Tropical plants 'most sensitive'
Tropical plants are most sensitive
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Wednesday, 10, Dec 2008 01:01
Plants near to the equator are at a greater risk of extinction than those elsewhere, a study has found.
University of Calgary researchers do not blame human activity as the primary cause of increased risk of extinction. Instead latitude is judged to be the most important factor.
Many have previously viewed the tropics as being a region where plants are less susceptible to extinction because of the many ancient species to be found there.
Now it appears this is not the case, according to today's research published in the Public Library of Sciences One journal.
"Extinction dynamics may be very different between plant and animal species. Plant species near the equator may persist at naturally low population sizes or have small ranges, making them intrinsically more susceptible to a given amount of disturbance," Steven Vamosi of the University of Calgary said.
He sought to emphasise his findings do not mean humans should diminish their concern about plant life, however.
"This is not to say that human activities are not underlying contemporary risk of extinction; instead, it implies that plant species in a tropical country will, on average, be more sensitive to a given amount of human disturbance than those in a temperate country," he added.