Endemic Species

An endemic species is a species that is found naturally in only one geographical area and nowhere else in the world. The area may be an island, a lake, a mountain range or a single country. For example, the kiwi is endemic to New Zealand and lemurs are endemic to Madagascar.Endemic species are closely linked to speciation, especially allopatric speciation. When a population is geographically isolated for a long time, it follows its own evolutionary path:1. The isolated population has no gene flow with populations elsewhere.2. It experiences its own mix of mutations, selection pressures and genetic drift.3. Over many generations it becomes a new species that exists only in that place.This is why islands and other isolated habitats, such as isolated lakes, mountain tops and desert springs, usually have a high proportion of endemic species. The more isolated the place and the longer it has been isolated, the more endemic species it tends to have. The Galapagos Islands, for example, have many endemic species, including Darwin's finches and the marine iguana.Island colonists are often few in number and arrive in a place with many empty niches. Natural selection can then produce several new endemic species from one colonising ancestor.Because an endemic species lives in only one area, a threat to that area, such as habitat destruction or an introduced predator, can make the whole species extinct. Endemic species are therefore often of special concern in conservation.