Abstract

Habitat Specificity of Amazonian Tree Species
Track: Ecology and Conservation
Author(s): Hannah Stevens, Charles Peters

Using location data from herbarium collections and a series of spatial analyses, this study addresses the important question of how tree species in the Amazon Basin are distributed, and to what degree they may be restricted to particular habitat types. The overall aim is to identify species which may be at risk from factors such as climate change and habitat loss. A total of 315 tree species were analyzed using 21,464 herbarium specimen records. Habitat types were delineated using precipitation, evapotranspiration and soil type data. Results indicate that at least ten percent of the species analyzed are restricted in their distribution. Extrapolating this to the estimated 45,000 plant species found in the Amazon Basin, at least 4,500 local taxa are potentially threatened by factors such as climate change and habitat loss.

Hannah Stevens
New York Botanical Garden
200th Street and Southern Blvd.
Bronx , New York 10458
United States
Phone: 718-817-8170
E-mail: hstevens@nybg.org

Charles Peters
The New York Botanical Garden
200th Street and Southern Blvd.
Bronx , New York 10458
United States
Phone: 718-817-8727
E-mail: cpeters@nybg.org