Estimating the global conservation status of more than 15,000 Amazonian tree species

Estimates of extinction risk for Amazonian plant and animal species are rare and not often incorporated into land-use policy and conservation planning. We overlay spatial distribution models with historical and projected deforestation to show that at least 36% and up to 57% of all Amazonian tree species are likely to qualify as globally threatened under International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List criteria. If confirmed, these results would increase the number of threatened plant species on Earth by 22%. We show that the trends observed in Amazonia apply to trees throughout the tropics, and we predict thatmost of the world’s >40,000 tropical tree species now qualify as globally threatened. A gap analysis suggests that existing Amazonian protected areas and indigenous territories will protect viable populations of most threatened species if these areas suffer no further degradation, highlighting the key roles that protected areas, indigenous peoples, and improved governance can play in preventing large-scale extinctions in the tropics in this century

Effects of Delayed-Entry Conditions on the Recovery and Detection of Microorganisms from BacT/ALERT and BACTEC Blood Culture Bottles

Manufacturers generally recommend that blood culture bottles be loaded into instruments within a short time of collection. However, in our experience, delays often occur prior to loading the bottles. We examined the effect of holding bottles under various temperatures (T)—room temperature (RT), 4°C, 37°C, and RT for 2 h following incubation at 37°C (to simulate transit [TR])—and for various holding times of 4, 12, and 24 h. We utilized the BacT/ALERT system with FA and FN bottles and the BACTEC system with Plus (PL) and Lytic 10 (LY) bottles. Standardized inocula and 5 ml of blood were added to each bottle. Fifteen organisms were evaluated based upon expected performance: aerobic (FA and PL), anaerobic (FN and LY 10), and facultative (all bottles). Based upon expected performance, the FA and FN bottles recovered 458 of 468 organisms and 282 of 288 organisms, respectively, whereas the PL and LY bottles recovered 453 of 468 organisms and 257 of 288 organisms, respectively (P = <0.001, FN versus LY). There were 3, 11, 21, and 27 false-negative results for bottles held at 4°C, RT, 37°C, and TR, respectively. There were 4, 8, and 50 false-negative results for bottles held for 4, 12, and 24 h, respectively. Our results support holding these four bottle types at 4°C or at RT for up to 24 h and at 37°C for up to 12 h. We propose that manufacturers only need to make claims for “delayed entry” when these bottles are held for more than 24 h at 4°C or at RT or for more than 12 h at 37°C

Hyperdominance in the Amazonian Tree Flora

The vast extent of the Amazon Basin has historically restricted the study of its tree communities to the local and regional scales. Here, we provide empirical data on the commonness, rarity, and richness of lowland tree species across the entire Amazon Basin and Guiana Shield (Amazonia), collected in 1170 tree plots in all major forest types. Extrapolations suggest that Amazonia harbors roughly 16,000 tree species, of which just 227 (1.4%) account for half of all trees. Most of these are habitat specialists and only dominant in one or two regions of the basin. We discuss some implications of the finding that a small group of species-less diverse than the North American tree flora-accounts for half of the world's most diverse tree community

Hyperdominance in the Amazonian tree flora

The vast extent of the Amazon Basin has historically restricted the study of its tree communities to the local and regional scales. Here, we provide empirical data on the commonness, rarity, and richness of lowland tree species across the entire Amazon Basin and Guiana Shield (Amazonia), collected in 1170 tree plots in all major forest types. Extrapolations suggest that Amazonia harbors roughly 16,000 tree species, of which just 227 (1.4%) account for half of all trees. Most of these are habitat specialists and only dominant in one or two regions of the basin. We discuss some implications of the finding that a small group of species - less diverse than the North American tree flora - accounts for half of the world's most diverse tree community

Estimating the global conservation status of more than 15,000 Amazonian tree species.

Estimates of extinction risk for Amazonian plant and animal species are rare and not often incorporated into land-use policy and conservation planning. We overlay spatial distribution models with historical and projected deforestation to show that at least 36% and up to 57% of all Amazonian tree species are likely to qualify as globally threatened under International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List criteria. If confirmed, these results would increase the number of threatened plant species on Earth by 22%. We show that the trends observed in Amazonia apply to trees throughout the tropics, and we predict that most of the world's &gt;40,000 tropical tree species now qualify as globally threatened. A gap analysis suggests that existing Amazonian protected areas and indigenous territories will protect viable populations of most threatened species if these areas suffer no further degradation, highlighting the key roles that protected areas, indigenous peoples, and improved governance can play in preventing large-scale extinctions in the tropics in this century