Are we close to knowing the plant diversity of the Amazon?

Abstract: 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.摘要：亚马孙地区常被学界认为拥有全球最为丰富的植物区系。然而，该区域高等植物的总物种数长期以来基本仅为推测结果。近期有部分研究对该区域现存物种总数开展了估算，结果显示其整体物种多样性较过往预估更低。不过，针对区域内采样密度的分析以及多源数据均表明，近期的估算值或存在显著低估的可能。笔者认为，亟需加大投入以开展大规模高质量植物标本采集工作，才有可能发现大量此前从未被记录采集的稀有及地域性特有物种。遗憾的是，当前植物学研究的资金投入在地理布局与项目类型上的倾向性，意味着我们或许无法准确评估该区域真实的物种多样性水平。