Prolific plant hunters provide insight in strategy for collecting undiscovered plant species
Today's alarmingly high rate of plant extinction necessitates an increased understanding of the world's biodiversity. An estimated 15 to 30 percent of the world's flowering plants have yet to be discovered, making efficiency an integral function of future botanical researchbut how is this best accomplished? Botanist Dr. Gerrit Davidse, John S. Lehmann Curator of Grasses at the Missouri Botanical Garden in St. Louis has collaborated with eight British botanists to quantify the role of plant collectors in the discovery of plant diversity. Their findings show a disproportionately high percentage of the world's plant discoveries have been made by just two percent of the world's most prolific and experienced collectors, implying that identifying and funding this small number of experts in the right geographic locations is vital to any effective strategy to document the world's flora. The study was published Wednesday, Feb. 1 in the British scientific journal Proceedings of the...