible process which involves building up a model with multiple independent (without autocorrelations) variables that both positively and negatively affect distribution and population persistence of a concerned species. Parameters include rate of land-use change, population density, population growth rate, land management regimes, protection status, habitat suitability and land stewardship. Threat analysis models can be used to understand the current status of a particular species (or a community) and can be used to project future trends about the species under consideration. This publication provides an overview of uses of GIS-based threat analyses in conservation biology and provides insights on the limitations of these models and the directions that should be taken in future.

CONTRIBUTION TO THE FLORA OF THE SOUTH AEGEAN VOLCANIC ARC: THE METHANA PENINSULA (SARONIC GULF, GREECE)

The Methana Peninsula (Saronic Gulf, Greece) constitutes the youngest and northwestern part of the South Aegean Volcanic Arc. The flora of the Methana Peninsula consists of 620 taxa, 101 of which are under some protection status, while 35 are Greek endemics and 380 are reported here for the first time. The study area has the highest percentage of endemism in the Saronic Gulf. Additionally, for some endemic taxa, their known distribution is expanded. These include Crocus sieberi subsp. atticus and Ophrys oestrifera subsp. leptomera, reported for the first time for the phytogeographical region of the Peloponnese; Campanula andrewsii subsp. hirsutula and Colchicum psaridis, reported for the first time for the North Peloponnese; and Trigonella rechingeri, reported for the first time from the Greek mainland. The floristic affinities between the study area and the large islands of the Saronic Gulf are examined by the application of Sørensen’s index to investigate the relationships between them.

Ecological Details Matter in Island Biogeography: A Case Study on the Samoan Orchids

Often, ecological details are ignored in biogeographical analyses. I use the orchid flora of the Samoan islands to investigate the importance of such details for explaining biogeographical patterns, with special attention to habitat availability and long distance dispersal. Using data on orchid occurrence, island properties, and species traits, I examine putative ecological drivers of species distribution including many that are seldom considered in island biogeography. Simulations show that communities on younger islands are nested subsets of those on older ones. Epiphytic orchids, but not terrestrial orchids, are nested by altitude. Percent endemism is positively correlated with island age in a simple linear regression and positively correlated with altitude in a multiple linear regression that also included distance from the nearest island. ANOVA shows that orchids with high minimum elevations tend to be restricted to one or two islands, whereas widespread orchids tend to have low elevation requirements. These findings suggest that species traits, abiotic environment, cladogenesis, and/or repeated long-distance dispersal affect species distributions. More specifically, altitudinal habitat availability strongly affects orchid occurrence on any given Samoan island. Future contributions to this field should incorporate ecological parameters and identify relevant areas in which further empirical work is needed.

Monitoring plant diversity and climatic change in Sierra Nevada (Spain)

The aim of this paper is to analyse the vascular flora and temperature data in the highest zone of the Sierra Nevada massif (Sierra Nevada National Park) and evaluate the potential effects of climatic change on the biodiversity of this zone. The floristic and temperature data have been recorded using the methodology of the European Gloria Project. The floristic analysis shows that the species richness decreases with the altitude (2778–3327 m) from 47 up to 18, at the same time increasing the percentage of endemism. 39% of species only live on single summits and 8% of the flora exists on all of the summits; chamae- phytes and hemicryptophytes are the most common life forms. The temperature data was analysed in the period of 2001–2005. Overall, there is a 4.42 °C decrease in mean temperature from the lowest to the highest summit (range of 549 m).

A random process may control the number of endemic species

The richness of endemic species is often recognized as an indication of the distinctiveness of certain local faunas and is used for the definition of conservation hotspots as well. Faunas of different animal taxa were considered in sets of contiguous geographical units. Comparing the faunas of different units in one set, we found an exponential increase in the number of endemics when plotted against the number of non-endemics. A model of independent stochastic population dynamics under the control of environmental oscillations produces random fluctuations in the ranges of species. Ranges of endemic species are supposedly narrower than ranges of co-occurring non-endemic species. In such a case, the flow of a random process leads to an exponential relationship between numbers of co-occurring endemic and non-endemic species. This process also produces an apparent positive correlation between total species number and the percentage of endemics.

Distinctiveness of the mesopelagic fish fauna in the Gulf of Mexico

Abstract We quantify the similarity of the Gulf of Mexico mesopelagic fish fauna to that in adjacent oceanic regions, the Venezuelan and Colombian Basins of the Caribbean Sea and the North and South Sargasso Seas. The South Sargasso and Colombian are the least similar of the areas in terms of their faunal composition, and the Venezuelan and Colombian Basins are the most similar. The Gulf fauna lies somewhere in between, and is a composite of that in the Sargasso and Caribbean Seas. The Gulf of Mexico displays the greatest abundance, biomass and richness ( S =140 species), and is an intermediate in evenness ( J =0.66) and percent endemism (7.1%). Our findings support the view that the centrally located Gulf is an oceanic ecotone between the Atlantic Tropical and Subtropical faunal regions.

Colloquium paper: patterns of biodiversity and endemism on Indo-West Pacific coral reefs.

Diversity of the primary groups of contemporary Indo-West Pacific coral reef organisms, including mantis shrimps (stomatopod crustaceans), peaks in the Indo-Australian Archipelago (IAA), reaches a lower peak in East Africa and Madagascar [Indian Ocean continental (IOC)], and declines in the central Indian Ocean (IO) and Central Pacific (CP). Percent endemism in stomatopods (highest in the IAA, high in the IOC, lower in regions adjacent to centers, and moderate in the CP) correlates positively with species diversity (this varies with scale) and inversely with species body size. Because it constrains reproductive traits and dispersal, body size is a reliable indicator of speciation and extinction potential in reef stomatopods and probably most marine organisms. Assemblages are dominated by small-sized species in the IAA and IOC. Both speciation and extinction likely are high, resulting in especially high endemism (small ranges reflect both originating and disappearing species) in these regions. Rates of speciation exceed extinction, yielding centers of diversity (especially in the IAA). Dispersal slows speciation and extinction in areas adjacent to these centers. Body size declines toward the CP, especially in atoll environments. Here the wheels of speciation and extinction again spin rapidly but in the opposite direction (extinction > speciation), yielding low diversity and moderate endemism. We conclude that life histories, dispersal, and speciation/extinction dynamics are primary agents that mold patterns of diversity and endemism. Historical factors, currents, productivity, and species diversity itself (through ecological interactions) also influence these patterns, in some cases by altering body size.

Conservation hotspots of biodiversity and endemism for Indo‐Pacific coral reef fishes

1. Distribution patterns of 3919 species of Indo-Pacific reef fishes were analysed using GIS mapping software for the purpose of conservation prioritization of extraordinary high concentrations (‘hotspots’) of diversity and endemism. 2. Megadiversity countries with more than 1000 coral reef species include Indonesia, Australia, Philippines, Papua New Guinea, Malaysia, Japan, Taiwan, Solomon Islands, Palau, Vanuatu, Fiji, New Caledonia, and the Federated States of Micronesia. 3. The richest area for reef fishes is the renowned Coral Triangle, which includes eastern Indonesia, Sabah (Malaysia), Philippines, Papua New Guinea, and the Solomon Islands. The highest concentration of species within this region extends from south-eastern Indonesia to the central Philippines. 4. Occupying only 3% of the surface area of the tropical Indo-west and central Pacific, the heart of the Coral Triangle contains 52% of its total species. 5. The top-ranked areas based on percentage of endemism are Easter Island, Baja California, Hawaiian Islands, Galapagos Islands, Red Sea, Clipperton Island, Marquesas, Isla del Coco, Mascarene Islands, and Oman. 6. The highest concentration of endemics per unit area occurs at remote south-eastern Polynesian and eastern Pacific islands including Clipperton, Isla del Coco, Easter, Rapa, and the Pitcairn Group. Copyright © 2007 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Why are diversity and endemism Linked on islands?

Patterns of species diversity on islands have yielded significant insights into evolutionary and ecological processes such as immigration, speciation and extinction. Island species richness and endemism are salient parameters for biologists and conservationists, yet in the voluminous works on island biogeography, the relationship between richness and endemism has not been thoroughly explored. Island biogeography theory suggests that both the species richness of a given island and the percentage of species that are endemic to that island are functions of the island’s physical properties and its degree of isolation (MacArthur and Wilson 1967, p. 173). In separate analyses of the floras and arthropod faunas of the Hawaiian and Canary island archipelagos, Emerson and Kolm (2005a) found that species richness was a better predictor of percent endemism than were island size, island age, maximum island height, or distance to nearest neighboring island. On the basis of this result, they inferred that species richness was causing accelerated speciation. However, Emerson and Kolm did not fully consider alternative interpretations, particularly those that do not invoke differences in island-specific rates of speciation. For example, it is possible that diversity and endemism might be linked under a simple null model of island community assembly. In this paper, we demonstrate that a positive correlation between diversity and endemism is an expected outcome of island colonization, and that intrinsic variation among species and islands can amplify the magnitude of that correlation. Consider two lists, L1 and L2, that differ in length such that L1! L2. A number of elements, S, are shared between the two lists, while the remainder are unique to one list or the other. The proportion unique to each list is: U i (L i # S)=L i 1! S=L i It follows that the longer list (island with greater species richness), L1, will always have a higher proportion unique (L1! L2). This is a tautological property that applies to any pair of lists that share some elements. We suggest that it is also true for any set of N lists. In a simple indicidence matrix for S species (rows) in N samples (columns, species lists) where the total number of incidences varies among samples (i.e. species lists vary in richness) and some species are shared among some or all samples, the larger samples will tend to have a greater proportion unique than the smaller ones. We cannot envision a non-random arrangement of incidences among columns that could overcome this expected correlation. Correspondingly, in any set of communities that contains some shared species, more diverse communities will contain a higher proportion of endemic species. Jetz et al. (2004) recognized this phenomenon in an analysis of richness and endemism in the continental African avifauna and corrected for it using a null model. The same principle applies to the colonization of island archipelagos from a finite continental pool of potential colonist species (an infinite pool could eliminate sharing of species between islands). Correspondingly, a stochastic colonization process should cause more diverse islands to contain proportionately more single-island endemic species. To further demonstrate this point, we used the Hawaiian arthropod dataset (Nishida 2002) that was also used by Emerson and Kolm (2005a). This dataset includes 8068 species on 17 islands, comprising 16623 island populations. We simulated the colonization of the Hawaiian Islands up to their current levels of species diversity using the list of 8068 species as the pool of

Diversity in the cork oak forests of the northern Straits of Gibraltar Region (Southern Spain)

Several components of diversity (ecological, taxonomic, chorological and morphological– functional) were studied in the woody vegetation of the cork oak forests in the northern Straits of Gibraltar Region, and their relationship to the two main environmental gradients (one mainly climatic—precipitation, fog—and another secondary related to the disturbance and hydric stress associated with hillslope orientation). An inventory of the woody species and their cover measure was carried out on 94 plots. The relationship between the components of diversity and the main environmental gradients was analysed by means of regression analysis. Decreases of species richness, Shannon diversity index, Western Mediterranean species cover, percentage of endemism and the share of the Herrera Syndrome I in diversity were related to the increase of the precipitation and the fog. However, the cover and percentage of species of the Circum-Mediterranean and Mediterranean-Eurosiberian chorological groups increase with the precipitation and the fog. Disturbance and hydric stress associated with hillslope orientation, have a negative effect on specific richness of the Mediterranean-Eurosiberian chorological group and taxonomic singularity, but its have a positive effect on the share of the Herrera Syndrome I in diversity. The number of edaphic endemisms is associated mainly with disturbance. In the cork forests does not exist an inverse relationship between the number of endemisms and floristic richness, as it happens in other Mediterranean areas. It has suggested that this pattern is due to effect of competitive exclusion associated with disturbance in vegetation on relatively fertile substrate.

EVALUATION OF SPECIES FROM CYPRUS FLORA FOR SUSTAINABLE USE IN COMMERCIAL FLORICULTURE

EVALUATION OF SPECIES FROM CYPRUS FLORA FOR SUSTAINABLE USE IN COMMERCIAL FLORICULTURE

Species diversity and endemism of five major Malesian islands: diversity–area relationships

AbstractAim A comparison of biodiversity patterns within Malesia in relation to surface area.Location Analysis of the patterns in species richness and endemism of vascular plants in the five major Malesian islands, i.e. Java, Sulawesi, Sumatra, Borneo and New Guinea.Methods Available data on species richness and species ranges in correlation with the surface area of the respective islands were examined in this work. Estimations of total species numbers for these islands are presented based on extrapolation of all available published Flora Malesiana information and recent checklists, all in all comprising 12,000 different species. The regression analysis of overall species richness and endemism were studied for all species together as well as for different plant families to compare the fit with the Arrhenius species–area model.Results The five islands form a series of independent areas of increasing size suited for an analysis of the species–area relationships at the regional scale. All species taken together and those of families with even distribution throughout Malesia show significant species–area relationships. Non‐significant relationships were detected in families with western or eastern‐centred Malesian distribution patterns. Relationships between number of endemic species and surface area are significant for all species and for the majority of the families with significant species–area relationships.Main conclusions Species–area relationships of families appear to be dependent on species number. Families with high numbers of species usually have a significant species–area relationship whereas small families have not. For the families that display an eastern or western Malesian centred pattern, a historical biogeographical explanation should be invoked. Island surface area appears to be a predictor for island percent endemism in Malesian vascular plants. None of the islands appears to be a hotspot of endemism nor of species diversity, as no significant departure from the Arrhenius model was noted for any of them.

Biogeographical analysis of the tree flora of the Yucatan Peninsula

AimThe purpose of this study was to examine the biogeographical relationships of the tree flora of the Yucatan Peninsula (YP2). To this aim we: (1) evaluated the affinities of political entities of tropical America with the Yucatan Peninsula, considering the distribution of tree species occurring in the latter region; (2) assessed floristic affinities between political entities of the Yucatan Peninsula based on endemic species; (3) defined biogeographical districts for the Mexican portion of the Yucatan Peninsula; and (4) evaluated the conservation status of endemic species in the area.LocationThe Yucatan Peninsula is a biogeographical area comprising the entire territory of the Mexican states Campeche, Quintana Roo, and Yucatan, adjacent small portions of Tabasco and Chiapas, the El Petén department in Guatemala, and the northern half of Belize. Because of heterogeneous data availability some analyses were restricted to the first three above listed Mexican states (YP1), which comprise the core of the Yucatan Peninsula.MethodsDistributional data of 434 tree species were obtained from three sources: inspection of 7640 herbarium specimens, specialist advice regarding the taxonomic status of the tree species, and an extensive review of taxonomic and floristic literature. We based the various analyses of phytogeographical affinities on Jaccard's Index. Information on individual species distributions was subjected to a multivariate analysis. Occurrence of endemic species in five existing protected areas in the Yucatan Peninsula was analysed by examining floristic checklists available for them.ResultsAffinities of the tree flora of YP1 with twenty‐four political entities of tropical America generally decreased as geographical distances from this region increased. Distributional patterns of the seventy‐two tree species endemic to YP2 showed the strongest affinities to exist between Campeche, Quintana Roo and Yucatan, and in turn these entities displayed a large similarity with Belize and Guatemala. Regionalization of YP1, based on the distributions of both all species and the endemic ones, led to the distinction of two districts: a smaller one in the north‐western corner, and a larger one comprising the remaining areas. Although the distributions of numerous species in the two groups matched the limits of these districts, ubiquitous species of panpeninsular distribution also occurred. For YP1 we identified nineteen endemic trees, indicating a percent endemism of 4.4 for this area. Of the sixty‐four species endemic to YP2 which occur in YP1, fifty‐two (81.2%) have been recorded in at least one of the five protected areas of this territory (three occurred in the five preserves and nineteen did so in a single one), whereas twelve (18.8%) were not found in any protected area.Main conclusionsThe definition of the Yucatan Peninsula as a biogeographical province was confirmed. The strongest floristic affinities of YP1 were with Mesoamerican entities, whereas affinities with the Antilles were much weaker. The distinction of two biogeographical districts corresponds closely to the peninsula's climatic and vegetational zonation. This regionalization agrees partially with schemes proposed for other animal and plant groups. Further inventory work in protected areas is needed to adequately assess the conservation status of the Yucatan Peninsula's tree endemics.

THERMOGEOGRAPHY OVER TIME CREATES BIOGEOGRAPHIC REGIONS: A TEMPERATURE/SPACE/TIME‐INTEGRATED MODEL AND AN ABUNDANCE‐WEIGHTED TEST FOR BENTHIC MARINE ALGAE

We developed a time‐integrated thermogeographic model to demonstrate conditions under which benthic marine algal assemblages evolve biogeographic patterns in their distribution and abundance. The graphical model applies to rocky marine sublittoral zones in which seasonal temperatures, coastline area, isolation, and evolutionary time are primary factors. Time is treated by using the temperature/area/distributions for the present (interglacial period) integrated with that of 18,000 years before present (glacial period). These two alternate states characterize the global marine realm since the late Pliocene to Pleistocene time during which many extant species have evolved. The resulting abiotic “thermogeographic” model defines 20 regions that correspond with the cores of 24 recognized biogeographic regions and/or provinces determined by published distributions of organisms. Modern biogeographic regions conform closely with thermogeographic regions where temperature, area, and time are integrated. We also propose that biogeographic patterns should be determined by the abundance of species assemblages rather than presence and absence or percent endemism as is commonly done. We test the efficacy of thermogeographic regions with abundance‐weighted patterns in the biogeography of crustose coralline red algae (Rhodophyta/Corallinales) in the colder part of the northern hemisphere. Based on abundance, rather than presence/absence, coralline red algal biogeographic regions correspond closely with the model's thermogeographic regions.

Riqueza de especies y endemismo del componente arbóreo de la Península de Yucatán, México

Con base en una exhaustiva consulta del Herbario Nacional de México (MEXU) y de literatura taxonómico-florística se presenta una lista actualizada de los árboles nativos de la parte mexicana de la Península de Yucatán (Campeche, Quintana Roo y Yucatán), documentando para cada especie su distribución estatal. Se reconocen 437 especies y 246 géneros, agrupados en 68 familias, con una relación adicional de especies excluidas y dudosas (308 y 68 taxa respectivamente). Las familias con números más altos de especies son Mimosaceae, Euphorbiaceae, Fabaceae, Rubiaceae y Myrtaceae, mientras que a nivel genérico los taxa más numerosos son Acacia, Eugenia, Cocco loba, Croton y Lonchocarpus. El porcentaje de endemismo es de 12.3% (54 taxa distribuidos en 26 familias); las familias con más especies endémicas son Cactaceae, Fabaceae, Mimosaceae, Polygonaceae y Rubiaceae. A nivel estatal, Quintana Roo es la entidad que alberga una mayor riqueza (351 especies). Los resultados de cinco índices de similitud (Braun-Blanquet, Dice, Drive y Kroeber, Jaccard y Simpson), tanto para el total de especies como para el elemento endémico, confirman el supuesto de que estas áreas deben de ser consideradas como parte de una misma provincia florística. Finalmente, se destaca la importancia de intensificar el trabajo florístico y taxonómico con el propósito de evaluar con mayor certeza la riqueza florística de la Península de Yucatán, y simultáneamente definir con más precisión su extensión, grado de endemismo y sus relaciones biogeográficas con regiones aledañas.

Endemism in the Neotropical Moss Flora

Values for percent endemism, the index of endemicity (Ie) and a geographical' index (Ig) suggest that endemism of mosses is higher in Costa Rica, Ecuador, and Bolivia than in other Neotropical moss floras. Endemism in several Neotropical countries is lower than expected and this may be due to incomplete floristic records or strong floristic connections with adjacent countries. As a whole, the Neotropics have a unique moss flora characterized by 48 percent endemic species.

Trilobites of the Holm Dal Formation (late Middle Cambrian), central North Greenland

An unusually diverse trilobite fauna in the Holm Dai Formation is dominated by polymeroid genera and species that are most characteristic of the lower and middle Cedaria Zone as widely applied in North America. Several agnostoid species are characteristic of the upper Lejopyge laevigata Interval-zone of Robison (1984), and correlation with the Swedish standard for north-western Europe indicates a late Middle Cambrian age.
 Biogeographic analysis shows that continental endemism of the 34 polymeroid genera and 43 polymeroid species in the Holm Dal Formation exceeds 88 and 97percent respectively. In marked contrast, all 12 of the Holm Dal agnostoid genera and at least 13 of the 15 agnostoid species have intercontinental distributions (0 and 13 percent endemism respectively). Comparisons with coeval North American faunas suggest that Middle Cambrian biozones based on polymeroid species may be useful on a regional scale, but probably will not be applicable on a continental scale. Genus-based polymeroid zones may be applicable on a continental scale, but long stratigraphic ranges of genera will limit precision. Species-based agnostoid zones will be applicable globally, but probably will be most useful in deposits representing the neritic to oceanic transition.
 Fifty-eight trilobite species, some in open nomenclature, are described from Peary Land and Freuchen Land. Of the taxa represented, 9 of 34 genera are new: Balderia, Conopolus, Durinia, Holmdalia, Pearylandia, Tavsenia, Toragnostus, Verditerrina, and Wandelella. Twenty-four species are new: Balderia aspera, Blountia bella, Bolaspidella stymacantha, Cedaria major, Cedaria tumicephala, Conopolus granulus, Crepicephalus eos, Durinia granulosa, Elrathia omega, Glaphyraspis alpha, Madarocephalus scolus, Marjumia brevifrons, Marjumia spinosa, Matania matuta, Matania quadrata, Modocia planata, Nixonella furta, Olenoides ternus, Onchonotopsis physala, Pearylandia parva, Syspacheilus catatate, Tavsenia ditrema, Verditerrina lacinia,and Wandelella compta. In addition, the new species Conopolus rasettii is described from Quebec, Canada. A lectotype is designated for Proagnostus bulbus Butts 1926, the type species of Proagnostus.

The origin and distribution of the flora of Aldabra

This paper is concerned with an analysis of the flora of Aldabra and the neighbouring islands of Cosmoledo, Astove and Assumption, which together form the Aldabra group. The flora includes 206 species of which 166 are indigenous and 40 are introduced. Only the indigenous flora is considered in detail. On the basis of geographic distribution these 166 species can be amalgamated into the following eight groups: Pantropical, Indo-Pacific, widespread-African, East African, Madagascan, Mascarene, Seychelles and Endemic, which indicate that the flora has been derived from a complete range of sources from widespread to very local. As assessment of the contributions made by each geographical group to the indigenous flora shows that about 55 % of the species are of widespread distribution and 45 % are found only in the region of East Africa and Madagascar. Furthermore, the majority of species of widespread distribution are associated with coastal habitats, whereas the majority of species of local distribution are associated with inland habitats. One hundred and sixty-six species is an exceptionally large number for a coral island since few others support more than a handful of indigenous species and these are invariably associated with coastal habitats usually being species of widespread distribution. Plenty of coral islands have produced endemics but none on the same scale as Aldabra which had 31 endemic species. A brief survey of possible means of plant introduction is given and these can be roughly grouped into sea, wind and animals, the first being associated mainly with the coastal and widespread species and the last two being associated mainly with the inland and more regional species. From this analysis of the flora of Aldabra several important facts emerge. Aldabra can support a large number of species and this is due mainly to the large terrestrial area which provides a variety of habitats. The flora includes a high percentage of local species and although still dominated by the widespread species the difference in numbers between widespread and local species is considerably less than on most other coral islands. Aldabra has a large number of species found only in inland habitats due again to the large terrestrial area and finally Aldabra has a very high percentage of endemism, almost 20 % of the indigenous flora.