Question

Endemic plants are those which are
(a)Cosmopolitan in distribution
(b)Restricted to a certain area
(c)Found in the arctic region
(d)Gregarious inhabit

Answer 1

Hint: These plants are unique to a specific geographic region which makes them special and more vulnerable to extinction. They include wild mangos, Waxflower, Sal, Intermountain wavering, etc. Endemic plants are not naturally found everywhere.

Complete step-by-step answer:
The plants which are confined or restricted to a defined geographical location are known as Endemic plants. They can survive in a certain area and have adapted to certain environmental conditions. It makes them unique in nature and characteristics and to facilitate the growth of such plants, these environmental conditions must be maintained in any ecosystem.
Some of the factors affecting endemic plants are habitat loss and destruction, fragmentation due to draining and filling of inland wetlands, and pollution plays an important role in affecting these species.
Plants can become endemic in two common ways:
-Some plants grow in a particular region and get adopted to the local environment. They continue to live in these environments, and this type of endemism is known as autochthonous (native to the place where it originated).
- Some endemic plants originate in some other regions but lose their geographical regions and are known as allochthonous (or Relict, something that is left behind).
Below are a few more endemic plant found in or near the parks of Snake Range (home to Great Basin National Park) and to the Great Basin Region:
-Mt. Wheeler sandwort (Arenaria congesta var. wheelerensis) - critically rare and occurs only in the Snake Range. The threats to these plants are livestock grazing and recreational use of alpine areas.
-Holgrems buckwheat (eriogonum holmgrenii) - is a flowering plant, considered a sensitive species, and found only in the Snake Range. The threats to these plants are sheep grazing and recreational use of alpine areas.
- Nachlinger's catchfly (Silene nachlingerae) - is a flowering plant found in central Great Basin ranges. It has been found in the park around the Lincoln Peak and Mount Washington areas, and the threats to these plants are livestock grazing.
- Pennell's whitlow grass (Draba pennellii) - Its presence in the park is unconfirmed and usually found in cracks, on rocky slopes, and over a wide elevation range.

So, the correct answer is ‘Restricted to a certain area’.

Note: The importance of endemic species is that it helps to maintain a balance in the ecosystem. A balanced ecosystem filters the region and provides us with fresh air. Around 10 to 30 endemic animal species become extinct with an endemic plant species becoming extinct.