Verteilung von Florenarten auf den Kanarischen Inseln

Abstract

The Canary Islands are known for their biodiversity and the high number of endemic species that are occuring due to their formation by hotspot volcanism, their location and climatic conditions.
In this work, the distribution of flora species by altitude and by area in the Canary Islands is studied. The basis for this is the flora catalog "Species List of Canary Island" in which more than 3000 flora species of the Canary Islands are described. This database is evaluated according to the occurrence of the species in relation to altitude above sea level, habitat type and island.

It is expected that islands with a higher range of altitudes also have a higher number of species, especially endemics, since these islands usually have a high diversity of habitats. In addition, the number of endemic species increases at high elevations. This can be attributed to the isolation of habitats, leading to species found there being particularly adapted to their environment.

Endemic species are particularly affected by climate change due to their very limited spatial occurrence. Thus, even small changes in habitat can lead to the extinction of a species. Therefore, an understanding of the occurrence of endemics on islands is of particular importance in order to preserve and protect these ecosystems in the future.