One fifth of flowering plant history faces extinction
Biologists have identified nearly 10,000 species that are both globally endangered and represent unique, isolated branches of the evolutionary tree.
Flowering plants are more than just a backdrop for wildlife. They represent a complex lineage of life that has developed over billions of years. Using a metric called the EDGE score, which combines evolutionary distinctiveness with extinction risk, researchers have determined that 21.2 percent of the evolutionary history of these plants is currently at risk of disappearing.
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