Howard, Jeanette K. “Patterns of Freshwater Species Richness, Endemism, and Vulnerability in California.” PLOS ONE:. N.p., 6 July 2015. Web. 18 July 2015.

 

The ranges of species that depend on freshwater habitats for part of their life are declining worldwide. 3,906 vascular plants, macro invertebrates, and vertebrates that are all native to California depend on freshwater. Nearly half of all taxa with conservation status are vulnerable to extinction but only 6% of those vulnerable taxa have a legal mandate for protection of the endangered species list. Endemic taxa are at greater risk than non-endemics with 90% of the 927 endemic taxa vulnerable to extinction.

 

This is all relevant to endangered species and environmental science. Since 3,906 species are endangered then it should be an alarm to the government about many endangered species. Also, no particular taxonomic group represents every species. Although, hotspots of high richness for listed species cover 40% of the hotspots for all other species and 58% of the hotspots for vulnerable freshwater species. By mapping freshwater species hotspots we show locations that represents the top priority for conservation action in the state.