Spatial distribution of species richness and endemism of the genus Acacia in Australia

A comprehensive analysis reveals that the genus Acacia exhibits significant species richness and endemism, with primary centers located in Western Australia's South-West Botanical Province, the Kimberley District, and Queensland's Wet Tropics. The study identified 21 distinct centers of endemism, six of which were previously unrecognized, underscoring the biodiversity hotspot status of these regions. While most endemic centers do not overlap with areas of high species richness, three grid cells in the top 1% for both measures highlight critical zones where both diversity and uniqueness converge. This research, based on a database of 171,758 geo-referenced herbarium records, employed neighborhood analysis to map spatial patterns, confirming Western Australia as a global hotspot for Acacia biodiversity.

González-Orozco, C. E., Laffan, S. W., & Miller, J. T. (2011). Spatial distribution of species richness and endemism of the genus Acacia in Australia. Australian Journal of Botany, 59(7), 601–609. https://doi.org/10.1071/bt11112