Academic Journal
Red listing the flora of the Green Islands reveals high extinction risk in the Azores.
| Τίτλος: | Red listing the flora of the Green Islands reveals high extinction risk in the Azores. |
|---|---|
| Συγγραφείς: | Roxo G; Faculdade de Ciências e Tecnologia, Universidade dos Açores, Rua Mãe de Deus, 9500-321, Ponta Delgada, Portugal. guilherme.g.roxo@uac.pt.; CIBIO, Centro de Investigação em Biodiversidade e Recursos Genéticos, InBIO Laboratório Associado, Pólo dos Açores - Ponta Delgada, São Miguel, Açores, Portugal. guilherme.g.roxo@uac.pt.; BIOPOLIS Program in Genomics, Biodiversity and Land Planning, CIBIO, Campus de Vairão, 4485-661, Vairão, Portugal. guilherme.g.roxo@uac.pt., Silva L; Faculdade de Ciências e Tecnologia, Universidade dos Açores, Rua Mãe de Deus, 9500-321, Ponta Delgada, Portugal.; CIBIO, Centro de Investigação em Biodiversidade e Recursos Genéticos, InBIO Laboratório Associado, Pólo dos Açores - Ponta Delgada, São Miguel, Açores, Portugal.; BIOPOLIS Program in Genomics, Biodiversity and Land Planning, CIBIO, Campus de Vairão, 4485-661, Vairão, Portugal., Elias RB; Faculty of Agrarian and Environmental Sciences, University of the Azores, 9700-042, Angra do Heroísmo, Portugal.; Azorean Biodiversity Group (ABG) and Center for Ecology, Evolution and Environmental Changes (cE3c) and Global Change and Sustainability Institute, Angra do Heroísmo, Portugal., Pereira D; Projeto LIFE IP AZORES NATURA, Secretaria Regional do Ambiente e Ação Climática, Ponta Delgada, Portugal.; Faculdade de Economia e Gestão, Universidade dos Açores, Ponta Delgada, Portugal.; CEEAplA - Center of Applied Economic Studies of the Atlantic, Universidade dos Açores, Ponta Delgada, Portugal.; Natural History Museum, Cromwell Road, London, SW7 5BD, UK., Carine M; CEEAplA - Center of Applied Economic Studies of the Atlantic, Universidade dos Açores, Ponta Delgada, Portugal.; Natural History Museum, Cromwell Road, London, SW7 5BD, UK., McCartney AM; Institute of Clinical and Translational Science, University of California, Irvine, CA, 92617, US., da Silva LB; Faculdade de Ciências e Tecnologia, Universidade dos Açores, Rua Mãe de Deus, 9500-321, Ponta Delgada, Portugal.; CIBIO, Centro de Investigação em Biodiversidade e Recursos Genéticos, InBIO Laboratório Associado, Pólo dos Açores - Ponta Delgada, São Miguel, Açores, Portugal.; BIOPOLIS Program in Genomics, Biodiversity and Land Planning, CIBIO, Campus de Vairão, 4485-661, Vairão, Portugal.; CBGP, INRAE, Institut Agro Montpellier, Université de Montpellier, Montpellier, France., Rego RMC; Faculdade de Ciências e Tecnologia, Universidade dos Açores, Rua Mãe de Deus, 9500-321, Ponta Delgada, Portugal.; CIBIO, Centro de Investigação em Biodiversidade e Recursos Genéticos, InBIO Laboratório Associado, Pólo dos Açores - Ponta Delgada, São Miguel, Açores, Portugal.; BIOPOLIS Program in Genomics, Biodiversity and Land Planning, CIBIO, Campus de Vairão, 4485-661, Vairão, Portugal., Souto M; Faculdade de Ciências e Tecnologia, Universidade dos Açores, Rua Mãe de Deus, 9500-321, Ponta Delgada, Portugal.; CIBIO, Centro de Investigação em Biodiversidade e Recursos Genéticos, InBIO Laboratório Associado, Pólo dos Açores - Ponta Delgada, São Miguel, Açores, Portugal.; BIOPOLIS Program in Genomics, Biodiversity and Land Planning, CIBIO, Campus de Vairão, 4485-661, Vairão, Portugal., Bateman RM; Jodrell Laboratory, Royal Botanic Gardens Kew, Richmond, Surrey, TW9 3DS, UK., Moura M; Faculdade de Ciências e Tecnologia, Universidade dos Açores, Rua Mãe de Deus, 9500-321, Ponta Delgada, Portugal.; CIBIO, Centro de Investigação em Biodiversidade e Recursos Genéticos, InBIO Laboratório Associado, Pólo dos Açores - Ponta Delgada, São Miguel, Açores, Portugal.; BIOPOLIS Program in Genomics, Biodiversity and Land Planning, CIBIO, Campus de Vairão, 4485-661, Vairão, Portugal. |
| Πηγή: | Scientific reports [Sci Rep] 2026 May 20; Vol. 16 (1). Date of Electronic Publication: 2026 May 20. |
| Τύπος έκδοσης: | Journal Article |
| Γλώσσα: | English |
| Στοιχεία περιοδικού: | Publisher: Nature Publishing Group Country of Publication: England NLM ID: 101563288 Publication Model: Electronic Cited Medium: Internet ISSN: 2045-2322 (Electronic) Linking ISSN: 20452322 NLM ISO Abbreviation: Sci Rep Subsets: MEDLINE |
| Imprint Name(s): | Original Publication: London : Nature Publishing Group, copyright 2011- |
| Ιατρικοί όροι (MeSH): | Plants*/classification , Extinction, Biological*, Azores ; Biodiversity ; Conservation of Natural Resources ; Endangered Species ; Islands ; Ecosystem |
| Περίληψη: | Oceanic islands are global biodiversity hotspots, yet they face disproportionate risks of species extinction. The Azores archipelago holds a unique flora composed of 94 endemic vascular plant taxa (species and subspecies) that are strictly endemic to the Azores, which represents about 32% of the native vascular flora. Here, we present the first comprehensive IUCN Red List assessment of the Azorean endemic vascular flora, based on more than 10,600 curated occurrence records, herbaria specimens, and recent field surveys. We found that nearly 60% of assessed taxa are threatened with extinction, Endangered being the most frequent IUCN category. Two species are confirmed Extinct, and 12 taxa remain Data Deficient due to unresolved taxonomy. The Red List Index (RLI) for Azorean endemics was calculated at 0.602, indicating a concerning level of extinction risk and, importantly, providing a reference point for monitoring future changes in conservation status. Spatial analysis revealed that endemic taxa richness is highly uneven, with most areas hosting few or no endemics. Notably, 12 hotspots occur outside the current protected area network, leaving key refuges for endemic taxa unprotected. These findings underscore the urgent need to expand legal protection, prioritise the management of invasive taxa, restore degraded habitats, and integrate newly described taxa into conservation frameworks. By establishing a baseline for monitoring extinction risk, this study provides a critical tool to guide conservation action in the Azores, and contributes to broader efforts to safeguard the unique natural heritage of oceanic islands. (© 2026. The Author(s).) |
| Competing Interests: | Declarations. Competing interests: The author(s) declare no competing interests. Ethics approval: No ethical approval was required for this study. |
| References: | Sci Rep. 2025 Apr 22;15(1):13857. (PMID: 40263593) Conserv Biol. 2017 Jun;31(3):531-539. (PMID: 27696559) Biol Lett. 2016 Apr;12(4):. (PMID: 27072401) Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 2026 Feb 24;123(8):e2518902123. (PMID: 41701826) Conserv Biol. 2023 Feb;37(1):e14019. (PMID: 36285611) Evol Appl. 2022 Jan 19;15(2):185-202. (PMID: 35233242) BMC Evol Biol. 2016 Oct 8;16(1):202. (PMID: 27717307) Conserv Biol. 2015 Feb;29(1):250-9. (PMID: 25124400) Nature. 2024 Oct;634(8035):868-874. (PMID: 39415003) Conserv Biol. 2009 Apr;23(2):410-9. (PMID: 19128322) Proc Biol Sci. 2019 Apr 10;286(1900):20190136. (PMID: 30940053) Sci Adv. 2021 Oct 15;7(42):eabi8943. (PMID: 34644105) Philos Trans R Soc Lond B Biol Sci. 2005 Feb 28;360(1454):255-68. (PMID: 15814344) Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 2017 Jul 25;114(30):E6089-E6096. (PMID: 28696295) PeerJ. 2013 Dec 10;1:e218. (PMID: 24392284) Zookeys. 2011;(150):117-26. (PMID: 22207809) Conserv Biol. 2018 Apr;32(2):322-332. (PMID: 28703324) Ecol Appl. 2010 Jul;20(5):1191-203. (PMID: 20666243) PLoS One. 2015 Aug 07;10(8):e0135152. (PMID: 26252495) Am J Bot. 2014 Jun 6;101(6):979-1001. (PMID: 24907253) BMC Ecol Evol. 2024 Aug 20;24(1):111. (PMID: 39164629) |
| Grant Information: | 2023.01064.BD FCT, Ministério da Ciência, Tecnologia e Ensino Superior; LIFE17 IPE/PT/000010 LIFE IP AZORES NATURA; ACORES-01-0145-FEDER-000007 eAZFlora project; MAC2/4.6d/386 MACFLOR2 |
| Contributed Indexing: | Keywords: Azores; Biodiversity hotspots; Conservation; Endemic taxa; IUCN Red List; Policy making |
| Entry Date(s): | Date Created: 20260520 Date Completed: 20260722 Latest Revision: 20260813 |
| Update Code: | 20260813 |
| PubMed Central ID: | PMC13392098 |
| DOI: | 10.1038/s41598-026-52252-w |
| PMID: | 42162080 |
| Βάση Δεδομένων: | MEDLINE |
καταχωρήστε σχόλιο πρώτοι!