Native, Endemic, or Introduced? (3 minute read)
Getting our heads around conservation terms
Good afternoonâ
Recently I was asked what the difference is between native and endemic species, and thought itâd be a good idea to define these words for all of us. We have complex ecosystems and understanding a speciesâ role - and value - is helped by understanding how it came to be here.
This is especially important here in Aotearoa New Zealand as we have a high number of species that are only found here. And, because many of these species evolved without mammalian predators (like rats, possums, and stoats) they are particularly affected by some of the animals (and plants) humans have introduced over the years.
Native Species
These are species that occur in New Zealand naturally, meaning without human intervention: they could have flown, blown, or floated their way here, and a small number of species might have been present when the land mass separated from Gondwana.1
Native species might also be called indigenous, and they can be native to more than one geographical region, like the kahukĹwhai (yellow admiral butterfly) which is also found in Australia.2
Like everything in nature, it can be a blurry line. The kahuku (monarch butterfly) is sometimes considered an âassisted nativeâ3 because it arrived here naturally (flown/blown over from Australia) but is only able to reproduce here because humans planted the milkweed species (e.g. swan plants) for them to breed on.
Black swans are another interesting species, as they do occur here naturally but were also imported as a game bird in the 1860s. Despite being a native species, they are still a legal game bird in most parts of the country.4
Endemic Species
This can be seen as a subset of native species, as it refers to plants & animals that occur in New Zealand naturally and are found nowhere else in the world.
Here in Aotearoa âaround 40 percent of plants, 90 percent of fungi, 70 percent of animals and 80 percent of freshwater fishâ5 are endemic. This makes conservation efforts especially important here - if any of these endemic species die out in New Zealand, they cannot be replaced.
Introduced
This covers everything that was introduced into the country through human actions, whether accidental (like ship rats hitching a ride) or intentional (like importing ornamental plants for gardeners). They might also be called exotic or alien.
Introduced species arenât automatically a bad thing. We are currently enjoying a harvest of apples from introduced apple trees, which get pollinated by a variety of animals including the introduced buff-tailed bumblebee.
However, some of these introduced fauna & flora become invasive, and âpose a significant threat to indigenous biodiversityâ6
If you look back through my newsletters, youâll see that my photographs are captioned with the common and scientific names, as well as whether itâs a native or endemic species.
Happy autumn,
Zenobiađ
If youâd like to support my work & receive member-only posts & specials, join with a monthly or annual subscription.
If you would like to support The Dwindle River Garden with a small one-off donation, tap the button below.