VIEWPOINT How global biodiversity hotspots may go unrecognized: lessons from the North

摘要: Biodiversity hotspots are conservation priorities. We identify the North American Coastal Plain (NACP) as a global hotspot based on classic definition, region with > 1500 endemic plant species and 70% habitat loss. This has been bypassed in prior designations due to misconceptions myths about its ecology history. These fallacies include: (1) young age of NACP, climatic instability over time submergence during high sea-level stands; (2) environmental homogeneity; (3) closed forest climax vegetation; (4) fire regimes that mostly anthropogenic. show NACP is older more climatically stable than usually assumed, spatially heterogeneous extremely rich endemics for range latitude, especially within pine savannas other herbaceous firedependent communities. suspect systematic biases misconceptions, addition missing information, obscure existence similarly biologically significant regions world-wide. Potential solutions this problem include increased field biological surveys taxonomic determinations, grassy biomes low soil fertility, which tend have much overlooked biodiversity; research refugium role hotspots, given endemism often coincide velocity climate change; low-lying coastal regions, consideration heterogeneity land area generated by historically fluctuating sea levels, likely enhanced opportunities evolution species; immediate actions establish new protected areas implement science-based management restore evolutionary conditions newly recognized hotspots.