Lonely Species Matter Too

The lemur, Javan rhino and Santa Cruz kangaroo rat are all lonely animals, but they matter too, according to a new study. As endemic species, living in habitats restricted to a particular area, they are more important to biodiversity than previously thought.

Factors like climate change and urban development have all forced these animals into a lonely existence, however, they have also developed unique strategies as a means for survival. And these characteristics, as described in the journal PLOS ONE, may also impact the survival of their neighbors in the ecosystem.

"Because endemic species' genes and traits are different relative to nonendemic species, the web of interactions those genes support is also different," Joe Bailey, from the University of Tennessee, said in a statement. "Therefore, the losses of those genes from ecosystems will likely ripple through and hurt the species interactions they create."

Using experimental forestry trials where plants were taken from the wild and replanted in a single location, the researchers looked at endemic eucalyptus found in Tasmania. It turns out these eucalypts have evolved traits, like thicker leaves, that allow them to live in harsh conditions where many other species can't. This strategy not only allows the plants to minimize the resources they invest in leaves, but also makes eucalypts unappealing to herbivores that might otherwise munch on these tasty plants. This can impact the entire ecosystem.

Considering the increasing effects of climate change, these findings are of great importance to scientists. So if one species is impacted from our warming world, it could have a domino effect on other nearby species.

"In the midst of a biodiversity crisis where species extinction rates are a hundred to a thousand times greater than the natural rate of extinction, understanding the biology of rare and endemic species is a priority rather than a pursuit of novelty," Bailey added.