Critically Endangered Plants
When most people think of endangered species, they picture panda bears, sea turtles and spotted owls. But plants, too, can be threatened and endangered due to introduction of invasive species, loss of habitat, climate change and over-harvesting. The U.S. Botanical Garden warns, "One out of every eight species of the world's flora has been identified as threatened" and in the United States, about "three out of every ten plant species is threatened."
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Invasive Species
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Invasive species--both plant and animal--are responsible for the vulnerability of many native plant species. Non-native plants compete with native plants for light, nutrients and pollinators. As non-native plant populations grow, the insect pollinators that are better able to extract pollen from the non-native species become favored, reducing the already declining populations of worldwide insect pollinators.
Loss of Habitat
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As the world population continues to grow, sensitive plant habitats are sacrificed for buildings, roads, mines and farms. Water is diverted, marshes are drained and trees are cut down. These massive changes affect the balance of the entire eco-system. Inter-related animal and insect species decline as well. "Habitat destruction is the leading cause of species extinction," according to Stuart L. Pimm and Peter Raven, writing in the journal "Nature."
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Climate Change
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Climate change is favoring certain species at the expense of others. Scientists at the University of Delaware have discovered that higher levels of UV-B radiation increase the allelopathy of an invasive reed species, Phragmites australis. Allelopathy is a plant's ability to release toxins into the surrounding soil to prevent encroachment by other plants. According to the study's authors, the toxin has "severe deleterious effects on other native plants" and that this invasive species is "accidentally utilizing the changed global conditions for its survival and invasion."
Over Harvesting
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A small, spineless succulent known as the Baseball Plant (Euphorbia obesa) is a popular houseplant and garden accent. Loss of habitat, combined with illegal harvesting, has placed this plant on the endangered list. It is available for purchase in nurseries, but wild populations are limited. The Venus fly trap, another popular houseplant, is similarly threatened. Often, consumers are not aware of the plant species status in the wild and threatened and endangered plants regularly are poached to satisfy consumer demand.
Impact
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When a plant species become endangered and lost to extinction, the impact is not immediately felt: a single species of fern or lichen is unlikely to create an obvious environmental catastrophe. However, the domino effect of species loss is cumulative. Responsible land use and sensible protective measures will help to preserve and restore critically endangered plants.
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