Table 1 Pan-tropical and continental studies assessing the diversity-carbon relationship.

Study	Geographical scope	Number of plots		Number of sampling locations				Taxonomic level	Diversity measures	Minimum identification level	Diversity-carbon relationship
Study	Geographical scope	1 ha	0.04 ha	Total	Amazon	Congo	Borneo	Taxonomic level	Diversity measures	Minimum identification level	Within stand	Among stands
This study	Tropics	360	6536	166	77	52	18	Species, genus and family	Richness, rarefied richness, Shannon diversity, Simpson diversity, Fisher’s alpha and functional diversity	80% stems to genus, 60% to species	+	None
Ref. 22	Tropical and temperate	688 ^a	17200 ^a	25	2	1	1	Species	Richness ^b	None given	+	[None]
Ref. 24	Tropics	59	NA	11	3	2	0	Genus	Richness, Shannon diversity, functional diversity	80% stems to family	NA	+
Ref. 23	Tropical America	294	1975 ^d	59	47	0	0	Species	Richness, rarefied richness and Shannon diversity	None given	+	+ ^e

Sampling locations are groups of plots in close proximity to each other (individual large plots in ref. 22, TEAM study sites in ref. 24, “forest sites” in ref. 23, groups of plots within 5 km of each other in this study). The number of sampling locations in the largest blocs of forest in each continent are given, these are the Amazon basin and surrounding contiguous forest, the Congo basin and surrounding contiguous forest, and Borneo. + indicates a positive diversity-carbon relationship, NA indicates the relationship was not studied at the given scale. In this study, ref. 22 and ref. 24 all stems ≥10 cm d.b.h. were measured, in ref. 23 the minimum stem diameter measured varied among plots (either 5 cm or 10 cm).
^aSample size not stated, so maximum possible number of 1 ha and 0.04 ha subplots given.
^bStem density was included as a covariate in analysis.
^cRelationship analysed among 1 ha plots within sampling locations, not among sampling locations.
^d0.1 ha not 0.04 ha.
^eRelationship among sampling locations.

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