Abstract
Amazonia is the most biodiverse rainforest on Earth, and the debate over how many tree species grow there remains contentious. Here we provide a checklist of all tree species collected to date, and describe spatial and temporal trends in data accumulation. We report 530,025 unique collections of trees in Amazonia, dating between 1707 and 2015, for a total of 11,676 species in 1225 genera and 140 families. These figures support recent estimates of 16,000 total Amazonian tree species based on ecological plot data from the Amazonian Tree Diversity Network. Botanical collection in Amazonia is characterized by three major peaks, centred around 1840, 1920, and 1980, which are associated with flora projects and the establishment of inventory plots. Most collections were made in the 20th century. The number of collections has increased exponentially, but shows a slowdown in the last two decades. We find that a species’ range size is a better predictor of the number of times it has been collected than the species’ estimated basin-wide population size. Finding, describing, and documenting the distribution of the remaining species will require coordinated efforts at under-collected sites.
Highlights
To provide a stronger empirical foundation for this debate, here we provide a preliminary checklist of all valid tree species collected to date in Amazonia
Does a species’ frequency in these datasets reflect its abundance and range size, the date it was first discovered in Amazonia, the spatial pattern of Amazonian exploration, or some combination of those factors? Answering these questions will allow us to discuss the dynamic behind the discovery of new species and the best approach to complete the inventory of the Amazonian tree flora
530,025 unique collections of trees made in Amazonia over the last three centuries, from 1707 to 2015, as well as 489 valid species names known to occur in Amazonia but lacking occurrence record data
Summary
To provide a stronger empirical foundation for this debate, here we provide a preliminary checklist of all valid tree species collected to date in Amazonia. We analyse the list to explore why some Amazonian tree species are more frequent in herbaria and other floristic datasets than others. Does a species’ frequency in these datasets reflect its abundance and range size, the date it was first discovered in Amazonia, the spatial pattern of Amazonian exploration, or some combination of those factors? Answering these questions will allow us to discuss the dynamic behind the discovery of new species and the best approach to complete the inventory of the Amazonian tree flora Does a species’ frequency in these datasets reflect its abundance and range size, the date it was first discovered in Amazonia, the spatial pattern of Amazonian exploration, or some combination of those factors? Answering these questions will allow us to discuss the dynamic behind the discovery of new species and the best approach to complete the inventory of the Amazonian tree flora
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