Among the extant non-flying terrestrial mammals of the Mediterranean islands, we can find very few of the endemic elements that characterised the late Quaternary faunas. Instead, the existing faunas are almost exclusively dominated by continental taxa, as a rule regionally specific, related to species on the nearest mainland, and whose presence on the islands appears to be essentially related to human intervention. The legacy of this global reorganisation of the original ecological equilibrium brought about by man since prehistoric times raises considerable problems of conservation and management. First of all, in the vast majority of cases, it is impossible to reconstruct the natural ecosystems of the past, which have been degraded for millennia. However, this leaves the question of how to treat the anthropochorous mammalian populations of certified ancient origin. Several of them, in fact, represent invaluable historic documents. Frequently, they may also constitute the last survivors of continental populations which themselves vanished long ago. Their protection and their study can provide an opportunity for testing a range of different evolutionary theories, while also allowing them to be considered as an authentic “cultural heritage".
Although the sizes of the geographical ranges of plant and animal species are of major interest to macroecologists, the spatial distributions and environmental correlates of only a small group of animals and plants are well studied. Here data on the spatial distributions of 116 European clearwing moths (Sesiidae) was used to determine the patterns in spatial distribution, postglacial colonization and endemism. The spatial distributions of sesiids are significantly more coherent and there are fewer isolated occurrences and unexpected absences than predicted by a random sample null model. After correcting for environmental correlates, islands and mainland countries did not differ significantly in the number of species with small ranges. Polyphagous wood attending species were more widespread than those with other life histories. Species of Siberian origin had wider ranges than those of Mediterranean origin. Nestedness and species co-occurrence analysis did not support a unidirectional postglacial colonization from a Southern European refuge but colonization from both Southern and Eastern Europe. and Werner Ulrich, Marek Bąkowski, Zdeněk Laštůvka.
This paper summarizes the present state of knowledge of the vascular plants endemic to the Krkonoše Mts. The species given in previous lists but excluded from the present one are also discussed together with the history of opinion of their status. Some endemics are of Holocene age, e.g. Sorbus sudetica is the result of a past hybridization while others originated from continuous differentiation of small populations over time. Some endemic species of other genera, for example, Hieracium, Taraxacum and Alchemilla appear to be older in origin, representing relict populations which occurred at low altitudes at least during the last glacial period. Their age is unknown, because it is unknown, when and how they evolved.