Nigel Pitman

Mellon Senior Conservation Ecologist

Keller Science Action Center
Science Focus
    Topic(S)
      Administrative Area(s)

      Nigel is an ecologist and conservationist with a special interest in South American forests. His research focuses on Amazonian tree ecology, but he has also worked on the endemic floras of Ecuador and Peru, long-term trends in Amazonian animal abundances, and extinction risks in South American plants. He has been working with the Museum's rapid inventory team since 2001 and has taken part in six inventories in Ecuador and Peru. He currently coordinates the conservation tools program in the Museum's Keller Science Action Center.

      The photo was taken at a campsite on the Blanco River in Amazonian Peru during a Field Museum rapid inventory of the area in October 2014. In the photo Nigel is pressing one of the 1069 plant specimens collected during the inventory by the botanical team, which included Marcos Ríos, Luis Torres, Tony Mori, and Corine Vriesendorp. Photo by Tom McNamara.

      Education and Work

      B.A. from Princeton University and PhD from Duke University.

      Accomplishments

      First-authored journal articles:

      Pitman, N.C.A., J.E. Guevara Andino, M. Aulestia, C.E. Cerón, D.A. Neill, W. Palacios, G. Rivas-Torres, M.R. Silman, & J.W. Terborgh. 2014. Distribution and abundance of tree species in swamp forests of Amazonian Ecuador.Ecography 37: 1-14.

      Pitman, N.C.A., M.R. Silman & J.W. Terborgh. 2013. Oligarchies in Amazonian tree communities: A ten-year review. Ecography 35: 1-10.

      Pitman, N.C.A., M. Pinedo Cecilio, M. Pinedo Pudicho, J.G. Graham, M.P. Núñez V., M. Valenzuela & J.W. Terborgh. 2011. Indigenous perceptions of tree species abundance across an upper Amazonian landscape. Journal of Ethnobiology 31(2): 233-243.

      Pitman, N.C.A., J. Widmer, C.N. Jenkins, G. Stocks, L. Seales, F. Paniagua & E.M. Bruna. 2011. Volume and geographical distribution of ecological research in the Andes and the Amazon, 1995-2008. Tropical Conservation Science 4(1): 64-81.

      Pitman, N.C.A., D. Norris, J. Martínez González, E. Torres, F. Pinto, H. Collado, W. Concha, R. Thupa, E. Quispe, J. Pérez & J.C. Flores del Castillo. 2011. Four years of vertebrate monitoring on an upper Amazonian river. Biodiversity and Conservation 20: 827-849.

      Pitman, N.C.A. 2010. Research in biodiversity hotspots should be free. Trends in Ecology and Evolution 25: 381.

      Pitman, N.C.A., M. del C. Loyola Azáldegui, K. Salas, G. Vigo T. & D.A. Lutz. 2009. Historia e impacto de la literatura científica del Departamento de Madre de Dios, Perú, 1553-2004. [History and impact of the scientific literature of the Department of Madre de Dios, Peru.] Revista Peruana de Biología 15(2): 15-22.

      Pitman, N.C.A., H. Mogollón, N. Dávila, M. Ríos, R. García-Villacorta, J. Guevara, M. Ahuite, M. Aulestia, D. Cardenas, C.E. Cerón, P.-A. Loizeau, D.A. Neill, P. Núñez V., W.A. Palacios, O.L. Phillips, R. Spichiger, E. Valderrama & R. Vásquez-Martínez. 2008. Tree community change across 700 km of lowland Amazonian forest from the Andean foothills to Brazil. Biotropica 40(5): 525-535.

      Pitman, N.C.A., M. del C. Loyola Azáldegui, K. Salas, G. Vigo T. & D.A. Lutz. 2007. Written accounts of an Amazonian landscape over the last 450 years. Conservation Biology 21(1): 253-262.

      Pitman, N.C.A., C.E. Cerón, C.I. Reyes, M. Thurber & J. Arellano. 2005. Catastrophic natural origin of a species-poor tree community in the world’s richest forest. Journal of Tropical Ecology 21: 559-568.

      Pitman, N.C.A., M.P. Núñez Vargas & J.W. Terborgh. 2005. Árboles comunes de los bosques inundados de Madre de Dios. [Common trees of the flooded forests of Madre de Dios.] Biodiversidad Amazónica 1(1): 6-15.

      Pitman, N.C.A., J. Terborgh, M.R. Silman, P. Núñez V., D.A. Neill, C.E. Cerón, W.A. Palacios & M. Aulestia. 2002. A comparison of tree species diversity in two upper Amazonian forests. Ecology 83(11): 3210-3224.

      Pitman, N.C.A., & P.M. Jørgensen. 2002. Estimating the size of the threatened world flora. Science 298: 989. [Highlighted by Reuters, the Associated Press, and the BBC.]

      Pitman, N.C.A., P.M. Jørgensen, R.S.R. Williams, S. León-Yánez & R. Valencia. 2002. Extinction-rate estimates for a modern Neotropical flora. Conservation Biology 16(5): 1427-1431.

      Pitman, N.C.A., J. Terborgh, M.R. Silman, P. Núñez V., D.A. Neill, C.E. Cerón, W.A. Palacios & M. Aulestia 2001. Dominance and distribution of tree species in upper Amazonian terra firme forests. Ecology 82(8): 2101-2117. [Awarded the 2002 Cooper Award by the Ecological Society of America]

      Pitman, N.C.A., J. Terborgh, M.R. Silman & P. Núñez V. 1999. Tree species distributions in an upper Amazonian forest. Ecology 80(8): 2651-61. [Highlighted by Sugden, A. 2000. Editor’s choice: Highlights of the recent literature. Tropical tree communities. Science 287: 193, and by Ricklefs, R.E. 2000. Rarity and diversity in Amazonian forest trees. Trends in Ecology and Evolution 15: 83-84]

      First-authored book chapters:

      Pitman, N., M. Johnston, J. Markel, E. Ruelas Inzunza, R. Stallard, C. Vriesendorp, A. Wali & V. Zapata. 2012. Regional panorama and sites visited. Pages 221-233 in N. Pitman, E. Ruelas I., D. Alvira, C. Vriesendorp, D. K. Moskovits, Á. del Campo, T. Wachter, D. F. Stotz, S. Noningo S., E. Tuesta C. y/and R. C. Smith, eds. Perú: Cerros de Kampankis. Rapid Biological and Social Inventories Report 24. The Field Museum, Chicago.

      Pitman, N., M. Finer, C. Jenkins, & C. Vriesendorp. 2011. ¿Por qué una nueva área protegida en la Amazonía peruana?/Why a new protected area in Amazonian Peru? Pages 49-50, 176-177 in Pitman, N., C. Vriesendorp, D.K. Moskovits, R. von May, D. Alvira, T. Wachter, D.F. Stotz, & A. del Campo (eds.), Perú: Yaguas-Cotuhé. Rapid Biological and Social Inventories Report 23. The Field Museum, Chicago.

      Pitman, N. 2011. Panorama regional y sitios visitados/Regional panorama and sites visited. Pages 65-72, 192-198 in Pitman, N., C. Vriesendorp, D.K. Moskovits, R. von May, D. Alvira, T. Wachter, D.F. Stotz, & A. del Campo (eds.), Perú: Yaguas-Cotuhé. Rapid Biological and Social Inventories Report 23. The Field Museum, Chicago.

      Pitman, N. 2004. Panorama general de los resultados/Overview of results. Pages 35-40, 123-128 in Pitman, N., R.C. Smith, C. Vriesendorp, D. Moskovits, R. Piana, G. Knell & T. Wachter (eds.), Perú: Ampiyacu, Apayacu, Yaguas, Medio Putumayo. Rapid Biological Inventories Report 12. The Field Museum, Chicago.

      Pitman, N., H. Beltrán, R. Foster, R. García, C. Vriesendorp, & M. Ahuite. 2003. Flora y vegetación/Flora and vegetation. Pages 52-59, 137-143 in Pitman, N., C. Vriesendorp & D. Moskovits (eds.), Peru: Yavarí. Rapid Biological Inventories Report 11. The Field Museum, Chicago.

      Pitman, N. 2003. Panorama general de los resultados/Overview of results. Pages 33-39, 120-125 in Pitman, N., C. Vriesendorp & D. Moskovits (eds.), Peru: Yavarí. Rapid Biological Inventories Report 11. The Field Museum, Chicago.

      Pitman, N., J. Terborgh, M. P. Núñez V. & M. Valenzuela. 2003. Los árboles de la cuenca del río Alto Purús. Pages 53-61 in Leite Pitman, R., N. Pitman & P. Álvarez (eds.), Alto Purús: Biodiversidad, conservación y manejo. Center for Tropical Conservation, Lima.

      Pitman, N. 2003. Evaluación del paisaje, clima y suelos de la región del Alto Purús. Pages 31-36 in Leite Pitman, R., N. Pitman & P. Álvarez (eds.), Alto Purús: Biodiversidad, conservación y manejo. Center for Tropical Conservation, Lima.

      Pitman, N., J. Graham, J. Schunke Vigo, M.P. Núñez V., J. Terborgh & M. Valenzuela. 2003. La flora y vegetación de la cuenca del río Alto Purús. Pages 45-50 in Leite Pitman, R., N. Pitman & P. Álvarez (eds.), Alto Purús: Biodiversidad, conservación y manejo. Center for Tropical Conservation, Lima.

      Pitman, N., R. Borman A., D.K. Moskovits, R.S. Foster, T.S. Schulenberg, L.O. Rodríguez, J.M. Shopland & F. Campos. 2002. Panorama general de los resultados/Overview of results. Pages 21-38, 97-113 in Pitman, N., D. K. Moskovits, W. S. Alverson, & R. Borman A. (eds.), Ecuador: Serranías Cofán, Bermejo, Sinangoe. Rapid Biological Inventories Report 3. The Field Museum, Chicago.

      Pitman, N., R. Foster & R. Aguinda. 2002. Plantas endémicas/Endemic plants. Pages 62-65, 135-138 in Pitman, N., D.K. Moskovits, W.S. Alverson, & R. Borman A. (eds.), Ecuador: Serranías Cofán, Bermejo, Sinangoe. Rapid Biological Inventories Report 3. The Field Museum, Chicago.

      Pitman, N.C.A., J. Terborgh, P. Núñez & M. R. Silman. 2001. Especies arbóreas comunes de la parte baja de Madre de Dios, Perú. Pages 46-52 in Rodríguez, L. O. (ed.), El Manu y otras experiencias de investigación y manejo de bosques neotropicales. Proyecto Aprovechamiento y Manejo Sostenible de la Reserva de Biosfera y Parque Nacional del Manu (Pro-Manu), Lima.

      Pitman, N.C.A., M.J. Macía & H. Mogollón. 2001. Los árboles del Parque Nacional Yasuní. Pages 183-189 in Jorgenson, J.P., & M. Coello Rodríguez (eds.), Conservación y desarrollo sostenible del Parque Nacional Yasuní y su área de influencia. Memorias del Seminario-Taller 2001. Ministerio del Ambiente/UNESCO/Wildlife Conservation Society. Editorial Simbioe, Quito.

      Pitman, N., S. León-Yánez & R. Valencia. 2000. Formato del libro rojo. Pages 1-4 in Valencia, R., N. Pitman, S. León-Yánez, & P.M. Jørgensen (eds.). Libro rojo de las plantas endémicas del Ecuador 2000. Pontificia Universidad Católica del Ecuador, Quito.

      Pitman, N., S. León-Yánez & R. Valencia. 2000. Resumen de las categorías y criterios de la UICN. Pages 5-14 in Valencia, R., N. Pitman, S. León-Yánez, & P.M. Jørgensen (eds.). Libro rojo de las plantas endémicas del Ecuador 2000. Pontificia Universidad Católica del Ecuador, Quito.

      Pitman, N., R. Valencia & S. León-Yánez. 2000. Resultados. Pages 15-23 in Valencia, R., N. Pitman, S. León-Yánez, & P.M. Jørgensen (eds.). Libro rojo de las plantas endémicas del Ecuador 2000. Pontificia Universidad Católica del Ecuador, Quito.

      Pitman, N. 2000. Asclepiadaceae, Boraginaceae, Celastraceae, Cyperaceae, & Ebenaceae. Pages 90-94, 132-133, 167-168, 175-176, 177 in Valencia, R., N. Pitman, S. León-Yánez, & P.M. Jørgensen (eds.). Libro rojo de las plantas endémicas del Ecuador 2000. Pontificia Universidad Católica del Ecuador, Quito.

      First-authored policy papers:

      Pitman, N., G. Gagliardi Urrutia, & C. Jenkins. 2013. La biodiversidad de Loreto, Perú: El conocimiento actual de la diversidad de plantas y vertebrados terrestres. Center for International Environmental Law, Washington, DC. 39 pages.

      Pitman, N. 2011. Social and biodiversity impact assessment manual for REDD+ projects: Part 3 – Biodiversity impact assessment toolbox. Forest Trends, Climate, Community & Biodiversity Alliance, Rainforest Alliance and Fauna & Flora International, Washington, DC. 50 pages.

      Co-authored journal articles:

      Levis, C., & ~100 others. 2017. Persistent effects of pre-Columbian plant domestication on Amazonian forest composition. Science 355: 925-931.

      Levis, C., C. R. Clement, H. ter Steege, F. Bongers, A. Braga Junqueira, N. Pitman, M. Peña-Claros & F. R. C. Costa. 2017. Forest conservation: Humans' handprints. Science 355(6324): 466–467.

      Coelho de Souza, F., & 75 others. 2016. Evolutionary heritage influences Amazon tree ecology. Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences. doi: 10.1098/rspb.2016.1587

      Esquivel-Muelbert, A., & ~100 others. 2016. Seasonal drought limits tree species across the Neotropics. Ecography. 39: 1–12. doi: 10.1111/ecog.01904.

      ter Steege, H., R. W. Vaessen, D. Cárdenas-López, D. Sabatier, A. Antonelli, S. Mota De Oliveira, N. C. A. Pitman, P. M. Jørgensen, & R. P. Salomão. 2016. The discovery of the Amazonian tree flora with an updated checklist of all known tree taxa. Scientific Reports 6: article no. 29549. doi: 10.1038/srep29549.

      Johnson, M. O., & ~100 others. 2016. Variation in stem mortality rates determines patterns of above-ground biomass in Amazonian forests: Implications for dynamic global vegetation models. Global Change Biology 22(12): 3996-4013. doi: 10.1111/gcb.13315.

      ter Steege, H., N. C. A. Pitman, & ~150 others. 2015. Estimating the global conservation status of over 15,000 Amazonian tree species. **Science Advances **1(10): e1500936.

      Honorio Coronado, E. N., & ~50 others. 2015. Phylogenetic diversity of Amazonian tree communities.** Diversity and Distributions **DOI: 10.1111/ddi.12357.

      Slik, F., & ~100 others. 2015. How many tree species are there in the world's tropical forests? Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences 112(24): 7472-7477.

      Fauset, S., & ~100 others. 2015. Hyperdominance in Amazonian forest carbon cycling. Nature Communications 6: 6857. doi: 10.1038/ncomms7857

      Brienen, R., & 82 others. 2015. Long-term decline of the Amazon carbon sink. Nature 519: 344-348.

      Pos, E.T., & 19 others. 2014. Are all species necessary to reveal ecologically important patterns? Ecology and Evolution doi: 10.1002/ece3.1246

      Banin, L., S.L. Lewis, G. Lopez-Gonzalez, T.R. Baker, C.A. Quesada, K.-J. Chao, D.F.R.P. Burslem, R. Nilus, K. Abu Salim, H.C. Keeling, S. Tan, S. Davies, A. Monteagudo, R. Vásquez, J. Lloyd, D. Neill, N. Pitman, & O.L. Phillips. 2014. Tropical forest wood production: A cross-continental comparison.** Journal of Ecology **102: 1025-1037.

      Mitchard, E.T.A., & 78 others. 2014. Markedly divergent estimates of Amazon forest carbon density from ground plots and satellites. Global Ecology and Biogeography DOI: 10.1111/geb.12168

      Talbot, J., & 23 others. 2014. Methods to estimate aboveground wood productivity from long-term forest inventory plots.**Forest Ecology and Management **320: 30-38.

      Baker, T.R., & >50 others. 2014. Fast demographic traits promote high diversification of Amazonian trees. Ecology Letters DOI: 10.1111/ele.12252

      ter Steege, H., N.C.A. Pitman, & 118 others. 2013. Hyperdominance in the Amazonian tree flora. Science 342, 1243092. DOI: 10.1126/science.1243092

      Feldpausch, T. R., & 83 others. 2012. Tree height integrated into pantropical forest biomass estimates. Biogeosciences 9: 3381-3403.

      Laurance, W.G., & 220 others. 2012. Averting biodiversity collapse in tropical protected areas. Nature 489: 290-294.

      Malhado, A.C.M., Y. Malhi, R.J. Whittaker, R.J. Ladle, H. ter Steege, O. Phillips, W.F. Laurance, L.E.O.C. Aragão, N.C.A. Pitman, & H. Ramírez A. 2012. Drip-tips are associated with intensity of precipitation in Amazonian rainforest. Biotropica 44(6): 728-737. doi: 10.1111/j.1744-7429.2012.00868.

      Quesada, C. A., O.L. Phillips, M. Schwarz, C.I. Czimczik, T.R. Baker, S. Patiño, N.M. Fyllas, M.G. Hodnett, R. Herrera, S. Almeida, E. Alvarez Dávila, A. Arneth, L. Arroyo, K.J. Chao, N. Dezzeo, T. Erwin, A. di Fiore, N. Higuchi, E. Honorio Coronado, E.M. Jimenez, T. Killeen, A.T. Lezama, G. Lloyd, G. López-González, F.J. Luizão, Y. Malhi, A. Monteagudo, D.A. Neill, P. Núñez Vargas, R. Paiva, J. Peacock, M.C. Peñuela, A. Peña Cruz, N. Pitman, N. Priante Filho, A. Prieto, H. Ramírez, A. Rudas, R. Salomão, A.J.B. Santos, J. Schmerler, N. Silva, M. Silveira, R. Vásquez, I. Vieira, J. Terborgh & J. Lloyd. 2012. Basin-wide variations in Amazon forest structure and function are mediated by both soils and climate. Biogeosciences 9: 2203-2246.

      Norris, D., N.C.A. Pitman, J. Martínez González, E. Torres, F. Pinto, H. Collado, W. Concha, R. Thupa, E. Quispe, J. Pérez, and J.C. Flores del Castillo. 2011. Abiotic modulators of Podocnemis unifilis (Testudines: Podocnemididae) abundances in the Peruvian Amazon. Zoologia 28(3): 343-350.

      Fine, P., R. García, N. Pitman, I. Mesones & S. Kembel. 2010. A floristic study of the white-sand forests of Peru. Annals of the Missouri Botanical Garden 97: 283-305.

      Bass, M.S., M. Finer, C.N. Jenkins, H. Kreft, D.F. Cisneros-Heredia, S.F. McCracken, N.C.A. Pitman, P.H. English, K. Swing, G. Villa, A. Di Fiore, C.C. Voigt & T.H. Kunz. 2010. Global conservation significance of Ecuador's Yasuní National Park. PLoS ONE 5(1): e8767. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0008767

      Malhado, A.C.M., R.J. Whittaker, Y. Malhi, R.J. Ladle, H. ter Steege, O. Phillips, L.E.O.C. Aragão, T.R. Baker, L. Arroyo, S. Almeida, N. Higuchi, T.J. Killeen, A. Monteagudo, N.C.A. Pitman, A. Prieto, R.P. Salomão, R. Vásquez-Martínez, W.F. Laurance & H. Ramírez-Angulo. 2010. Are compound leaves an adaptation to seasonal drought or to rapid vertical growth? Evidence from the Amazon rainforest. Global Ecology and Biogeography 19: 852-862.

      Gloor, M. & 53 others. 2009. Does the disturbance hypothesis explain the biomass increase in basin-wide Amazon forest plot data? Global Change Biology 15: 2418-2430.

      Honorio Coronado, E.N., T.R. Baker, O.L. Phillips, N.C.A. Pitman, R.T. Pennington, R. Vásquez Martínez, A. Monteagudo, H. Mogollón, N. Dávila Cardozo, M. Ríos, R. García-Villacorta, E. Valderrama, M. Ahuite, I. Huamantupa, D.A. Neill, W.F. Laurance, H.E.M. Nascimento, S. Soares de Almeida, T.J. Killeen, L. Arroyo, P. Núñez & L. Freitas Alvarado. 2009. Multi-scale comparisons of tree composition in Amazonian terra firme forests. Biogeosciences 6: 2719-2731.

      Saatchi, S. & 23 others. 2009. Mapping landscape scale variations of forest structure, biomass, and productivity in Amazonia. Biogeosciences Discussions 6: 5461-5505.

      Phillips, O.L. & 64 others. 2009. Drought sensitivity of the Amazon rainforest. Science 323: 1344-1347.

      Patiño, S. & 62 others. 2009. Branch xylem density variations across the Amazon basin. Biogeosciences 6: 545-568.

      Baker, T.R., O.L. Phillips, W.F. Laurance, N.C.A. Pitman, S. Almeida, L. Arroyo, A. DiFiore, T. Erwin, N. Higuchi, T.J. Killeen, S.G. Laurance, H. Nascimento, A. Monteagudo, D.A. Neill, J.N.M. Silva, Y. Malhi, G. López Gonzalez, J. Peacock, C.A. Quesada, S.L. Lewis & J. Lloyd. 2009. Do species traits determine patterns of wood production in Amazonian forests? Biogeosciences 6: 297-307.

      Malhado, A.C.M., Y. Malhi, R.J. Whittaker, R.J. Ladle, H. ter Steege, L.E.O.C. Aragão, C.A. Quesada, A. Araujo-Murakami, O.L. Phillips, J. Peacock, G. Lopez-Gonzalez, T.R. Baker, N. Butt, L.O. Anderson, L. Arroyo, S. Almeida, N. Higuchi, T.J. Killeen, A. Monteagudo, D. Neill, N. Pitman, A. Prieto, R.P. Salomão, N. Silva, R. Vásquez-Martínez & W.F. Laurance. 2009. Spatial trends in leaf size of Amazonian rainforest trees. Biogeosciences 6: 1563-1576.

      Malhado, A.C.M., R.J. Whittaker, Y. Malhi, R.J. Ladle, H. ter Steege, L.E.O.C. Aragão, C.A. Quesada, A.M. Araujo, O.L. Phillips, J. Peacock, G. López-González, T.R. Baker, N. Butt, L.O. Anderson, L. Arroyo, S. Almeida, N. Higuchi, T.J. Killeen, A. Monteagudo, D.A. Neill, N.C.A. Pitman, A. Prieto, R.P. Salomão, N. Silva, R. Vásquez-M., W.F. Laurance, M.N. Alexiades & H. Ramírez A. 2009. Spatial distribution and functional significance of leaf lamina shape in Amazonian forest trees. Biogeosciences 6: 1577-1590.

      Guevara, J.E., N. Pitman, H. Mogollón & R. García. 2009. Adiciones a la flora de árboles de la baja Amazonía ecuatoriana. Cinchonia 9(2): 71-74.

      Guevara, J.E., N.C.A. Pitman, H. Mogollón, R. García-Villacorta, C.E. Cerón & W. Palacios. 2009. Variación florística en 23 parcelas de 1 ha en bosques de tierra firme en la Amazonía norte ecuatoriana. Cinchonia 9(2): 75-93.

      Terborgh, J., G. Núñez-Iturri, N.C.A. Pitman, F.H. Cornejo Valverde, P. Álvarez, V. Swamy, E.G. Pringle & C.E.T. Paine. 2008. Tree recruitment in an empty forest. Ecology 89(6): 1757-1766.

      Parmentier, I., Y. Malhi, B. Senterre, R.J. Whittaker, A.T.D.N., A. Alonso, M.P.B. Balinga, A. Bakayoko, F. Bongers, C. Chatelain, J.A. Comiskey, R. Cortay, M.-N. Djuikouo Kamdem, J.-L. Doucet, L. Gautier, W.D. Hawthorne, Y.A. Issembre, F.N. Kouamé, L.A. Kouka, M.E. Leal, J. Lejoly, S.L. Lewis, L. Nusbaumer, M.P.E. Parren, K.S.-H. Peh, O.L. Phillips, D. Sheil, B. Sonké, M.S.M. Sosef, T.C.H. Sunderland, J. Stropp, H. ter Steege, M.D. Swaine, M.G.P. Tchouto, B.S. van Gemerden, J.L.C.H. van Valkenburg & H. Wöll. 2007. The odd man out? Might climate explain the lower tree alpha-diversity of African rain forests relative to Amazonian rain forests? Journal of Ecology 95: 1058-1071. (authorship through collective author A.T.D.N.)

      Wright, I.J., D.D. Ackerly, F. Bongers, K.E. Harms, G. Ibarra-Manriquez, M. Martínez-Ramos, S.J. Mazer, H.C. Muller-Landau, H. Paz, N.C.A. Pitman, L. Poorter, M.R. Silman, C.F. Vriesendorp, C.O. Webb, M. Westoby & S.J. Wright. 2007. Relationships among key dimensions of plant trait variation in seven Neotropical forests. **Annals of Botany **99(5): 1003-1015.

      Emmons, L.H., P. Chatelet, L. Cournac, N.C.A. Pitman, V. Vilca V., L.F. del Aguila & M.A. Dubois. 2006. Seasonal change in leaf-area index at three sites along a South American latitudinal gradient. Ecotropica 12: 87-102.

      Malhi, Y., D. Wood, T.R. Baker, J. Wright, O.L. Phillips, T. Cochrane, P. Meir, J. Chave, S. Almeida, L. Arroyo, N. Higuchi, T.J. Killeen, S.G. Laurance, W.F. Laurance, S.L. Lewis, A. Monteagudo, D.A. Neill, P. Núñez Vargas, N.C.A. Pitman, C.A. Quesada, R. Salomão, J.N.M. Silva, A. Torres Lezama, J. Terborgh, R. Vásquez Martínez & B. Vinceti. 2006. The regional variation of aboveground live biomass in old-growth Amazonian forests. Global Change Biology 12(7): 1107-1138.

      ter Steege, H., N.C.A. Pitman, O.L. Phillips, J. Chave, D. Sabatier, A. Duque, J.-F. Molino, M.-F. Prévost, R. Spichiger, H. Castellanos, P. von Hildebrand & R. Vásquez. 2006. Continental-scale patterns of canopy tree composition and function across Amazonia. Nature 443: 444-447.

      Baker, T.R., O.L. Phillips, Y. Malhi, S. Almeida, L. Arroyo, A. Di Fiore, T. Killeen, S.G. Laurance, W.F. Laurance, S.L. Lewis, J. Lloyd, A. Monteagudo, D.A. Neill, S. Patiño, N.C.A. Pitman, N. Silva & R. Vásquez Martínez. 2004. Variation in wood density determines spatial patterns in Amazonian forest biomass. Global Change Biology 10: 545-562.

      Baker, T.R., O.L. Phillips, Y. Malhi, S. Almeida, L. Arroyo, A. Di Fiore, T. Erwin, N. Higuchi, T.J. Killeen, S.G. Laurance, W.F. Laurance, S.L. Lewis, A. Monteagudo, D.A. Neill, P. Núñez V., N.C.A. Pitman, J. Natalino M. Silva & R. Vásquez M. 2004. Increasing biomass in Amazonian forest plots. Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society of London, Series B. 359 (1443): 353-365.

      Malhi, Y., T.R. Baker, O.L. Phillips, J. Lloyd, S. Almeida, L. Arroyo, J. Chave, C.I. Czimczik, A. Di Fiore, N. Higuchi, T.J. Killeen, S.G. Laurance, W.F. Laurance, S.L. Lewis, L.M. Mercado, A. Monteagudo, D.A. Neill, S. Patiño, N.C.A. Pitman, C.A. Quesada, N. Silva, R. Vásquez Martínez & B. Vinceti. 2004. The above-ground coarse wood productivity of 104 lowland Neotropical forest plots. Global Change Biology 10: 563-591.

      Phillips, O., T. Baker, L. Arroyo, N. Higuchi, T. Killeen, W.F. Laurance, S.L. Lewis, J. Lloyd, Y. Malhi, A. Monteagudo, D. Neill, P. Núñez Vargas, N. Silva, J. Terborgh, R. Vásquez Martínez, M. Alexiades, S. Almeida, S. Brown, J. Chave, J.A. Comiskey, C.I. Czimczik, A. Di Fiore, T. Erwin, C. Kuebler, S.G. Laurance, H.E.M. Nascimento, J. Olivier, W. Palacios, S. Patiño, N. Pitman, C.A. Quesada, M. Saldias, A. Torres Lezama & B. Vinceti. 2004. Pattern and process in Amazon tree turnover, 1976-2001. Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society, Series B. 359 (1443): 381-408.

      ter Steege, H., N. Pitman, D. Sabatier, H. Castellanos, P. van der Hout, D.C. Daly, M. Silveira, O. Phillips, R. Vásquez, T. van Andel, J. Duivenvoorden, A.A. de Oliveira, R. Ek, R. Lilwah, R. Thomas, J. van Essen, C. Baider, P. Maas, S. Mori, J. Terborgh, P. Núñez Vargas, H. Mogollón & P.J. Horchler. 2003. A spatial model of tree alpha-diversity and density for the Amazon region. Biodiversity and Conservation 12: 2255-2276.

      Chave, J., H. Muller-Landau, R. Condit, N. Pitman, J. Terborgh, S.P. Hubbell, E.G. Leigh. 2002. Beta-diversity in tropical forests – response. Science297(5586): U1-U2.

      Condit, R., N. Pitman, E.G. Leigh, Jr., J. Chave, J. Terborgh, R.B. Foster, P. Núñez V., S. Aguilar, R. Valencia, G. Villa, H. Muller-Landau, E. Losos & S.P. Hubbell 2002. Beta-diversity in tropical forest trees. Science 295: 666-669. [Highlighted by Duivenvoorden, J.F., J.-C. Svenning & S.J. Wright. 2002. Beta diversity in tropical forests. Science 295: 636-637]

      Malhi, Y., O.L. Phillips, J. Lloyd, T. Baker, J. Wright, S. Almeida, L. Arroyo, T. Frederiksen, J. Grace, N. Higuchi, T. Killeen, W.F. Laurance, C. Leaño, S. Lewis, P. Meir, A. Monteagudo, D. Neill, P. Núñez Vargas, S.N. Panfil, S. Patiño, N. Pitman, C.A. Quesada, A. Rudas-Ll., R. Salomão, S. Saleska, N. Silva, M. Silveira, W.G. Sombroek, R. Valencia, R. Vásquez Martínez, I. Vieira & B. Vinceti. 2002. An international network to monitor the structure, composition and dynamics of Amazonian forests (RAINFOR). Journal of Vegetation Science 13(3): 439-450.

      Ruokolainen, K., H. Tuomisto, J. Vormisto & N. Pitman. 2002. Two biases in estimating range sizes of Amazonian plant species. Journal of Tropical Ecology 18: 935-942.

      Webb, C.O., & N.C.A. Pitman. 2002. Phylogenetic balance and ecological evenness. Systematic Biology 51(6): 898-907.

      Burnham, R.J., N.C.A. Pitman, K.R. Johnson & P. Wilf. 2001. Habitat-related error in estimating temperatures from leaf margins in a humid tropical forest. American Journal of Botany 88(6): 1096–1102.

      Co-authored book chapters:

      Guevara, J. E., H. Mogollón, N. C. A. Pitman, C. Cerón, W. A. Palacios & D. A. Neill. 2017. A floristic assessment of Ecuador's Amazon tree flora. Pp. 27–52 in R. W. Myster, ed., Forest structure, function and dynamics in Western Amazonia. John Wiley & Sons, Chichester.

      Torres-Montenegro, L. A., A. A. Barona-Colmenares, N. Pitman, M. A. Ríos Paredes, C. Vriesendorp, T. J. Mori Vargas & M. Johnston. 2016. Vegetación/Vegetation. Pp. 92–101, 276–284, and 372–431 in N. Pitman, A. Bravo, S. Claramunt,
 C. Vriesendorp, D. Alvira Reyes, A. Ravikumar, Á. del Campo, D. F. Stotz, T. Wachter, S. Heilpern, B. Rodríguez Grández,
 A. R. Sáenz Rodríguez & R. C. Smith, eds. Perú: Medio Putumayo-Algodón. Rapid Biological and Social Inventories Report 28. The Field Museum, Chicago.

      Ríos Paredes, M. A., L. A. Torres-Montenegro, A. A. Barona-Colmenares, C. Vriesendorp & N. Pitman. 2016. Flora/Flora. Pp. 101–109, 284–291, and 372–431 in N. Pitman, A. Bravo, S. Claramunt,
 C. Vriesendorp, D. Alvira Reyes, A. Ravikumar, Á. del Campo, D. F. Stotz, T. Wachter, S. Heilpern, B. Rodríguez Grández,
 A. R. Sáenz Rodríguez & R. C. Smith, eds. Perú: Medio Putumayo-Algodón. Rapid Biological and Social Inventories Report 28. The Field Museum, Chicago.

      Vriesendorp, C., N. Pitman, D. Alvira Reyes, A. A. Barona-Colmenares, A. Bravo, S. C. Londoño, Á. del Campo, D. Lizcano, J. Markel, M. A. Ríos Paredes & R. Stallard. 2016. Panorama regional y descripción de los sitios de los inventarios biológico y social/Regional panorama and overview of biological and social inventory sites. Pp. 69–79, 255–264, and 362–365 in N. Pitman, A. Bravo, S. Claramunt,
 C. Vriesendorp, D. Alvira Reyes, A. Ravikumar, Á. del Campo, D. F. Stotz, T. Wachter, S. Heilpern, B. Rodríguez Grández,
 A. R. Sáenz Rodríguez & R. C. Smith, eds. Perú: Medio Putumayo-Algodón. Rapid Biological and Social Inventories Report 28. The Field Museum, Chicago.

      Torres Montenegro, L., T. Mori Vargas, N. Pitman, M. Ríos Paredes, C. Vriesendorp & M.K. Johnston. 2015. Vegetación y flora/Vegetation and flora. Pages 96–109, 278­–289, 376–419 in N. Pitman, C. Vriesendorp, L. Rivera Chávez, T. Wachter, D. Alvira Reyes, Á. del Campo, G. Gagliardi-Urrutia, D. Rivera González, L. Trevejo, D. Rivera González & S. Heilpern (eds.), Perú: Tapiche-Blanco. Rapid Biological and Social Inventories Report 27. The Field Museum, Chicago.

      Vriesendorp, C., N. Pitman, D. Alvira Reyes, R.F. Stallard, T. Crouch & B. O'Shea. 2015. Resumen de los sitios del inventario biológico y social/Overview of biological and social inventory sites. Pages 71–80, 255–263, 372–373 in N. Pitman, C. Vriesendorp, L. Rivera Chávez, T. Wachter, D. Alvira Reyes, Á. del Campo, G. Gagliardi-Urrutia, D. Rivera González, L. Trevejo, D. Rivera González & S. Heilpern (eds.), Perú: Tapiche-Blanco. Rapid Biological and Social Inventories Report 27. The Field Museum, Chicago.

      Vriesendorp, C., N. Pitman & J. Homan. 2014. Panorama regional/Regional panorama. Pages 71–78, 267–273, and 398–401 in N. Pitman, C. Vriesendorp, D. Alvira, J.A. Markel, M. Johnston, E. Ruelas Inzunza, A. Lancha Pizango, G. Sarmiento Valenzuela, P. Álvarez-Loayza, J. Homan, T. Wachter, Á. del Campo, D. F. Stotz & S. Heilpern (eds.), Perú: Cordillera Escalera-Loreto. Rapid Biological and Social Inventories Report 26. The Field Museum, Chicago.

      Neill, D., I. Huamantupa, C. Kajekai & N. Pitman. 2012. Vegetation and flora. Pages 242-250 in N. Pitman, E. Ruelas I., D. Alvira, C. Vriesendorp, D. K. Moskovits, Á. del Campo, T. Wachter, D. F. Stotz, S. Noningo S., E. Tuesta C. y/and R. C. Smith, eds. Perú: Cerros de Kampankis. Rapid Biological and Social Inventories Report 24. The Field Museum, Chicago.

      García-Villacorta, R., I. Huamantupa, Z. Cordero, N. Pitman, & C. Vriesendorp. 2011. Flora y vegetación/Flora and vegetation. Pages 86-97, 211-221 in Pitman, N., C. Vriesendorp, D.K. Moskovits, R. von May, D. Alvira, T. Wachter, D.F. Stotz, & A. del Campo (eds.), Perú: Yaguas-Cotuhé. Rapid Biological and Social Inventories Report 23. The Field Museum, Chicago.

      León, B., N. Pitman & J. Roque. 2006. Introducción a las plantas endémicas del Perú. [An introduction to Peru's endemic plants.] Revista Peruana de Biología Número especial 13(2): 9s-22s.

      Phillips, O. L., & 32 others. 2005. Late twentieth-century patterns and trends in Amazon tree turnover. Pages 107-128 in Y. Malhi & O. Phillips (eds.), Tropical forests and global atmospheric change. Oxford University Press.

      Vriesendorp, C., N. Pitman, R. Foster, I. Mesones & M. Ríos. 2004. Plants/Plantas. Pages 54-61, 141-147 in Pitman, N., R.C. Smith, C. Vriesendorp, D. Moskovits, R. Piana, G. Knell & T. Wachter (eds.), Perú: Ampiyacu, Apayacu, Yaguas, Medio Putumayo. Rapid Biological Inventories Report 12. The Field Museum, Chicago.

      Leite Pitman, R., & N. Pitman. 2003. Hacia un futuro sostenible para la Zona Reservada del Alto Purús: Un plan integral para proteger sus comunidades biológicas y sus poblaciones indígenas en aislamiento voluntario, en colaboración con las comunidades indígenas en la zona de influencia. [Towards a sustainable future for the Alto Purús Reserved Zone: A comprehensive plan to protect biological communities and uncontacted indigenous groups in cooperation with indigenous communities in the buffer zone.] Pages 255-269 in Leite Pitman, R., N. Pitman & P. Álvarez (eds.), Alto Purús: Biodiversidad, conservación y manejo. Center for Tropical Conservation, Lima.

      Foster, R., & N. Pitman. 2002. Flora y vegetación/Flora and vegetation. Pages 47-62, 122-135 in Pitman, N., D.K. Moskovits, W.S. Alverson, & R. Borman A. (eds.), Ecuador: Serranías Cofán, Bermejo, Sinangoe. Rapid Biological Inventories Report 3. The Field Museum, Chicago.

      Terborgh, J., N. Pitman, M. Silman, H. Schichter & P. Núñez V. 2002. Maintenance of tree diversity in tropical forests. Pages 1-17 in D.J. Levey, W. Silva, & M. Galetti (eds.), Seed dispersal and frugivory: Ecology, evolution and conservation. CAB International, Oxford University Press, Oxford.

      Nicolalde, F., & N. Pitman. 2000. Clusiaceae. Pages 169-170 in Valencia, R., N. Pitman, S. León-Yánez, & P.M. Jørgensen (eds.). Libro rojo de las plantas endémicas del Ecuador 2000. Pontificia Universidad Católica del Ecuador, Quito.

      Books and theses:

      Pitman, N., A. Bravo, S. Claramunt, C. Vriesendorp, D. Alvira Reyes, A. Ravikumar, Á. del Campo, D. F. Stotz, T. Wachter, S. Heilpern, B. Rodríguez Grández, A. R. Sáenz Rodríguez & R. C. Smith, eds. 2016. Perú: Medio Putumayo-Algodón. Rapid Biological and Social Inventories Report 28. The Field Museum, Chicago. 522 pages.

      Pitman, N., C. Vriesendorp, L. Rivera Chávez, T. Wachter, D. Alvira Reyes, Á. del Campo, G. Gagliardi-Urrutia, D. Rivera González, L. Trevejo, D. Rivera González & S. Heilpern (eds.). 2015. Perú: Tapiche-Blanco. Rapid Biological and Social Inventories Report 27. The Field Museum, Chicago. 508 pages.

      Pitman, N., C. Vriesendorp, D. Alvira, J.A. Markel, M. Johnston, E. Ruelas Inzunza, A. Lancha Pizango, G. Sarmiento Valenzuela, P. Álvarez-Loayza, J. Homan, T. Wachter, Á. del Campo, D.F. Stotz & S. Heilpern (eds.). 2014. Perú: Cordillera Escalera-Loreto. Rapid Biological and Social Inventories Report 26. The Field Museum, Chicago. 544 pages.

      Pitman, N., E. Ruelas Inzunza, C. Vriesendorp, D.F. Stotz, T. Wachter, A. del Campo, D. Alvira, B. Rodríguez Grández, R.C. Smith, A.R. Sáenz Rodríguez, & P. Soria Ruiz (eds.). 2013. Perú: Ere-Campuya-Algodón. Rapid Biological Inventories Report 25. The Field Museum, Chicago. 404 pages.

      Pitman, N., E. Ruelas I., D. Alvira, C. Vriesendorp, D. K. Moskovits, Á. del Campo, T. Wachter, D. F. Stotz, S. Noningo S., E. Tuesta C. y/and R. C. Smith, eds. 2012. Perú: Cerros de Kampankis. Rapid Biological and Social Inventories Report 24. The Field Museum, Chicago. 452 pages.

      Pitman, N., C. Vriesendorp, D. K. Moskovits, R. von May, D. Alvira, T. Wachter, D.F. Stotz, & A. del Campo (eds.). 2011. Perú: Yaguas-Cotuhé. Rapid Biological and Social Inventories Report 23. The Field Museum, Chicago. 378 pages.

      Pitman, N., M. Loyola, K. Salas, G. Vigo & D. Lutz. 2005. Bibliografía verde de Madre de Dios, version 4.1. [A bibliography of texts written about biology and conservation in Madre de Dios, Peru.] Asociación para la Conservación de la Cuenca Amazónica. Puerto Maldonado, Peru. 213 pages. (Accessible on the web at http://atrium.andesamazon.org/biblio)

      Pitman, N., R.C. Smith, C. Vriesendorp, D. Moskovits, R. Piana, G. Knell & T. Wachter (eds.). 2004. Peru: Ampiyacu, Apayacu, Yaguas, Medio Putumayo. Rapid Biological Inventories Report 12. The Field Museum, Chicago. 273 pages. [A new protected area, the 400,000-ha Ampiyacu-Apayacu Regional Conservation Area, was established three years after publication of this report.]

      Pitman, N., C. Vriesendorp & D. Moskovits (eds.). 2003. Peru: Yavarí. Rapid Biological Inventories Report 11. The Field Museum, Chicago. 282 pages.

      Pitman, N., D.K. Moskovits, W.S. Alverson, & R. Borman A. (eds.). 2002. Ecuador: Serranías Cofán, Bermejo, Sinangoe. Rapid Biological Inventories Report 3. The Field Museum, Chicago. 226 pages. [A new protected area, the 50,000-ha Reserva Ecológica Cofanes de Bermejo, was established less than a month after publication of this report.]

      Pitman, N.C.A. 2000. A large-scale inventory of two Amazonian tree communities. Ph.D. dissertation, Duke University, Durham.

      Pitman, N.C.A. 1993. Size and shape of leaves in a lowland tropical forest in Panama. Undergraduate thesis, Princeton University, Princeton.

      León-Yánez, S., R. Valencia, N. Pitman, L. Endara, C. Ulloa Ulloa & H. Navarrete (eds.). 2011. Libro rojo de las plantas endémicas del Ecuador, 2a edición. [Red book of Ecuador’s endemic plants, 2d edition.] Herbario QCA, Pontificia Universidad Católica del Ecuador, Quito.

      León, B., J. Roque, C. Ulloa Ulloa, N. Pitman, P.M. Jørgensen & A. Cano (eds.). 2006. Libro rojo de las plantas endémicas del Perú [Red book of Peru’s endemic plants]. Revista Peruana de Biología 13(2): 1-976.

      Vriesendorp, C., N. Pitman, J.I. Rojas Moscoso, L. Rivera Chávez, L. Calixto Méndez, M. Vela Collantes & P. Fasabi Rimachi (eds.). 2005. Perú: Matsés. Rapid Biological Inventories Report 16. The Field Museum, Chicago. 336 pages. [A new protected area, the 421,000-ha Reserva Natural Matsés, was established four years after the publication of this report.]

      Leite Pitman, R., N. Pitman & P. Álvarez (eds.). 2003. Alto Purús: Biodiversidad, conservación y manejo. Center for Tropical Conservation, Lima. 350 pages. [Two new protected areas, the 2.5 million-ha Parque Nacional Alto Purús and the 200,000-ha Reserva Comunal Alto Purús, were established a year after publication of this book.]

      Valencia, R., N. Pitman, S. León-Yánez, & P.M. Jørgensen (eds.). 2000. Libro rojo de las plantas endémicas del Ecuador 2000 [Red book of Ecuador’s endemic plants 2000]. Pontificia Universidad Católica del Ecuador, Quito. 489 pages. [Reviewed by Daly, D.C. 2002. A wealth of endemic species with poor prospects. Conservation Biology 16(4): 1168.]