Mapping density, diversity and species-richness of the Amazon tree flora
Authors: ter Steege Hans , Pitman Nigel C. A. , do Amaral Iêda Leão , de Souza Coelho Luiz , de Almeida Matos Francisca Dionízia , de Andrade Lima Filho Diógenes , Salomão Rafael P. , Wittmann Florian , Castilho Carolina V. , Guevara Juan Ernesto , Veiga Carim Marcelo de Jesus , Phillips Oliver L. , Magnusson William E. , Sabatier Daniel , Revilla Juan David Cardenas , Molino Jean-François , Irume Mariana Victória , Martins Maria Pires , da Silva Guimarães José Renan , Ramos José Ferreira , Bánki Olaf S. , Piedade Maria Teresa Fernandez , Cárdenas López Dairon , Rodrigues Domingos de Jesus , Demarchi Layon O. , Schöngart Jochen , Almeida Everton José , Barbosa Luciane Ferreira , Cavalheiro Larissa , dos Santos Márcia Cléia Vilela , Luize Bruno Garcia , de Leão Novo Evlyn Márcia Moraes , Vargas Percy Núñez , Silva Thiago Sanna Freire , Venticinque Eduardo Martins , Manzatto Angelo Gilberto , Reis Neidiane Farias Costa , Terborgh John , Casula Katia Regina , Honorio Coronado Euridice N. , Monteagudo Mendoza Abel , Montero Juan Carlos , Costa Flávia R. C. , Feldpausch Ted R. , Quaresma Adriano Costa , Castaño Arboleda Nicolás , Zartman Charles Eugene , Killeen Timothy J. , Marimon Beatriz S. , Marimon-Junior Ben Hur , Vasquez Rodolfo , Mostacedo Bonifacio , Assis Rafael L. , Baraloto Chris , do Amaral Dário Dantas , Engel Julien , Petronelli Pascal , Castellanos Hernán , de Medeiros Marcelo Brilhante , Simon Marcelo Fragomeni , Andrade Ana , Camargo José Luís , Laurance William F. , Laurance Susan G. W. , Maniguaje Rincón Lorena , Schietti Juliana , Sousa Thaiane R. , de Sousa Farias Emanuelle , Lopes Maria Aparecida , Magalhães José Leonardo Lima , Nascimento Henrique Eduardo Mendonça , de Queiroz Helder Lima , Aymard C. Gerardo A. , Brienen Roel , Stevenson Pablo R. , Araujo-Murakami Alejandro , Baker Tim R. , Cintra Bruno Barçante Ladvocat , Feitosa Yuri Oliveira , Mogollón Hugo F. , Duivenvoorden Joost F. , Peres Carlos A. , Silman Miles R. , Ferreira Leandro Valle , Lozada José Rafael , Comiskey James A. , Draper Freddie C. , de Toledo José Julio , Damasco Gabriel , García-Villacorta Roosevelt , Lopes Aline , Vicentini Alberto , Cornejo Valverde Fernando , Alonso Alfonso , Arroyo Luzmila , Dallmeier Francisco , Gomes Vitor H. F. , Jimenez Eliana M. , Neill David , Peñuela Mora Maria Cristina , Noronha Janaína Costa , de Aguiar Daniel P. P. , Barbosa Flávia Rodrigues , Bredin Yennie K. , de Sá Carpanedo Rainiellen , Carvalho Fernanda Antunes , de Souza Fernanda Coelho , Feeley Kenneth J. , Gribel Rogerio , Haugaasen Torbjørn , Hawes Joseph E. , Pansonato Marcelo Petratti , Ríos Paredes Marcos , Barlow Jos , Berenguer Erika , da Silva Izaias Brasil , Ferreira Maria Julia , Ferreira Joice , Fine Paul V. A. , Guedes Marcelino Carneiro , Levis Carolina , Licona Juan Carlos , Villa Zegarra Boris Eduardo , Vos Vincent Antoine , Cerón Carlos , Durgante Flávia Machado , Fonty Émile , Henkel Terry W. , Householder John Ethan , Huamantupa-Chuquimaco Isau , Pos Edwin , Silveira Marcos , Stropp Juliana , Thomas Raquel , Daly Doug , Dexter Kyle G. , Milliken William , Molina Guido Pardo , Pennington Toby , Vieira Ima Célia Guimarães , Weiss Albuquerque Bianca , Campelo Wegliane , Fuentes Alfredo , Klitgaard Bente , Pena José Luis Marcelo , Tello J. Sebastián , Vriesendorp Corine , Chave Jerome , Di Fiore Anthony , Hilário Renato Richard , de Oliveira Pereira Luciana , Phillips Juan Fernando , Rivas-Torres Gonzalo , van Andel Tinde R. , von Hildebrand Patricio , Balee William , Barbosa Edelcilio Marques , de Matos Bonates Luiz Carlos , Dávila Doza Hilda Paulette , Zárate Gómez Ricardo , Gonzales Therany , Gallardo Gonzales George Pepe , Hoffman Bruce , Junqueira André Braga , Malhi Yadvinder , de Andrade Miranda Ires Paula , Pinto Linder Felipe Mozombite , Prieto Adriana , Rudas Agustín , Ruschel Ademir R. , Silva Natalino , Vela César I. A. , Zent Egleé L. , Zent Stanford , Cano Angela , Carrero Márquez Yrma Andreina , Correa Diego F. , Costa Janaina Barbosa Pedrosa , Flores Bernardo Monteiro , Galbraith David , Holmgren Milena , Kalamandeen Michelle , Lobo Guilherme , Torres Montenegro Luis , Nascimento Marcelo Trindade , Oliveira Alexandre A. , Pombo Maihyra Marina , Ramirez-Angulo Hirma , Rocha Maira , Scudeller Veridiana Vizoni , Sierra Rodrigo , Tirado Milton , Umaña Maria Natalia , van der Heijden Geertje , Vilanova Torre Emilio , Reategui Manuel Augusto Ahuite , Baider Cláudia , Balslev Henrik , Cárdenas Sasha , Casas Luisa Fernanda , Endara María José , Farfan-Rios William , Ferreira Cid , Linares-Palomino Reynaldo , Mendoza Casimiro , Mesones Italo , Parada Germaine Alexander , Torres-Lezama Armando , Urrego Giraldo Ligia Estela , Villarroel Daniel , Zagt Roderick , Alexiades Miguel N. , de Oliveira Edmar Almeida , Garcia-Cabrera Karina , Hernandez Lionel , Cuenca Walter Palacios , Pansini Susamar , Pauletto Daniela , Ramirez Arevalo Freddy , Sampaio Adeilza Felipe , Valderrama Sandoval Elvis H. , Gamarra Luis Valenzuela , Levesley Aurora , Pickavance Georgia , Melgaço Karina 
Published: November 2023

Using 2.046 botanically-inventoried tree plots across the largest tropical forest on Earth, we mapped tree species-diversity and tree species-richness at 0.1-degree resolution, and investigated drivers for diversity and richness. Using only location, stratified by forest type, as predictor, our spatial model, to the best of our knowledge, provides the most accurate map of tree diversity in Amazonia to date, explaining approximately 70% of the tree diversity and species-richness. Large soil-forest combinations determine a significant percentage of the variation in tree species-richness and tree alpha-diversity in Amazonian forest-plots. We suggest that the size and fragmentation of these systems drive their large-scale diversity patterns and hence local diversity. A model not using location but cumulative water deficit, tree density, and temperature seasonality explains 47% of the tree species-richness in the terra-firme forest in Amazonia. Over large areas across Amazonia, residuals of this relationship are small and poorly spatially structured, suggesting that much of the residual variation may be local. The Guyana Shield area has consistently negative residuals, showing that this area has lower tree species-richness than expected by our models. We provide extensive plot meta-data, including tree density, tree alpha-diversity and tree species-richness results and gridded maps at 0.1-degree resolution.