The number of tree species on Earth

0557034 - ÚVGZ 2023 RIV US eng J - Journal Article
Gatti, R. - Reich, P. - Gamarra, J. - Crowther, T. - Hui, C. - Morera, A. - Bastin, J. - de-Miguel, S. - Nabuurs, G. - Svenning, J. - Serra-Diaz, J. - Merow, C. - Enquist, B. - Kamenetsky, M. - Lee, J. - Zhu, J. - Fang, J. - Jacobs, D. - Pijanowski, B. - Banerjee, A. - Giaquinto, R. - Alberti, G. - Almeyda Zambrano, A. M. - Alvarez-Davila, E. - Araujo-Murakami, A. - Avitabile, V. - Aymard, G. - Balazy, R. - Baraloto, C. - Barroso, J. - Cienciala, Emil - Doležal, Jiří … Total 148 authors
The number of tree species on Earth.
Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America. Roč. 119, č. 6 (2022), č. článku e2115329119. ISSN 0027-8424. E-ISSN 1091-6490
R&D Projects: GA ČR(CZ) GA19-14620S; GA ČR(CZ) GA17-07378S; GA ČR(CZ) GA17-19376S
Research Infrastructure: CzeCOS III - 90123
Institutional support: RVO:86652079 ; RVO:67985939
Keywords : biodiversity * richness * diversity * sample * patterns * heterogeneity * completeness * abundance * coverage * ecology * biodiversity * forests * hyperdominance * rarity * richness
OECD category: Plant sciences, botany; Ecology (BU-J)
Impact factor: 11.1, year: 2022
Method of publishing: Open access
https://www.pnas.org/doi/full/10.1073/pnas.2115329119

One of the most fundamental questions in ecology is how many species inhabit the Earth. However, due to massive logistical and financial challenges and taxonomic difficulties connected to the species concept definition, the global numbers of species, including those of important and well-studied life forms such as trees, still remain largely unknown. Here, based on global groundsourced data, we estimate the total tree species richness at global, continental, and biome levels. Our results indicate that there are similar to 73,000 tree species globally, among which similar to 9,000 tree species are yet to be discovered. Roughly 40% of undiscovered tree species are in South America. Moreover, almost one-third of all tree species to be discovered may be rare, with very low populations and limited spatial distribution (likely in remote tropical lowlands and mountains). These findings highlight the vulnerability of global forest biodiversity to anthropogenic changes in land use and climate, which disproportionately threaten rare species and thus, global tree richness.
Permanent Link: http://hdl.handle.net/11104/0331146