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An estimate of the number of tropical tree species.

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.

SUBMITTER: Slik JW

PROVIDER: S-EPMC4475970 | biostudies-literature | 2015 Jun

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

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An estimate of the number of tropical tree species.

Slik J W Ferry JW Arroyo-Rodríguez Víctor V Aiba Shin-Ichiro S Alvarez-Loayza Patricia P Alves Luciana F LF Ashton Peter P Balvanera Patricia P Bastian Meredith L ML Bellingham Peter J PJ van den Berg Eduardo E Bernacci Luis L da Conceição Bispo Polyanna P Blanc Lilian L Böhning-Gaese Katrin K Boeckx Pascal P Bongers Frans F Boyle Brad B Bradford Matt M Brearley Francis Q FQ Breuer-Ndoundou Hockemba Mireille M Bunyavejchewin Sarayudh S Calderado Leal Matos Darley D Castillo-Santiago Miguel M Catharino Eduardo L M EL Chai Shauna-Lee SL Chen Yukai Y Colwell Robert K RK Chazdon Robin L RL Clark Connie C Clark David B DB Clark Deborah A DA Culmsee Heike H Damas Kipiro K Dattaraja Handanakere S HS Dauby Gilles G Davidar Priya P DeWalt Saara J SJ Doucet Jean-Louis JL Duque Alvaro A Durigan Giselda G Eichhorn Karl A O KA Eisenlohr Pedro V PV Eler Eduardo E Ewango Corneille C Farwig Nina N Feeley Kenneth J KJ Ferreira Leandro L Field Richard R de Oliveira Filho Ary T AT Fletcher Christine C Forshed Olle O Franco Geraldo G Fredriksson Gabriella G Gillespie Thomas T Gillet Jean-François JF Amarnath Giriraj G Griffith Daniel M DM Grogan James J Gunatilleke Nimal N Harris David D Harrison Rhett R Hector Andy A Homeier Jürgen J Imai Nobuo N Itoh Akira A Jansen Patrick A PA Joly Carlos A CA de Jong Bernardus H J BH Kartawinata Kuswata K Kearsley Elizabeth E Kelly Daniel L DL Kenfack David D Kessler Michael M Kitayama Kanehiro K Kooyman Robert R Larney Eileen E Laumonier Yves Y Laurance Susan S Laurance William F WF Lawes Michael J MJ Amaral Ieda Leao do IL Letcher Susan G SG Lindsell Jeremy J Lu Xinghui X Mansor Asyraf A Marjokorpi Antti A Martin Emanuel H EH Meilby Henrik H Melo Felipe P L FP Metcalfe Daniel J DJ Medjibe Vincent P VP Metzger Jean Paul JP Millet Jerome J Mohandass D D Montero Juan C JC de Morisson Valeriano Márcio M Mugerwa Badru B Nagamasu Hidetoshi H Nilus Reuben R Ochoa-Gaona Susana S Onrizal Page Navendu N Parolin Pia P Parren Marc M Parthasarathy Narayanaswamy N Paudel Ekananda E Permana Andrea A Piedade Maria T F MT Pitman Nigel C A NC Poorter Lourens L Poulsen Axel D AD Poulsen John J Powers Jennifer J Prasad Rama C RC Puyravaud Jean-Philippe JP Razafimahaimodison Jean-Claude JC Reitsma Jan J Dos Santos João Roberto JR Roberto Spironello Wilson W Romero-Saltos Hugo H Rovero Francesco F Rozak Andes Hamuraby AH Ruokolainen Kalle K Rutishauser Ervan E Saiter Felipe F Saner Philippe P Santos Braulio A BA Santos Fernanda F Sarker Swapan K SK Satdichanh Manichanh M Schmitt Christine B CB Schöngart Jochen J Schulze Mark M Suganuma Marcio S MS Sheil Douglas D da Silva Pinheiro Eduardo E Sist Plinio P Stevart Tariq T Sukumar Raman R Sun I-Fang IF Sunderland Terry T Suresh H S HS Suzuki Eizi E Tabarelli Marcelo M Tang Jangwei J Targhetta Natália N Theilade Ida I Thomas Duncan W DW Tchouto Peguy P Hurtado Johanna J Valencia Renato R van Valkenburg Johan L C H JL Van Do Tran T Vasquez Rodolfo R Verbeeck Hans H Adekunle Victor V Vieira Simone A SA Webb Campbell O CO Whitfeld Timothy T Wich Serge A SA Williams John J Wittmann Florian F Wöll Hannsjoerg H Yang Xiaobo X Adou Yao C Yves CY Yap Sandra L SL Yoneda Tsuyoshi T Zahawi Rakan A RA Zakaria Rahmad R Zang Runguo R de Assis Rafael L RL Garcia Luize Bruno B Venticinque Eduardo M EM

Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America 20150601 24

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 e ...[more]

PMID: 26034279

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Project description:Drought and pests are primary abiotic and biotic factors proposed as selective filters acting on species distributions along rainfall gradients in tropical forests and may contribute importantly to species distributional limits, performance, and diversity gradients. Recent research demonstrates linkages between species distributions along rainfall gradients and physiological drought tolerance; corresponding experimental examinations of the contribution of pest pressure to distributional limits and potential interactions between drought and herbivory are limited. This study aims to quantitate differential performance and herbivory as a function of species range limits across a climatic and floristic transition in Southeast Asia. Khao Chong Botanical Garden, Thailand and Pasoh Forest Reserve, Malaysia straddle the Kangar-Pattani Line. A reciprocal transplantation across a seasonality gradient was established using two groups of species ("widespread" taxa whose distributions include seasonally dry forests and "aseasonal" taxa whose distributions are limited to aseasonal forests). Growth, biomass allocation, survival, and herbivory were monitored for 19 months. Systematic differences in performance were a function of species distribution in relation to rainfall seasonality. In aseasonal Pasoh, aseasonal species had both greater growth and survivorship than widespread species. These differences were not a function of differential herbivory as widespread and aseasonal species experienced similar damage in the aseasonal forest. In seasonally dry Khao Chong, widespread species showed higher survivorship than aseasonal species, but these differences were only apparent during drought. We link this differential performance to physiological mechanisms as well as differential tolerance of biotic pressure during drought stress. Systematic decreases in seedling survival in aseasonal taxa during drought corresponded with previously documented physiological differences and may be exacerbated by herbivore damage. These results have important implications for tropical diversity and community composition in light of predicted increases in the frequency and severity of drought in hyperdiverse tropical forests.

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An estimate of the number of tropical tree species.

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An estimate of the number of tropical tree species.

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