An innovative study by UCL and international researchers has found that simply 2.2% of tree types account for half of the trees in tropical forests globally. This uniform pattern across varied areas like Africa, the Amazon, and Southeast Asia suggests a basic mechanism forming these ecosystems.Scientists have found that a little number of tree species control tropical forests worldwide, challenging previous concepts about the variety of these ecosystems.A significant worldwide cooperation of 356 scientists led by UCL researchers has actually discovered practically similar patterns of tree variety throughout the worlds tropical forests.The research study of over one million trees across 1,568 areas, published today (January 10) in Nature, discovered that simply 2.2% of tree species comprise 50% of the overall number of trees in tropical forests across Africa, the Amazon, and Southeast Asia. Each continent includes the very same proportion of a couple of common species and many unusual species.While tropical forests are well-known for their variety, this is the very first time that researchers have actually studied the commonest trees on the planets tropical forests.The researchers approximate that just 1,053 types represent half of the worlds 800 billion tropical forest trees. The other half is made up of 46,000 tree types. The number of uncommon species is extreme, with the rarest 39,500 species representing just 10% of trees.Lead author Dr. Declan Cooper (UCL Geography and UCL Centre for Biodiversity and Environment Research) stated: “Our findings have profound implications for comprehending tropical forests. We can most likely forecast how the entire forest will react to todays fast ecological changes if we focus on comprehending the commonest tree species. This is particularly essential due to the fact that tropical forests include a significant quantity of stored carbon, and are a worldwide important carbon sink.”He continued: “Identifying the prevalence of the most typical species gives researchers a brand-new method of taking a look at tropical forests. Tracking these typical species may provide a new way to define these forests and in the future perhaps assess a forests health more quickly.” The scientists discovered strikingly comparable patterns in the percentage of tree species that prevail, at near to 2.2%, in spite of the tropical forests of the Amazon, Africa and Southeast Asia each having a special history and differing contemporary environments.The Amazon includes a big region of connected forest, while Southeast Asia is an area of mainly detached islands. Individuals only got here in the Amazon around 20,000 years ago, however people have actually been residing in African and Southeast Asian forests for more than twice that length of time. In regards to the contemporary environment, African forests experience a drier and cooler environment than the other 2 tropical forest areas. Offered these striking distinctions, the near-identical patterns of tree variety suggest that a fundamental system may govern the assembly of tree communities throughout all the worlds tropical forests. The scientists are not yet able to state what that mechanism might be and it will focus future deal with identifying it.The quotes of typical types stem from statistical analyses, which does not provide the names of the common trees. To overcome this, the researchers used a strategy known as resampling to estimate which are the most likely names of the common types. Their list of 1,119 tree types names, the first list of typical types of the worlds tropical forests, will enable researchers to focus their efforts on understanding the ecology of these species, which in turn can give researchers a short-cut to understand the entire forest.See table listed below for a list of the most typical tropical tree species.Most typical tropical forest tree species: ContinentScientific nameLocal NamesAfricaGilbertiodendron dewevreiLimbali, otabo, agbabu, ekpagoi-ezeAfricaGreenwayodendron suaveolensAfrica Teak, atorewa, ẹ́wáé, nchua, eleku, agudugbuAfricaAnonidium manniiJunglesop, imido, asumpa, ọ̀ghẹ́dẹ́gbóAfricaPetersianthus macrocarpusStinkwood tree; soap tree abalé, tun-tue, pèh, ésiv, kpaAfricaSantiria trimeraadjouaba à racines aériennes, damzin, an-thanjka, kafe, poh, gólógóló.AfricaStrombosia pustulataitako, afina, poé, mba esogoAfricaTabernaemontana crassaAdams-apple flower, k-poŋgbo, opuko, patié patié, pete-peteAfricaStaudtia kamerunensisNiové, ichala, ọbara-okisi, íyìp ókōyò AfricaStrombosiopsis tetrandraBwika, MbazooAfricaDichostemma glaucescensMangamba, MongambaAmazoniaOenocarpus bacabaBacaba, Turu PalmAmazoniaEschweilera coriaceamatamatáAmazoniaIriartea deltoideabombona AmazoniaPentaclethra macrolobapracaxi AmazoniaEuterpe oleraceaaçaí palmAmazoniaAstrocaryum murumurumurumuruAmazoniaGeissospermum sericeumquina-quina branca, pao pereira AmazoniaEperua falcatabootlace tree, bi udu, wapaAmazoniaEuterpe precatoriamountain cabbage; açai, açaizeiro, açaí-do-amazonas, palmiche, wassaï, huasaí, manacaAmazoniaRinorea racemosabranquinhaSoutheast AsiaShorea multiflorayellow merantiSoutheast AsiaTristaniopsis merguensisHill TristaniaSoutheast AsiaCotylelobium melanoxylonResak hitam; Khiam khaao; Resak tempurong; Giam tembagaSoutheast AsiaDehaasia caesiaMagasil, MedangSoutheast AsiaStreblus ilicifoliusJungle Holly, MerlimauSoutheast AsiaShorea xanthophyllaseraya kuning barunSoutheast AsiaShorea parvifolialight red meranti, white lauanSoutheast AsiaElateriospermum taposPerah, Buah Perah, Pogoh Nut, TaposSoutheast AsiaIxonanthes reticulataPagar Anak, Ten Men Tree, Inggir Burong, Nyiran BurongSoutheast AsiaGluta obaRengas Senior author, Professor Simon Lewis (UCL Geography and University of Leeds) stated: “We desired to look at tropical forests in a brand-new way. Focusing on a couple of hundred typical tree types on each continent, instead of the many countless types that we understand almost nothing about, can open new methods to comprehend these valuable forests. This concentrate on the commonest species must not remove from the value of rare types. Rare species need unique attention to safeguard them, but fast and essential gains in knowledge will originate from a scientific concentrate on the commonest tree species.”The scientists put together forest inventory data from undamaged tropical forests that had not been affected by logging or fire. In each of 1,568 locations, groups recognized and recorded every tree with a trunk higher than 10 centimeters in size, in a spot of forest, normally one hectare, which is a square of forest measuring 100 meters on each side.Professor Lewis has actually been collecting and collecting this information for 20 years. The effort is a partnership of the biggest plot networks throughout the Amazon (Amazon Tree Diversity Network; RAINFOR), Africa (African Tropical Rainforest Observatory Network, AfriTRON; Central African Plot Network), and Southeast Asia (Slik Diversity Network; T-FORCES), united for the very first time for the published analysis. This collaboration throughout hundreds of scientists, field assistants, and local communities led to an overall of 1,003,805 trees tested, which included 8,493 tree types, throughout 2,048 hectares, comparable to almost eight square miles of forest. The teams inventoried 1,097 plots in the Amazon totaling 1,434 hectares, 368 plots in Africa amounting to 450 hectares, and 103 plots in Southeast Asia totaling 164 hectares.Reference: “Consistent patterns of common types throughout tropical tree neighborhoods” by Declan L. M. Cooper, Simon L. Lewis, Martin J. P. Sullivan, Paulo I. Prado, Hans ter Steege, Nicolas Barbier, Ferry Slik, Bonaventure Sonké, Corneille E. N. Ewango, Stephen Adu-Bredu, Kofi Affum-Baffoe, Daniel P. P. de Aguiar, Manuel Augusto Ahuite Reategui, Shin-Ichiro Aiba, Bianca Weiss Albuquerque, Francisca Dionízia de Almeida Matos, Alfonso Alonso, Christian A. Amani, Dário Dantas do Amaral, Iêda Leão do Amaral, Ana Andrade, Ires Paula de Andrade Miranda, Ilondea B. Angoboy, Alejandro Araujo-Murakami, Nicolás Castaño Arboleda, Luzmila Arroyo, Peter Ashton, Gerardo A. Aymard C, Cláudia Baider, Timothy R. Baker, Michael Philippe Bessike Balinga, Henrik Balslev, Lindsay F. Banin, Olaf S. Bánki, Chris Baraloto, Edelcilio Marques Barbosa, Flávia Rodrigues Barbosa, Jos Barlow, Jean-Francois Bastin, Hans Beeckman, Serge Begne, Natacha Nssi Bengone, Erika Berenguer, Nicholas Berry, Robert Bitariho, Pascal Boeckx, Jan Bogaert, Bernard Bonyoma, Patrick Boundja, Nils Bourland, Faustin Boyemba Bosela, Fabian Brambach, Roel Brienen, David F. R. P. Burslem, José Luís Camargo, Wegliane Campelo, Angela Cano, Sasha Cárdenas, Dairon Cárdenas López, Rainiellen de Sá Carpanedo, Yrma Andreina Carrero Márquez, Fernanda Antunes Carvalho, Luisa Fernanda Casas, Hernán Castellanos, Carolina V. Castilho, Carlos Cerón, Colin A. Chapman, Jerome Chave, Phourin Chhang, Wanlop Chutipong, George B. Chuyong, Bruno Barçante Ladvocat Cintra, Connie J. Clark, Fernanda Coelho de Souza, James A. Comiskey, David A. Coomes, Fernando Cornejo Valverde, Diego F. Correa, Flávia R. C. Costa, Janaina Barbosa Pedrosa Costa, Pierre Couteron, Heike Culmsee, Aida Cuni-Sanchez, Francisco Dallmeier, Gabriel Damasco, Gilles Dauby, Nállarett Dávila, Hilda Paulette Dávila Doza, Jose Don T. De Alban, Rafael L. de Assis, Charles De Canniere, Thales De Haulleville, Marcelo de Jesus Veiga Carim, Layon O. Demarchi, Kyle G. Dexter, Anthony Di Fiore, Hazimah Haji Mohammad Din, Mathias I. Disney, Brice Yannick Djiofack, Marie-Noël K. 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Jansen, Kathryn J. Jeffery, Eliana M. Jimenez, Tommaso Jucker, André Braga Junqueira, Michelle Kalamandeen, Narcisse G. Kamdem, Kuswata Kartawinata, Emmanuel Kasongo Yakusu, John M. Katembo, Elizabeth Kearsley, David Kenfack, Michael Kessler, Thiri Toe Khaing, Timothy J. Killeen, Kanehiro Kitayama, Bente Klitgaard, Nicolas Labrière, Yves Laumonier, Susan G. W. Laurance, William F. Laurance, Félix Laurent, Tinh Cong Le, Trai Trong Le, Miguel E. Leal, Evlyn Márcia Leão de Moraes Novo, Aurora Levesley, Moses B. Libalah, Juan Carlos Licona, Diógenes de Andrade Lima Filho, Jeremy A. Lindsell, Aline Lopes, Maria Aparecida Lopes, Jon C. Lovett, Richard Lowe, José Rafael Lozada, Xinghui Lu, Nestor K. Luambua, Bruno Garcia Luize, Paul Maas, José Leonardo Lima Magalhães, William E. Magnusson, Ni Putu Diana Mahayani, Jean-Remy Makana, Yadvinder Malhi, Lorena Maniguaje Rincón, Asyraf Mansor, Angelo Gilberto Manzatto, Beatriz S. Marimon, Ben Hur Marimon-Junior, Andrew R Marshall, Maria Pires Martins, Faustin M. Mbayu, Marcelo Brilhante de Medeiros, Italo Mesones, Faizah Metali, Vianet Mihindou, Jerome Millet, William Milliken, Hugo F. Mogollón, Jean-François Molino, Mohd. Nizam Mohd. Said, Abel Monteagudo Mendoza, Juan Carlos Montero, Sam Moore, Bonifacio Mostacedo, Linder Felipe Mozombite Pinto, Sharif Ahmed Mukul, Pantaleo K. T. Munishi, Hidetoshi Nagamasu, Henrique Eduardo Mendonça Nascimento, Marcelo Trindade Nascimento, David Neill, Reuben Nilus, Janaína Costa Noronha, Laurent Nsenga, Percy Núñez Vargas, Lucas Ojo, Alexandre A. Oliveira, Edmar Almeida de Oliveira, Fidèle Evouna Ondo, Walter Palacios Cuenca, Susamar Pansini, Marcelo Petratti Pansonato, Marcos Ríos Paredes, Ekananda Paudel, Daniela Pauletto, Richard G. Pearson, José Luis Marcelo Pena, R. Toby Pennington, Carlos A. Peres, Andrea Permana, Pascal Petronelli, Maria Cristina Peñuela Mora, Juan Fernando Phillips, Oliver L. 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Spracklen, Suzanne M. Stas, Robert Steinmetz, Pablo R. Stevenson, Juliana Stropp, Rahayu S. Sukri, Terry C. H. Sunderland, Eizi Suzuki, Michael D. Swaine, Jianwei Tang, James Taplin, David M. Taylor, J. Sebastián Tello, John Terborgh, Nicolas Texier, Ida Theilade, Duncan W. Thomas, Raquel Thomas, Sean C. Thomas, Milton Tirado, Benjamin Toirambe, José Julio de Toledo, Kyle W. Tomlinson, Armando Torres-Lezama, Hieu Dang Tran, John Tshibamba Mukendi, Roven D. Tumaneng, Maria Natalia Umaña, Peter M. Umunay, Ligia Estela Urrego Giraldo, Elvis H. Valderrama Sandoval, Luis Valenzuela Gamarra, Tinde R. Van Andel, Martin van de Bult, Jaqueline van de Pol, Geertje van der Heijden, Rodolfo Vasquez, César I. A. Vela, Eduardo Martins Venticinque, Hans Verbeeck, Rizza Karen A. Veridiano, Alberto Vicentini, Ima Célia Guimarães Vieira, Emilio Vilanova Torre, Daniel Villarroel, Boris Eduardo Villa Zegarra, Jason Vleminckx, Patricio von Hildebrand, Vincent Antoine Vos, Corine Vriesendorp, Edward L. Webb, Lee J. T. White, Serge Wich, Florian Wittmann, Roderick Zagt, Runguo Zang, Charles Eugene Zartman, Lise Zemagho, Egleé L. Zent and Stanford Zent, 10 January 2024, Nature.DOI: 10.1038/ s41586-023-06820-zThis research study was supported by the Natural Environmental Research Council.
A cutting-edge study by UCL and global scientists has discovered that just 2.2% of tree species account for half of the trees in tropical forests globally. This uniform pattern throughout varied areas like Africa, the Amazon, and Southeast Asia recommends an essential system shaping these ecosystems.Scientists have discovered that a little number of tree types control tropical forests worldwide, challenging previous notions about the diversity of these ecosystems.A major global cooperation of 356 scientists led by UCL scientists has discovered practically similar patterns of tree diversity across the worlds tropical forests.The study of over one million trees across 1,568 areas, released today (January 10) in Nature, discovered that simply 2.2% of tree species make up 50% of the total number of trees in tropical forests throughout Africa, the Amazon, and Southeast Asia. Each continent consists of the exact same percentage of a couple of typical types and numerous uncommon species.While tropical forests are popular for their variety, this is the first time that scientists have actually studied the commonest trees in the worlds tropical forests.The researchers estimate that simply 1,053 species account for half of the worlds 800 billion tropical forest trees. Provided these striking differences, the near-identical patterns of tree diversity recommend that a fundamental system might govern the assembly of tree neighborhoods across all the worlds tropical forests.
