Hopkins Michael J G
Instituto Nacional de Pesquisas da Amazônia, Av. André Araújo, 2936, Petrópolis, 69067-375 Manaus, AM, Brazil.
An Acad Bras Cienc. 2019 Sep 12;91(suppl 3):e20190396. doi: 10.1590/0001-3765201920190396.
Amazonia is often cited as having the most diverse flora on the planet. However, the total number of species of higher plants in the region has been largely a matter of guesswork. Some recent publications have estimated the total number of species present, which indicate a lower overall diversity than was estimated in the past. However, analysis of the sampling density across the region, and data from various sources suggest that there may be reason why the recent figures may be considerable underestimates. I believe that much more investment in extensive collecting of quality plant specimens is needed to encounter the very large number of rare and local species that might never have been collected. Unfortunately the tendencies of investment in botany, in terms of geography and types of project, suggest that we will probably not be able to accurately assess the real diversity of the region.
亚马孙地区常被认为拥有地球上最多样化的植物群。然而，该地区高等植物的物种总数在很大程度上一直是个猜测的问题。最近的一些出版物估计了该地区现存的物种总数，这些估计表明总体多样性低于过去的估计。然而，对该地区采样密度的分析以及来自各种来源的数据表明，近期的数据可能被严重低估是有原因的。我认为，需要投入更多资金进行广泛的高质量植物标本采集，以发现大量可能从未被采集过的珍稀和本地物种。不幸的是，就地理和项目类型而言，植物学领域的投资趋势表明，我们可能无法准确评估该地区的实际生物多样性。
