Like human beings, plants are living beings that develop their vital process on our planet: they are born, grow, reproduce and die. Like any living being, they have their right to inhabit our planet, the Earth. In addition, plants play an important role on earth, without which, most likely, other living beings would not live, because they are essential to maintain natural balance. Among these functions is to be a filter for contamination, control and moderate the land temperature, produce part of the oxygen that we breathe, control biogeochemical cycles, be a very important part of the food chain or serve as support and natural fertilizers for the soil. Plants are an important biological and potential use for human societies, being able to extract wood for different uses, food or medicines.
However, current social development imposes activities that lead many plants to their extinction. In this ecology article, we tell you about What are the plants in danger of extinction and their causes.
Causes of the danger of extinction of plants and their extinctions
We can divide the Causes of the danger of extinction and plant extinctions in two types: human and natural.
In danger of extinction: human causes
Among human threats, we can highlight the destruction of habitats as the main cause. Within this, we include the expansion of urban areas, lands in use for crops, deforestation of large areas (linked to agriculture, livestock, mining, constructions …) or intentional forest fires.
Another of the big problems that are affecting plant species is that of the illegal or legal marketing of species, in many cases linked to collectors that introduce them from other areas or linked to ornamental purposes. Phenomenon that often leads to the introduction of species of invasive plants, something that also happens with species of invasive animals, which frequently cause the elimination of native flora and other plant species, being a great ecological threat to vegetation.
Natural causes
Among natural threats, one of the most important is the appearance of pests, whether plant diseases or insects that have a great and rapid expansion in the territory and that can end large plant populations in a short time. This can sometimes lead to the extinction of a plant species.
Another important threat is natural (unintended) fires, such as the fall of lightning, which can destroy large territories along with the populations that inhabit it. An important factor of fires is that they also deteriorate the substrate on which plants grow, for a long time.
We can also cite other meteorological phenomena such as floods, earthquakes, tornadoes or climate warming, which can lead to many plants by modification of their ecosystem. These meteorological phenomena arise many times due to a combination between natural and human processes.
Examples of the causes of the danger of extinction of plants
An example of these causes of extinction is the Plant trade It can be seen in the Chihuahua desert, Mexico. One of the areas of the world rich in biodiversity in Cactus, where about 1,500 species live. In recent years, this great richness of cactus is under threat of extinction due to its commercialization as an ornamental species or for other purposes.
The Introduction of animal species It also leads to plant extinctionan example of this occurs in the islands of Hawaii, where the introduction of herbivorous animals (natural plants predators) has led to an extinction of almost 10 % of the species of plants of the islands and endangered almost halfway.
An example of threat of meteorological phenomena It took place between 1999 and 2002 with a shrub that is only in a very small space in the Islands of Corsica and Sardinia, called Anchusa Crispa. Many copies of this bush have died due to the fragmentation of their habitats and the storms that have displaced huge amounts of sand on their specimens.
Examples of plants in danger of extinction in Spain
Many people wonder what are the species of plants that are in danger of extinction in Spain, since the mountains, the mountains and even the coasts are increasingly affected by our activity and by some natural disasters.
Thus, these are some cases of species of in danger of extinction in Spain:
- Sierra Nevada or Manzanilla Real chamomile (Artemisia Garratensis): Plant that grows at 2,000 meters high in Sierra Nevada. It is currently estimated that there are less than 2,000 copies left, so it is classified as threatened.
- Ifach’s rock silene (Silene hyifacensis): species with a very small population that lives in areas of Alicante and Ibiza.
- Sea pineapple (Preauxian attraction): Species of certain areas of the Canary Islands with a habitat very threatened by urban construction.
- Four -leaf clover (Marsilea Quadrifolia): Currently extinguished in Spain, it still survives in different areas of Europe. It is an aquatic plant that lived in calm and clean waters, was extinguished by the use of different agricultural products and eutrophization.
More names of plants in danger of extinction
Apart from the aforementioned that are at risk in the area of Spain, here we mentioned many More names of plants in danger of extinction and of families or genres that also run risk.
- Underground orchid of the West (Rhizanthella Gardneri)
- Venus catching (Dionea catch)
- Attenborough jug plant (Attenboroughii Nepenthes)
- Jade green flower (Strongylodon Macrobotrys)
- Flower corpse (Amorphophallus titanum)
- Baobab tree (Adansonia Digitata)
- Gran Canaria Drago Tree (Dracaena Draco)
- Choral tree (Erythrina)
- Zueco Orchid or Lady Shoe (Cypripedium calceolus)
- Bromeliaceae
- Moraceae
- Heliconiaceae
- ARCEAS ARAUCARICEAS
- Welwitschia Mirabilis
- Apocynaceae or Aristoloquiceas Asclepiadceas
- Anacardiceas apocincas
- Sonowdonia Hawkweed
- CYCAS
- LAUREACEAE
- Medusagynaceae
Next, we show images of some of these plants. In addition, to expand your knowledge about these living beings beyond the species that exist and are close to extinguishing, we recommend this other article on +20 extinct plants with photos.
If you want to read more articles similar to In danger of extinction and its causeswe recommend that you enter our biology category.
