now it will be easier to gauge the likely impact of climate change on the services plants provide human beings. Researchers at the University of California and the University of Bonn in Germany have produced a global map of estimated plant species' richness. The map, which accompanies a study published on April 3, 2007, in the Proceeding of National Academy of Sciences (Vol 104, No 14) highlights areas of particular concern for conservation.

"Plants provide important services to humans