Relative ranking of the Daintree Rainforest Observatory (DRO) plots (1 ha averages) (large closed diamonds), Cape Tribulation, Australia in stem density (a), species richness (b), and Fisher’s alpha diversity indices (c), compared with selected tropical rainforest 1-ha monitoring plots in Australasia (including Papua New Guinea) (closed diamond) Southeast Asia (closed circles), Africa (squares), Central America (open triangles) and South America (closed triangles). Fisher’s alpha diversity takes into account the density of stem per species. For each graph, the highest and lowest sites are indicated (COR: Corcovado, Costa Rica; CUY: Cuyabeno, South America; GUN: Gunung Mulu, Southeast Asia; LOP: Lopé, Africa; MAN: Manaus, Brazil; NOA: Noah Creek, Australia). The data was compiled from