Scientists have issued a stark warning about the future of flowering plants, highlighting a hidden crisis that threatens our planet's biodiversity. In a recent study, researchers have used a novel approach called EDGE scores to assess the extinction stakes for angiosperms, or flowering plants. This method, established in 2007, combines a species' evolutionary distinctiveness with its risk of extinction, resulting in a score that helps identify species for conservation efforts.
The findings are alarming: 21.2 percent of angiosperm evolutionary history is at risk of extinction. Out of 335,497 known flowering plant species, 9,945 qualified as EDGE species, meaning they are both evolutionarily unique and globally endangered. This includes familiar faces like the vanilla orchid and the notorious corpse flower, as well as lesser-known species such as the jellyfish tree and Hondurodendron urceolatum, a tree that is the sole living member of its genus.
The implications of this discovery are profound. As Kew botanist Matilda Brown explains, losing these species means potentially losing the next breakthrough cancer drug or antibiotic, with no second chance. This highlights the importance of plant conservation programs in allocating resources to protect these irreplaceable species and the ecosystems they support.
The study's lead author, Félix Forest, emphasizes the urgency of the situation, stating that these EDGE scores provide vital information to highlight overlooked species whose conservation will benefit both people and the future of all life on Earth. Rikki Gumbs, a biologist from the Zoological Society in London, agrees, noting that flowers and forests are not just a backdrop but essential building blocks of life, providing us with air to breathe and food to eat.
The authors conclude that with more than two in five plants estimated to be at risk of extinction, and 75 percent of those that remain to be discovered predicted to be threatened, it is time to catalyze a new generation of conservation monitoring and action for the many distinct, overlooked, and threatened plant species on Earth.
This warning serves as a call to action for global conservation efforts, as we strive to protect the rich and diverse ecosystems that have taken billions of years to develop.
