Slik, F. & et, a. (2015): <b>An estimate of the number of tropical tree species</b>. <i>PNAS</i> <b>112</b>(24), 7472-7477.
Resource Description
Title:
An estimate of the number of tropical tree species
FOR816dw ID:
1490
Publication Date:
2015-04-10
License and Usage Rights:
PAK 823-825 data user agreement. (www.tropicalmountainforest.org/dataagreementp3.do)
Resource Owner(s):
Individual:
Ferry Slik
Contact:
email:
webmaster <at> tropicalmountainforest.org
Individual:
al et
Contact:
email:
webmaster <at> tropicalmountainforest.org
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<br/>
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 minimumof ?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:
| tree species richness | tree species |
Literature type specific fields:
ARTICLE
Journal:
PNAS
Volume:
112
Issue:
24
Page Range:
7472-7477
Metadata Provider:
Individual:
Jürgen Homeier
Contact:
email:
jhomeie <at> gwdg.de
Faculty of Resource Management
University of Applied Sciences and Arts (HAWK)
37077 Göttingen
Germany
