Mapping density, diversity and species-richness of the Amazon tree flora.

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.

Funder

Funder name	Awards
Ministério da Ciência, Tecnologia e Inovação, Brazil / Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior, Brazil / Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico, Brazil	Grant 407232/2013-3 - PVE - MEC/MCTI/CAPES/CNPq/FAPs
Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico, Brazil	Productivity grant 310885/2017-5 - Productivity grant 308040/2017-1 - Productivity grant PQ-301873/2016-0
Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo, Brazil	Research grant #09/53413-5 - grant 2016/25086-3 - grant 2015/24554-0 - grant 2019/03379-4
Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo, Brazil / WWF International, Brazil / The Body Shop, United Kingdom	95/3058-0 - CRS 068/96 WWF Brasil - The Body Shop
Agence Nationale de la Recherche, France	CEBA: ANR-10-LABX-25-01
Ministério da Ciência e Tecnologia, Brazil / Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico, Brazil / Mountain West Clinical and Translational Research Infrastructure Network Program, United States / GEOMA	MCT/CNPq/CT-INFRA/GEOMA #550373/2010-1 - MCT/CNPq/CT-INFRA/GEOMA # 457515/2012-0
Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior, Brazil	# 88881.135761/2016-01
Natural Environment Research Council, United Kingdom	Grant NE/B503384/1 - Grant NE/D01025X/1 - Grant NE/I02982X/1 - Grant NE/F005806/1 - Grant NE/D005590/1 - Grant NE/I028122/1
Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation, United States
Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico, Brazil / Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior, Brazil / Fundações de Amparo à Pesquisa, Brazil / Newton Fund, United Kingdom	#441244/2016-5
Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de Mato Grosso, Brazil	FAPEMAT/0589267/2016
National Science Foundation, United States	Grant DEB-1556338
INCT-CENBAM, Brazil
Programa de Pesquisa em Biodiversidade, Brazil	PPBio-AmOc