In:
Science Advances, American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS), Vol. 5, No. 11 ( 2019-11)
Abstract:
A key feature of life’s diversity is that some species are common but many more are rare. Nonetheless, at global scales, we do not know what fraction of biodiversity consists of rare species. Here, we present the largest compilation of global plant diversity to quantify the fraction of Earth’s plant biodiversity that are rare. A large fraction, ~36.5% of Earth’s ~435,000 plant species, are exceedingly rare. Sampling biases and prominent models, such as neutral theory and the k-niche model, cannot account for the observed prevalence of rarity. Our results indicate that (i) climatically more stable regions have harbored rare species and hence a large fraction of Earth’s plant species via reduced extinction risk but that (ii) climate change and human land use are now disproportionately impacting rare species. Estimates of global species abundance distributions have important implications for risk assessments and conservation planning in this era of rapid global change.
Type of Medium:
Online Resource
ISSN:
2375-2548
DOI:
10.1126/sciadv.aaz0414
Language:
English
Publisher:
American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS)
Publication Date:
2019
detail.hit.zdb_id:
2810933-8