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A new paper in PNAS highlights just how much we don't know about life on planet Earth. About 15% of flowering plants are likely unknown (termed "missing"). If we haven't found them yet, it implies that they are rare and in turn, face a heightened risk of extinction due to climate change and habitat loss.
Joppa, Roberts, Myers, and Pimm point out that there are greater levels of threatened flowering plant species than previously accounted for because estimates have been too low. Because the vast majority of "missing" species are expected to be located in areas that have suffered from heavy habitat loss, their model concludes that conservation efforts already targeted at regions known as "hotspots"--areas with high levels of native species**,** high rates of extinction, and vast habitat loss--likely do include many plants still unaccounted for.
The authors find that conservation efforts broadly targeted at currently accepted hotspots should protect many unknown species, but also add that many more are at risk for extinction than previously recognized.
