It is only since a relatively short time that the global importance of inselbergs for several aspects of biodiversity research has been recognized. In being scattered like islands throughout a matrix of, e. g., forest or savanna, inselbergs offer excellent research opportunities for addressing different topics of biodiversity research and conservation management. The complexity of most ecosystems is an important obstacle to their understanding. In contrast to this, the comparatively low structural richness of inselbergs makes quantitative and qualitative assessments of their inventory easier. However, despite their relatively limited structural richness they comprise a broad array of life-forms. Because of the particular growth conditions on inselbergs, both nonvascular and vascular plants are represented by specialized species adapted to drought stress, heat, and high irradiation. In this context, it is important to note that the harsh environmental conditions on outcrops have been the driving force in the evolution of poikilohydric vascular plants on inselbergs, whereas this ecophysiological trait plays at best a minor role in other ecosystems.🏁

It is only since a relatively short time that the global importance of inselbergs for several aspects of biodiversity research has been recognized. In being scattered like islands throughout a matrix of, e. g., forest or savanna, inselbergs offer excellent research opportunities for addressing different topics of biodiversity research and conservation management. The complexity of most ecosystems is an important obstacle to their understanding. In contrast to this, the comparatively low structural richness of inselbergs makes quantitative and qualitative assessments of their inventory easier. However, despite their relatively limited structural richness they comprise a broad array of life-forms. Because of the particular growth conditions on inselbergs, both nonvascular and vascular plants are represented by specialized species adapted to drought stress, heat, and high irradiation. In this context, it is important to note that the harsh environmental conditions on outcrops have been the driving force in the evolution of poikilohydric vascular plants on inselbergs, whereas this ecophysiological trait plays at best a minor role in other ecosystems.🏁