Amazon rainforest 12,000 species: Research Study Reveals 12,000 Amazon Tree Species
Dating back to the 18th century, the Amazon rain forest has been the subject of curiosity and study of research scientists. Even with the trove of information gathered, with estimates of 12,000 species discovered, many believe that’s a small percentage of what is actually out there to be discovered and recorded.
According to a published study appearing in the publication, Scientific Reports, the current research attempts to document tree categorization, similar to the past categorization of mammals and birds. “Before this paper, we didn’t have a list of Amazonian trees, now, with this list we are answering and how many species have been found and what are they,” remarked study author and Chicago Field Museum ecologist, Nigel Pitman.
A 2013 research study indicated that there were nearly 16,000 Amazon tree species. In an interview with the news outlet, Live Science, Pitman set out to determine the actual amount of species collected. After assessing over 500,000 specimens, he determined there were little more than 11,000 actual species.
According to Pitman, “We interpret this to mean that our 2013 estimate of 16,000 species is good and that about 4,000 of the rarest Amazonian trees remain to be discovered and described.”