How did habitat loss and climate change create paleoendemic species?

Paleoendemic species, often referred to as relict species, are ancient organisms that were once widespread across larger geographic areas but are now restricted to a much smaller, isolated range.1

The transition from a broad distribution to a localized one occurs when environmental pressures force a species into a shrinking habitat. Habitat loss and climatic changes are primary drivers of this process. As the environment shifts—due to factors such as temperature fluctuations, geological changes, or the introduction of new predators—the species may be unable to adapt or migrate, leading to the extinction of populations in most of their former range.12

Consequently, the surviving members persist only in small, specialized refugia where conditions remain suitable for their survival. Because these species are often the last remaining representatives of their genera or higher taxonomic ranks, their restricted distribution is a direct result of their inability to survive the large-scale environmental changes that eliminated their ancestors from the rest of the world.13