The plant endemism in the Maritime and Ligurian Alps

Abstract

The Maritime and Ligurian Alps have a flora characterised by a very high number of endemic species in relation to their small geographical extension. This area is considered one of the most important centres of diversification of the Alps and a Mediterranean hotspot of biodiversity. In the last years many studies were performed in order to describe the distribution and phylogeographical patterns of endemism. Despite these studies, Maritime and Ligurian Alps still lack in a broad view about the evolution of endemisms in this area. In this review, we examine the knowledge about the distribution patterns of endemic plant species living in the Maritime and Ligurian Alps in order to identify the evolutionary and biogeographical mechanisms operating on them.