Recently, a new study involving the largest forest database to date estimated that there are about 73,000 tree species on Earth, more than the current one

Recently, a new study involving the largest forest database to date estimated that there are about 73,000 tree species on Earth, about 14% higher than the number of tree species currently known, of which about 9,200 have not yet been discovered. The study suggests that most undiscovered species are likely to be sparse and spatially limited. The results were published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. Among them, about 40% of the undiscovered tree species repeatedly mentioned in the study may be in South America, which has special significance for global tree diversity.

South America is the continent with the highest estimated number of rare tree species (about 8,200 species) and the continent with the highest estimated percentage of endemic tree species (49%). Hotspots for undiscovered South American tree species may include tropical and subtropical wet forests in the Amazon basin, as well as Andean forests at altitudes between 1000 and 3500 m, located in the diversity hotspots of the Amazon Basin and the Andean-Amazon interface. Worldwide, about 1/2 to 2/3 of known tree species are found in humid tropical and subtropical forests, which are rich in species but have been studied little by scientists. Dry forests in the tropics and subtropics may also have large numbers of undiscovered tree species.

- Science Network