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An estimate of the number of tropical tree species

Slik, J. D. Ferry, Arroyo-Rodriguez, Victor, Aiba, Shin-Ichiro, Alvarez-Loayza, Patricia, Alves, Luciana F., Ashton, Peter, Balvanera, Patricia, Bastian, Meredith L., Bellingham, Peter J., van den Bergi, Eduardo, Bernacci, Luis, da Conceicao Bispo, Polyana, Blanc, Lilian, Bohning-Gaese, Katrin, Boeckx, Pascal, Bongers, Frans, Boyle, Brad, Bradford, Matt, Brearley, Francis O., Lawes, Michael and et al. (2015). An estimate of the number of tropical tree species. National Academy of Sciences, Proceedings,112(24):7472-7477.

Document type: Journal Article
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IRMA ID 75039815xPUB941
Title An estimate of the number of tropical tree species
Author Slik, J. D. Ferry
Arroyo-Rodriguez, Victor
Aiba, Shin-Ichiro
Alvarez-Loayza, Patricia
Alves, Luciana F.
Ashton, Peter
Balvanera, Patricia
Bastian, Meredith L.
Bellingham, Peter J.
van den Bergi, Eduardo
Bernacci, Luis
da Conceicao Bispo, Polyana
Blanc, Lilian
Bohning-Gaese, Katrin
Boeckx, Pascal
Bongers, Frans
Boyle, Brad
Bradford, Matt
Brearley, Francis O.
Lawes, Michael
et al.
Journal Name National Academy of Sciences, Proceedings
Publication Date 2015
Volume Number 112
Issue Number 24
ISSN 0027-8424   (check CDU catalogue  open catalogue search in new window)
Scopus ID 2-s2.0-84935873599
Start Page 7472
End Page 7477
Total Pages 6
Place of Publication United States
Publisher National Academy of Sciences
Field of Research 070504 - Forestry Management and Environment
HERDC Category C1 - Journal Article (DIISR)
Abstract The high species richness of tropical forests has long been recognized, yet there remains substantial uncertainty regarding the actual number of tropical tree species. Using a pantropical tree inventory database from closed canopy forests, consisting of 657,630 trees belonging to 11,371 species, we use a fitted value of Fisher’s alpha and an approximate pantropical stem total to estimate the minimum number of tropical forest tree species to fall between ∼40,000 and ∼53,000, i.e., at the high end of previous estimates. Contrary to common assumption, the Indo-Pacific region was found to be as species-rich as the Neotropics, with both regions having a minimum of ∼19,000–25,000 tree species. Continental Africa is relatively depauperate with a minimum of ∼4,500–6,000 tree species. Very few species are shared among the African, American, and the Indo-Pacific regions. We provide a methodological framework for estimating species richness in trees that may help refine species richness estimates of tree-dependent taxa.
Keywords diversity estimation
Fisher’s log series
pantropical
spatial richness patterns
tropical tree species richness
DOI http://dx.doi.org/10.1073/pnas.1423147112   (check subscription with CDU E-Gateway service for CDU Staff and Students  check subscription with CDU E-Gateway in new window)
 
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