Like human beings, plants are living beings that carry out their vital processes on our planet: they are born, grow, reproduce and die. Like any living being, they have their right to inhabit our planet, Earth. In addition, plants play a very important role on Earth, without which, most likely, other living beings would not live, since they are essential to maintain natural balance. Among these functions is being a filter for pollution, controlling and moderating the earth's temperature, producing part of the oxygen we breathe, controlling biogeochemical cycles, being a very important part of the food chain or serving as a support and natural fertilizers for the soil. Plants are an important biological resource and of potential use for human societies, being able to extract wood from them for different uses, food or medicine.
However, current social development imposes activities that lead many plants to extinction. In this Green Ecologist article, we talk about what are the endangered plants and their causes.
Causes of the danger of extinction of plants and their extinctions
We can divide the causes of danger of extinction and extinction of plants in two types: human and natural.
Endangered plants: 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, land in use for crops, deforestation of large areas (linked to agriculture, livestock, mining, construction …) or intentional forest fires.
Another major problem that is affecting plant species is the illegal or legal commercialization of species, in many cases linked to collectors who introduce them from other areas or linked to ornamental purposes. Phenomenon that often leads to the introduction of invasive plant species, something that also happens with invasive animal species, which frequently cause the elimination of native flora and other plant species, being a great ecological threat to vegetation.
Natural causes
Among the natural threats, one of the most important is the appearance of pests, whether they are plant diseases or insects that have a large and rapid expansion throughout the territory and that can destroy large plant populations in a short time. This can sometimes lead to the extinction of a plant species.
Another important threat is natural (unintentional) fires, such as a lightning strike, which can devastate large territories together with the populations that inhabit it. An important factor of fires is that they also deteriorate the substrate on which the 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 the extinction of many plants by modifying their ecosystem. These meteorological phenomena arise many times by a combination of 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 Chihuahuan desert, Mexico. One of the richest areas in the world in cactus biodiversity, home to about 1,500 species. In recent years, this great wealth of cactus is under threat of extinction due to its commercialization as an ornamental species or for other purposes.
The introduction of animal species also leads to plant extinction, An example of this occurs in the islands of Hawaii, where the introduction of herbivorous animals (natural predators of plants) has led to an extinction of almost 10% of the plant species typical of the islands and endangered almost half.
An example of the threat of meteorological phenomena has taken place between 1999 and 2002 with a shrub that is only found in a very small space on the islands of Corsica and Sardinia, called Anchusa crispa. Many specimens of this shrub 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 which are the plant species that are in danger of extinction in Spain, since in fact the mountains, mountains and even the coasts are increasingly affected by our activity and by some natural disasters.
Thus, these are some cases of species of plants in danger of extinction in Spain:
- Sierra Nevada chamomile or royal chamomile (Artemisia granatensis): plant that grows 2,000 meters high in Sierra Nevada. Currently it is estimated that there are less than 2,000 specimens left, which is why it is classified as threatened.
- Silene del Peñón de Ifach (Silene hifacensis): species with a very small population that lives in areas of Alicante and Ibiza.
- Sea pineapple (Attraylis preauxiana): a species from certain areas of the Canary Islands with a habitat highly threatened by urban construction.
- Four Leaf Clover (Marsilea quadrifolia): currently extinct in Spain, it still survives in different areas of Europe. It is an aquatic plant that lived in calm and clean waters, it became extinct due to the use of different agricultural products and eutrophication.
More names of endangered plants
Apart from the aforementioned that are at risk in the area of Spain, here we mention many more names of endangered plants and from families or genders that are also at risk.
- Western Subterranean Orchid (Rhizanthella gardneri)
- Venus flytrap (Dionea flytrap)
- Attenborough pitcher plant (Nepenthes attenboroughii)
- Jade green flower (Strongylodon macrobotrys)
- Corpse flower (Amorphophallus titanum)
- Baobab tree (Adansonia digitata)
- Drago tree of Gran Canaria (Dracaena draco)
- Coral tree (Erythrina)
- Orchid clog or lady's shoe (Cypripedium calceolus)
- Bromeliaceae
- Moraceae
- Heliconiaceae
- Araucariceas Maple
- Welwitschia Mirabilis
- Apocynaceae or Aristolochyceas Asclepiadceas
- Anacardiceas Apocinceas
- Sonowdonia Hawkweed
- Cycas
- Lauraceae
- Medusagynaceae
Here are pictures of some of these plants. In addition, to expand your knowledge about these living beings beyond the species that exist and are close to extinction, we recommend this other article on +20 extinct plants with photos.
If you want to read more articles similar to +20 plants in danger of extinction and their causes, we recommend that you enter our Biology category.
