![]() A new species is assigned to a genus based on its relatedness to other organisms. Scientific naming follows certain rules or conventions. When a new species is discovered, it is given a name. Nick Pyenson and colleagues discovered that the diversity of sea cow species used to be higher on Earth. The study of fossils reveals new species from the past that are now extinct. Carole Baldwin continues to encounter new species of fish. Using submersibles to study deep coral reefs, Icthyologist Dr. Terry Erwin and colleagues discovered 177 species of parasitic wasps. Jonathan Coddington and colleagues published the discovery of the largest web-spinning spider ( Nephila komaci) in the world in 2009. New species are still being discovered, for example by scientists from the Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History. An "endemic" species occurs in a particular area and nowhere else. Scientists race to catalog species before they go extinct. Current estimates are of about 10 million species on Earth, of which only about 1.9 million have been named and catalogued. ![]() We are still learning about how many species exist and how they relate to each other and their environment. An individual of a species can reproduce successfully, creating viable offspring, only with another member of that species. Each species is a group of organisms with unique characteristics. They include bacteria, protozoa, fungi, flowering plants, ants, beetles, butterflies, birds, fishes, and large animals such as elephants, whales, and bears. Species come in all shapes and sizes, from organisms so small they can only be seen with powerful microscopes to huge redwood trees. Changes at one level can cause changes at other levels. Each is important, interacting with and influencing others. In fact, these levels cannot be separated. Scientists often speak of three levels of diversity: species, genetic, and ecosystem diversity. Biodiversity changes over time as extinction occurs and new species evolve. ![]() All species, including human beings, are intricately linked by their interactions with each other and the environments they live in.īiodiversity - short for biological diversity - is the variety of all living things and their interactions. Millions of species inhabit land, freshwater, and ocean ecosystems. Wilson, the noted biologist and author who coined the term “biodiversity,” explains it as “the very stuff of life.”įor at least 3.8 billion years, a complex web of life has been evolving on Earth. Biodiversity is the extraordinary variety of life on Earth - from genes and species to ecosystems and the valuable functions they perform.
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