According to a new estimate of tree biodiversity published Monday (January 31) in PNAS, there are about 73,300 species of trees on the planet, thousands of which have yet to be described by scientists. According to the study, the vast majority of these elusive species are likely rare endemics hidden in dense tropical forests that are difficult to access and survey.
“Extensive knowledge of tree richness and diversity is key to preserving the stability and functionality of ecosystems,” lead author Roberto Cazzolla Gatti, a conservation biologist at the University of Bologna in Italy, says in a press release. “Without trees and forests, we would not have clean water, safe mountain slopes, habitat for many animals, fungi and other plants, the most biodiverse terrestrial ecosystems, sinks for our excess of carbon dioxide, depurators of our polluted air, et cetera," he tells Reuters.
University of Oxford ecosystem scientist Yadvinder Malhi, who was ...
