The new global estimate of trees suggests an estimated 73,300 species of trees on Earth, wherein 9,200 of them are yet to be discovered. Researchers used the second world war codebreaking techniques called the Good-Turing Frequency Estimation that Alan Turing developed at Bletchley Park to identify many undiscovered tree species.
All in all, they collected data on around 38 million trees and found that there are about 14% more tree species on Earth than previously reported and that one-third of the discovered types are rare species or vulnerable to extinction due to human activities and climate crises.
A Celebration of Life
Earth is home to billions of trees, and scientists recently found that thousands of tree species are yet to be discovered, particularly in South America. New Scientist reported that the increase comes from an estimated 9,200 extra undiscovered species composed of rare types.
Peter Reich and colleagues from the University of Minnesota said that the discovery of new tree species is a celebration of life and raises warning that there are many things that humans may not know about them. Study co-author Jingjing Liang from Purdue University said that the estimates provide a yardstick to know if these tree species are lost in the future.
Researchers said that South America hosts the highest number of rare species, especially in the Amazon forest, where biodiversity is vast, and field surveys of the area showed an abundance of different species. However, the ongoing deforestation rates drastically rose last year is threatening many species.
The continent is also home to the less common trees, which are at greater risk of being wiped out via natural disasters, human activities, and climate change. Study co-author Thomas Crowther at ETH Zurich in Switzerland said that rare species are especially vulnerable, and losing them will have a ripple effect on ecosystems.
Liang, the lead author of the study, said that it is a massive effort for the whole world to document forests because counting them is like solving a puzzle using pieces spread worldwide.
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Hotspots of Known and Unknown Rare Species
Professor Reich told BBC News that the findings highlighted the vulnerability of global forest diversity, and the data will help experts assess where it is most threatened. Knowing about the hotspots of known and unknown rare species will hopefully help prioritize future conservation efforts.
They found that this is in the tropics and subtropics of South America, which accounts for 43%, Eurasia with 22%, Africa with 16%, North America with 15%, and Oceania with 11%. Researchers said that the diverse natural forests are the most healthy and productive, which is critical in the global economy of nature.
Most tropical countries experience deforestation due to agricultural practices, climate crises, or fires. Over 140 international researchers who worked on this study said that tropical forests are the global treasure chests of biodiversity and absorb carbon dioxide emissions to slow down global warming.
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