Due to Taiwan's unique geographical position and diverse alpine terrain, as well as the numerous avenues for the immigration of new species-including transport by ocean currents, settlement by migratory birds, the mass migration of species during the ice age when Taiwan and the Chinese mainland were connected-the high level of biodiversity on the island greatly exceeds that of any other place on Earth.
由於台灣特殊的地理位置、高拔複雜的地形，加上多方的物種來源，包括洋流擴散、候鳥遷移、冰河時期台灣與中國大陸相連時的大批物種遷移，小小島嶼上，生物歧異度之高，遠超越地球其他地方，而玉山正是其中代表。