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New Pattern Discovered in Tropical Forests Worldwide

But scientists can’t explain why it happens or how it affects.

Katrina Paulson
3 min readJan 28, 2024
Photo by CRYSTAL MIRALLEGRO on Unsplash

We’ve been identifying patterns and cycles in nature for as long as we’ve had the cognitive ability to do so — and we’ve gotten good at it. We’re so good we almost can’t help but find more. Brilliant minds have discovered cycles and patterns in all shapes, sizes, time frames, and locations on our planet and beyond.

We can explain some, such as seasonal changes, ocean tides, and the 24-hour cycle, but others are mysteries. The new research I’m telling you about today falls into the latter category — an international team of experts discovered a new pattern throughout Earth’s rainforests. However, they can’t yet explain why the pattern emerged or how it occurs in rainforests worldwide.

The Research

Researchers at the University College London led an international collaboration of 356 scientists to study tree diversity in tropical rainforests worldwide — which happen to be the most biodiverse places on Earth — and identified a surprising pattern.

The team discovered that just 2 percent of tree species in tropical rainforests make up 50 percent of the trees in tropical rainforests across the Amazon, Africa, and Southeast Asia. They published their

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Katrina Paulson
Katrina Paulson

Written by Katrina Paulson

I write about recent discoveries that have the power to shift our perspectives. Check it out! --> https://curiousadventure.substack.com

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