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Study uncovers high extinction risk for many Amazonian tree species

Among tree species in the Ecuadorian Amazon, investigators at the Universidad de las Américas, in Ecuador, found that 14% are critically endangered and 47% are endangered. The study in Plants, People, Planet indicates that trees with smaller fruits face the greatest threats due to declines of specific animal species that disperse them.

The findings reveal that the extinction risk for endemic trees is associated not only with extrinsic factors such as deforestation but also with complex relationships with other living organisms in their environment.

"Thus, our results highlight the importance of incorporating meaningful ecological traits in extinction risk estimates, such as those related to reproduction and life history strategies," said co–corresponding author María-José Endara, Ph.D.

Results of this research also call into question the effectiveness of conservation strategies in formally protected areas.

"For example, we found that some endemic tree species populations are experiencing high levels of threat by deforestation inside the Yasuní National Park, the biggest and most iconic protected area in the Ecuadorian Amazon," said lead author Juan Ernesto Guevara-Andino, Ph.D.