Map a) Vascular plant species per ecoregion.
Map b) Ecoregions highest in species richness in each biome within each biogeographical realm. Realms: AA, Australasia; AN, Antarctic; AT, Afrotropics; IM, IndoMalay; NA, Nearctic; NT, Neotropics; OC, Oceania; PA, Palearctic. Biomes: 1 - tropical and subtropical moist broadleaf forests; 2 - tropical and subtropical dry broadleaf forests; 3 - tropical and subtropical coniferous forests; 4 - temperate broadleaf and mixed forests; 5 - temperate conifer forests; 6 - boreal forests/taiga; 7 - tropical and subtropical grasslands, savannas and shrublands; 8 - temperate grasslands, savannas and shrublands; 9 - flooded grasslands and savannas; 10 - montane grasslands and shrublands; 11 - tundra; 12 - mediterranean forests, woodlands and scrub; 13 - deserts and xeric shrublands; 14 - mangroves.
Map c) Suitability and quality of underlying plant data at the scale of ecoregions.
Scientists map the world for nature conservation
Borneo - the most species-rich area in the world!
For years, experts have been calling for an improved database that would enable them to develop more effective global nature conservation strategies. Botanists at the University of Bonn have now taken a major step in this direction with the publication, in the Journal of Biogeography, of a world map of plant biodiversity.
The atlas is arranged in 867 zones, known as ecoregions. "This makes the data on the world's plant diversity accessible in accordance with a common geographical standard," explains Gerold Kier, head of the project at Bonn University's Nees Institute for Plant Biodiversity. This work, says Kier, represents a significant advance because the results are needed both for nature conservation planners and those engaged in basic research.
A central innovation here is the breakdown of data by vegetation zone. Tropical rainforests are, unsurprisingly, shown to be among the most species-rich areas on earth. Indeed, Borneo's lowland rainforest is the most diverse of all, with around 10,000 plant species. By comparison, the whole of the Federal Republic of Germany contains some 2,700 different native plants. "However, we have found out for the first time where, within each of the different vegetation zones, plant biodiversity is highest," says Professor Wilhelm Barthlott, founder of the working group and Director of the Nees Institute. It has emerged, for example, that the Sundarbans region (which spreads across Bangladesh and India), the world's most species-rich mangrove area, has not so far been included on many nature conservation priority lists.
An important "spin-off" from the project is a map showing how thoroughly the plant world has been studied in different regions. Among the "white patches" on the map, showing areas for which floristic knowledge is very poor, we find the southern Amazon basin and North Colombia, which are two of the world's most biodiverse areas. "There is also little known about the biodiversity that exists in large parts of Pakistan, Afghanistan, Iran, the north of China and, surprisingly, even Japan," adds Kier. Of all the different types of vegetation zone, the flooded savannas and grasslands are the least explored by botanists. Greater efforts are needed in future to discover more about the plant life they contain. The project was conducted as a component of the large-scale BIOLOG-BIOTA programme, funded by German's Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF) and run with the cooperation of the World Wildlife Fund (WWF).
据Eurekalert网5月12日报道，多年以来，专家一直呼吁建立一种更为完善的数据库，可以用来制定更多有效的全球自然保护策略。针对这一呼声，德国波恩大学的植物学家们正在努力出版一本关于全球植物多样性的地图集。
这一地图集包括867个生态区。项目负责人Gerold Kier指出，这样可以使全球植物多样性的数据与普通地理学标准相一致，方便人们使用。该地图集对于自然保护计划者和从事基础研究的人们来说，都具有重大意义。
这本地图集的最大创新之处，就是将数据按照植被带进行分类。毫无疑问，热带雨林是地球上物种最为丰富的区域。当然，婆罗州是其中物种最丰富的，约有10，000种植物。比较起来，德国拥有2，700种不同的本土植物。波恩大学的威廉·巴夫洛特教授说：“我们第一次发现在每个不同的植被带内，植物多样性是最高的。”比如，孙德尔本斯地区（跨越孟加拉国和印度）拥有世界物种最丰富的红树林区，到目前为止还没有被收入优先进行自然保护的名单内。
整个项目中还有一个创新点就是，通过一张地图大致显示出科学家已经研究过的区域。其中的白块表示科学家对该地区花类的知识非常缺乏，我们发现南部亚马逊盆地和北哥伦布是世界上生物多样性最丰富的两个区域。而对于巴基斯坦、阿富汗、伊朗、中国北部甚至日本的生物多样性还是知之甚少。在所有的植被带中，受过洪灾的热带稀树大草原和牧草地是植物学家探险最少的。今后，还需要更多的努力来获得这些区域的植物知识。
