Cerrado hyperdominance

The South American Cerrado, the largest savanna of Americas and world's most tree-biodiverse, is critically endangered, with 92% unprotected and over half already destroyed. By analyzing a unique biome-wide ecofloristic dataset with 222 one-hectare plots we estimate ~1,605 tree species, but less than 2% of these contribute half of all trees. Just one family (Vochysiaceae) represents one in six trees, and one species (Qualea parviflora) accounts for one in fourteen. Our analysis further suggests up to 800 species may remain undetected in Cerrado ecosystems and could disappear in a few decades due to deforestation, underlining the urgency of conservation. Since 1985, the Cerrado has lost 24 billion trees, equivalent to three times the Earth's human population, posing severe risks to ecosystem services and species survival.