Shana Byrd, The Dawes Arboretum Prairie was once a dominant grassland ecosystem, covering millions of hectares in the United States. Today, this unique habitat is among the most critically endangered biomes in North America. While eastern deciduous forest was the historical cover throughout most of Ohio, small populations of original prairie habitat existed in the state. […]
CPCPlants2020
Prioritizing Single Site Endemics for Ex Situ Conservation
Anne Frances, NatureServe;Â Amanda Treher, NatureServe; Wesley Knapp, North Carolina Natural Heritage Program Plants that occur in only one to few locations globally are most at-risk of extinction. Research on the extinct plants of North America shows that 64% of extinct plants were known from one site. Single site endemics generally face higher threats than plants […]
Vascular Plant Extinction in the Continental United States and Canada
Wesley Knapp, North Carolina Natural Heritage Program Extinction rates are expected to increase during the Anthropocene. Current extinction rates of plants and many animals remain unknown. This study represents the first effort to quantify extinctions among the vascular flora of North America north of Mexico since European settlement. We compiled data on apparently extinct species […]