At the local scale, species distribution maps (Figure 2) are substantiated by comparisons of field inventories, and suggest that Yasuní protects forests harboring peak global richness for amphibians, birds, and mammals.
We then calculated normalized global richness patterns by averaging threatened species (those species classified as CR, EN or VU), restricted-range species (defined as species with geographical ranges in the lower quartile of a taxon) and DD species across groups for all species.
Gridded Species Distribution: Global Amphibian Richness Grids, 2015 Release.
Belmaker, J. & Jetz, W. Relative roles of ecological and energetic constraints, diversification rates and region history on global species richness gradients.
By contrast, Dr. Gary C. B. Poore and Dr. George D. F. Wilson, Australian biologists, said their own field studies in the Pacific suggested that global species richness was even greater than 10 million.
Yet the answer to this question remains enigmatic, as efforts to sample the world's biodiversity to date have been limited and thus have precluded direct quantification of global species richness, and because indirect estimates rely on assumptions that have proven highly controversial.
Compared to global species richness of different taxa, children over-represented mammals, birds, reptiles and fish, and under-represented insects (Fig 2 and 3).
The aim of detecting such "hotspots", sensu lato, is to maximize protection from threats to the persistence of important areas of global species richness or endemism [43].
The frequency of different taxa drawn varied significantly from their relative contribution to biomass in a rainforest environment (Chi-Square = 413.775, d.f. = 7, p<0.001) and to global species richness (Chi-Square = 25841.829, d.f. = 10, p<0.001).
In addition, the global genotype richness (polyclonality) level was 19.4%.
These were added up, resulting in global species richness maps for waterbirds, nonresidential birds, reptiles and amphibians.
