Consistent patterns of common species across tropical tree communities
Authors: Cooper Declan L. M. , Lewis Simon L. , Sullivan Martin J. P. , Prado Paulo I. , ter Steege Hans , Barbier Nicolas , Slik Ferry , Sonké Bonaventure , Ewango Corneille E. N. , Adu-Bredu Stephen , Affum-Baffoe Kofi , de Aguiar Daniel P. P. , Ahuite Reategui Manuel Augusto , Aiba Shin-Ichiro , Albuquerque Bianca Weiss , de Almeida Matos Francisca Dionízia , Alonso Alfonso , Amani Christian A. , do Amaral Dário Dantas , do Amaral Iêda Leão , Andrade Ana , de Andrade Miranda Ires Paula , Angoboy Ilondea B. , Araujo-Murakami Alejandro , Arboleda Nicolás Castaño , Arroyo Luzmila , Ashton Peter , Aymard C Gerardo A. , Baider Cláudia , Baker Timothy R. , Balinga Michael Philippe Bessike , Balslev Henrik , Banin Lindsay F. , Bánki Olaf S. , Baraloto Chris , Barbosa Edelcilio Marques , Barbosa Flávia Rodrigues , Barlow Jos , Bastin Jean-Francois , Beeckman Hans , Begne Serge , Bengone Natacha Nssi , Berenguer Erika , Berry Nicholas , Bitariho Robert , Boeckx Pascal , Bogaert Jan , Bonyoma Bernard , Boundja Patrick , Bourland Nils , Boyemba Bosela Faustin , Brambach Fabian , Brienen Roel , Burslem David F. R. P. , Camargo José Luís , Campelo Wegliane , Cano Angela , Cárdenas Sasha , Cárdenas López Dairon , de Sá Carpanedo Rainiellen , Carrero Márquez Yrma Andreina , Carvalho Fernanda Antunes , Casas Luisa Fernanda , Castellanos Hernán , Castilho Carolina V. , Cerón Carlos , Chapman Colin A. , Chave Jerome , Chhang Phourin , Chutipong Wanlop , Chuyong George B. , Cintra Bruno Barçante Ladvocat , Clark Connie J. , Coelho de Souza Fernanda , Comiskey James A. , Coomes David A. , Cornejo Valverde Fernando , Correa Diego F. , Costa Flávia R. C. , Costa Janaina Barbosa Pedrosa , Couteron Pierre , Culmsee Heike , Cuni-Sanchez Aida , Dallmeier Francisco , Damasco Gabriel , Dauby Gilles , Dávila Nállarett , Dávila Doza Hilda Paulette , De Alban Jose Don T. , de Assis Rafael L. , De Canniere Charles , De Haulleville Thales , de Jesus Veiga Carim Marcelo , Demarchi Layon O. , Dexter Kyle G. , Di Fiore Anthony , Din Hazimah Haji Mohammad , Disney Mathias I. , Djiofack Brice Yannick , Djuikouo Marie-Noël K. , Do Tran Van , Doucet Jean-Louis , Draper Freddie C. , Droissart Vincent , Duivenvoorden Joost F. , Engel Julien , Estienne Vittoria , Farfan-Rios William , Fauset Sophie , Feeley Kenneth J. , Feitosa Yuri Oliveira , Feldpausch Ted R. , Ferreira Cid , Ferreira Joice , Ferreira Leandro Valle , Fletcher Christine D. , Flores Bernardo Monteiro , Fofanah Alusine , Foli Ernest G. , Fonty Émile , Fredriksson Gabriella M. , Fuentes Alfredo , Galbraith David , Gallardo Gonzales George Pepe , Garcia-Cabrera Karina , García-Villacorta Roosevelt , Gomes Vitor H. F. , Gómez Ricardo Zárate , Gonzales Therany , Gribel Rogerio , Guedes Marcelino Carneiro , Guevara Juan Ernesto , Hakeem Khalid Rehman , Hall Jefferson S. , Hamer Keith C. , Hamilton Alan C. , Harris David J. , Harrison Rhett D. , Hart Terese B. , Hector Andy , Henkel Terry W. , Herbohn John , Hockemba Mireille B. N. , Hoffman Bruce , Holmgren Milena , Honorio Coronado Euridice N. , Huamantupa-Chuquimaco Isau , Hubau Wannes , Imai Nobuo , Irume Mariana Victória , Jansen Patrick A. , Jeffery Kathryn J. , Jimenez Eliana M. , Jucker Tommaso , Junqueira André Braga , Kalamandeen Michelle , Kamdem Narcisse G. , Kartawinata Kuswata , Kasongo Yakusu Emmanuel , Katembo John M. , Kearsley Elizabeth , Kenfack David , Kessler Michael , Khaing Thiri Toe , Killeen Timothy J. , Kitayama Kanehiro , Klitgaard Bente , Labrière Nicolas , Laumonier Yves , Laurance Susan G. W. , Laurance William F. , Laurent Félix , Le Tinh Cong , Le Trai Trong , Leal Miguel E. , Leão de Moraes Novo Evlyn Márcia , Levesley Aurora , Libalah Moses B. , Licona Juan Carlos , Lima Filho Diógenes de Andrade , Lindsell Jeremy A. , Lopes Aline , Lopes Maria Aparecida , Lovett Jon C. , Lowe Richard , Lozada José Rafael , Lu Xinghui , Luambua Nestor K. , Luize Bruno Garcia , Maas Paul , Magalhães José Leonardo Lima , Magnusson William E. , Mahayani Ni Putu Diana , Makana Jean-Remy , Malhi Yadvinder , Maniguaje Rincón Lorena , Mansor Asyraf , Manzatto Angelo Gilberto , Marimon Beatriz S. , Marimon-Junior Ben Hur , Marshall Andrew R , Martins Maria Pires , Mbayu Faustin M. , de Medeiros Marcelo Brilhante , Mesones Italo , Metali Faizah , Mihindou Vianet , Millet Jerome , Milliken William , Mogollón Hugo F. , Molino Jean-François , Mohd. Said Mohd. Nizam , Monteagudo Mendoza Abel , Montero Juan Carlos , Moore Sam , Mostacedo Bonifacio , Mozombite Pinto Linder Felipe , Mukul Sharif Ahmed , Munishi Pantaleo K. T. , Nagamasu Hidetoshi , Nascimento Henrique Eduardo Mendonça , Nascimento Marcelo Trindade , Neill David , Nilus Reuben , Noronha Janaína Costa , Nsenga Laurent , Núñez Vargas Percy , Ojo Lucas , Oliveira Alexandre A. , de Oliveira Edmar Almeida , Ondo Fidèle Evouna , Palacios Cuenca Walter , Pansini Susamar , Pansonato Marcelo Petratti , Paredes Marcos Ríos , Paudel Ekananda , Pauletto Daniela , Pearson Richard G. , Pena José Luis Marcelo , Pennington R. Toby , Peres Carlos A. , Permana Andrea , Petronelli Pascal , Peñuela Mora Maria Cristina , Phillips Juan Fernando , Phillips Oliver L. , Pickavance Georgia , Piedade Maria Teresa Fernandez , Pitman Nigel C. A. , Ploton Pierre , Popelier Andreas , Poulsen John R. , Prieto Adriana , Primack Richard B. , Priyadi Hari , Qie Lan , Quaresma Adriano Costa , de Queiroz Helder Lima , Ramirez-Angulo Hirma , Ramos José Ferreira , Reis Neidiane Farias Costa , Reitsma Jan , Revilla Juan David Cardenas , Riutta Terhi , Rivas-Torres Gonzalo , Robiansyah Iyan , Rocha Maira , Rodrigues Domingos de Jesus , Rodriguez-Ronderos M. Elizabeth , Rovero Francesco , Rozak Andes H. , Rudas Agustín , Rutishauser Ervan , Sabatier Daniel , Sagang Le Bienfaiteur , Sampaio Adeilza Felipe , Samsoedin Ismayadi , Satdichanh Manichanh , Schietti Juliana , Schöngart Jochen , Scudeller Veridiana Vizoni , Seuaturien Naret , Sheil Douglas , Sierra Rodrigo , Silman Miles R. , Silva Thiago Sanna Freire , da Silva Guimarães José Renan , Simo-Droissart Murielle , Simon Marcelo Fragomeni , Sist Plinio , Sousa Thaiane R. , de Sousa Farias Emanuelle , de Souza Coelho Luiz , Spracklen Dominick V. , Stas Suzanne M. , Steinmetz Robert , Stevenson Pablo R. , Stropp Juliana , Sukri Rahayu S. , Sunderland Terry C. H. , Suzuki Eizi , Swaine Michael D. , Tang Jianwei , Taplin James , Taylor David M. , Tello J. Sebastián , Terborgh John , Texier Nicolas , Theilade Ida , Thomas Duncan W. , Thomas Raquel , Thomas Sean C. , Tirado Milton , Toirambe Benjamin , de Toledo José Julio , Tomlinson Kyle W. , Torres-Lezama Armando , Tran Hieu Dang , Tshibamba Mukendi John , Tumaneng Roven D. , Umaña Maria Natalia , Umunay Peter M. , Urrego Giraldo Ligia Estela , Valderrama Sandoval Elvis H. , Valenzuela Gamarra Luis , Van Andel Tinde R. , van de Bult Martin , van de Pol Jaqueline , van der Heijden Geertje , Vasquez Rodolfo , Vela César I. A. , Venticinque Eduardo Martins , Verbeeck Hans , Veridiano Rizza Karen A. , Vicentini Alberto , Vieira Ima Célia Guimarães , Vilanova Torre Emilio , Villarroel Daniel , Villa Zegarra Boris Eduardo , Vleminckx Jason , von Hildebrand Patricio , Vos Vincent Antoine , Vriesendorp Corine , Webb Edward L. , White Lee J. T. , Wich Serge , Wittmann Florian , Zagt Roderick , Zang Runguo , Zartman Charles Eugene , Zemagho Lise , Zent Egleé L. , Zent Stanford 
Published: January 2024

Trees structure the Earth’s most biodiverse ecosystem, tropical forests. The vast number of tree species presents a formidable challenge to understanding these forests, including their response to environmental change, as very little is known about most tropical tree species. A focus on the common species may circumvent this challenge. Here we investigate abundance patterns of common tree species using inventory data on 1,003,805 trees with trunk diameters of at least 10 cm across 1,568 locations1–6 in closed-canopy, structurally intact old-growth tropical forests in Africa, Amazonia and Southeast Asia. We estimate that 2.2%, 2.2% and 2.3% of species comprise 50% of the tropical trees in these regions, respectively. Extrapolating across all closed-canopy tropical forests, we estimate that just 1,053 species comprise half of Earth’s 800 billion tropical trees with trunk diameters of at least 10 cm. Despite differing biogeographic, climatic and anthropogenic histories7, we find notably consistent patterns of common species and species abundance distributions across the continents. This suggests that fundamental mechanisms of tree community assembly may apply to all tropical forests. Resampling analyses show that the most common species are likely to belong to a manageable list of known species, enabling targeted efforts to understand their ecology. Although they do not detract from the importance of rare species, our results open new opportunities to understand the world’s most diverse forests, including modelling their response to environmental change, by focusing on the common species that constitute the majority of their trees.