Endemism and species richness in mountains

Mountains are known for their high degree of endemism and for acting as storehouse of global biodiversity. However, although endemism and species richness are highly relevant to the global prioritization of conservation efforts in mountains, our global understanding of the processes driving observed patterns remains relatively limited.  In contrast, endemisms and species richness has been studied quite thoroughly in islands, resulting in a rich literature on patterns, processes, models, and theories.

With experts in both island- and mountain biogeography, ecology, and biodiversity, in paleoecology, and in spatial modeling, this working group aims at exploring the parallels between islands and mountains and at improving our understanding of the geographic, ecological, and evolutionary processes responsible for the endemisms and species richness observed in mountains.