Complete Tree Species of Panama

1 June 2020 This data archive presents a complete compilation of the tree
species of Panama, including the full geographic range and local abundance
of each. The species list is based on the most recent monographs,
especially the Flora Mesoamericana, along with herbarium records,
especially those online at the Missouri Botanic Garden, and our tree
census plots, mostly in the forests around the Panama Canal, including the
50 ha plot at Barro Colorado. The full set of occurrence records was
collected from the BIEN database and from Tropicos (Missouri Botanical
Garden), plus our tree plots, and a geographic range was calculated as the
minimum convex polygon around all occurrences. Details of methods can be
found in Condit et al. (2020), and that paper includes a complete
bibliography of the taxonomic literature consulted. Species were included
based if they root in the ground as free-standing woody plants, and reach
a height of at least 3 m as reproductives. Epiphytes, lianas, and herbs
were excluded. Species were included broadly, thus even if only
occasionally terrestrial and free-standing while usually not; this aspect
forces a loose gray area between trees and non-trees. The category shrub
or descriptor shrubby were never considered, as they are poorly defined
and used in inconsistent ways. An online version of the database
(http://conditdatacenter.tech/PanamaTrees/) includes range maps and notes
on growth form for marginal species. Tables of all coordinates from BIEN
and Tropicos used in the estimates of range size can be downloaded
from http://conditdatacenter.tech/TreeMap/txt. References Condit,
R., Perez, R., Aguilar, S. 2020. Tree species of Panama: a complete
checklist with every geographic range. In press. Condit, R., Engelbrecht,
B. M. J., Pino, D., Pérez, R., and Turner, B. L. 2013. Species
distributions in response to individual soil nutrients and seasonal
drought across a community of tropical trees. Proceedings of the National
Academy of Sciences 110:5064–5068. pdf
http://conditdatacenter.org/pdfs/ConditEtAlPNAS2013.pdf Condit, R.,
Chisholm, R. A., and Hubbell, S. P. 2012. Thirty years of forest census at
Barro Colorado and the importance of immigration in maintaining diversity.
PLoS ONE 7:e49826. pdf
http://conditdatacenter.org/pdfs/ConditChisholmHubbell2012.pdf Condit, R.,
Pérez, R., Aguilar, S., Lao, S., and Hubbell, S. P. 2017. Demographic
trends and climate over 35 years in the Barro Colorado 50 ha plot. Forest
Ecosystems 4:1–13. pdf
http://conditdatacenter.org/pdfs/Condit_et_al-2017-Forest_Ecosystems.pdf
Davidse, G. M.; Sousa, M. S.; Knapp, S.; Chiang, F. & Ulloa, C. U.
(Eds.) 1994-2018. Flora Mesoamericana (6 Volumes).