One trillion species residing on Earth: Study

[Kim Philby]

The Earth could contain nearly one trillion species, of which 99.999 per cent are yet to be discovered, says a study based on the largest analysis of microbial data.

The findings suggest that only one-thousandth of one per cent of all the species have been identified till now.

“Estimating the number of species on Earth is among the great challenges in biology,” said one of the study authors Jay Lennon from Indiana University in Bloomington, Indiana.

The scientists combined microbial, plant and animal datasets from government, academic and citizen science sources, resulting in the largest compilation of its kind.

Altogether, these data represent more than 5.6 million microscopic and non-microscopic species from 35,000 locations across all the world’s oceans and continents, except Antarctica.

“Our study combines the largest available datasets with ecological models and new ecological rules for how biodiversity relates to abundance. This gave us a new and rigorous estimate for the number of microbial species on Earth,” Lennon explained.

The estimate, based on universal scaling laws applied to large datasets, appeared in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences .

“Until recently, we’ve lacked the tools to truly estimate the number of microbial species in the natural environment. The advent of new genetic sequencing technology provides a large pool of new information,” Lennon added.

Microbial species are forms of life too small to be seen with the naked eye, including single-celled organisms such as bacteria and archaea, as well as certain fungi.IANS

http://www.thehindu.com/todays-pape...es-residing-on-earth-study/article8632784.ece

@ranjeet @Skull and Bones @Rain Man @Levina @anant_s

 

[anant_s]

The Earth could contain nearly one trillion species, of which 99.999 per cent are yet to be discovered, says a study based on the largest analysis of microbial data.

The findings suggest that only one-thousandth of one per cent of all the species have been identified till now.

“Estimating the number of species on Earth is among the great challenges in biology,” said one of the study authors Jay Lennon from Indiana University in Bloomington, Indiana.

The scientists combined microbial, plant and animal datasets from government, academic and citizen science sources, resulting in the largest compilation of its kind.

Altogether, these data represent more than 5.6 million microscopic and non-microscopic species from 35,000 locations across all the world’s oceans and continents, except Antarctica.

“Our study combines the largest available datasets with ecological models and new ecological rules for how biodiversity relates to abundance. This gave us a new and rigorous estimate for the number of microbial species on Earth,” Lennon explained.

The estimate, based on universal scaling laws applied to large datasets, appeared in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences .

“Until recently, we’ve lacked the tools to truly estimate the number of microbial species in the natural environment. The advent of new genetic sequencing technology provides a large pool of new information,” Lennon added.

Microbial species are forms of life too small to be seen with the naked eye, including single-celled organisms such as bacteria and archaea, as well as certain fungi.IANS

http://www.thehindu.com/todays-pape...es-residing-on-earth-study/article8632784.ece

@ranjeet @Skull and Bones @Rain Man @Levina @anant_s

Its the bio diversity that allows life to continue on the planet and unfortunately it is also true that each day we loose 3 species of flora and fauna. The loss is probably the greatest danger to future of mankind, for we still dont understand the complex interwoven balance and role each speice plays in structure of nature as we see.

 

[Levina]

And we are loosing so many of them in daily basis.
Can you believe it in one study of just 19 trees in Panama, 80% of the 1200 beetle species discovered were previously unknown to science.
Isn't it unfortunate that we have a better understanding of the number of stars in the galaxy and not of the species of animals on earth?

 

[Stephen Cohen]

I was once watching a Discovery programme on the World's Oceans

A scientist was saying that we know more about Outer space than
compared to the LIFE forms in the earth's Oceans

 

[livingdead]

And we are loosing so many of them in daily basis.
Can you believe it in one study of just 19 trees in Panama, 80% of the 1200 beetle species discovered were previously unknown to science.
Isn't it unfortunate that we have a better understanding of the number of stars in the galaxy and not of the species of animals on earth?

do we really need 1200 beetle species?...

 

[Moon]

@Penguin
Just imagine all the undiscovered types of bacteria and micro-organism.
Bio-diversity at it's finest.

 

[Strigon]

Idk about 99.99% still waiting to be discovered, seems a little exaggerated. But I am no bio scientist either.

 

[war&peace]

do we really need 1200 beetle species?...

It is not about what we need but what is out there

If this study is accepted scientifically, It will hurt those scientist the most, who claim Earth does not have a special place...it is just an ordinary planet among trillions of planets orbiting their stars. The Earth has a trillion species and they can't find a single virus on Mars or elsewhere. That is perplexing and speaks volumes over volumes about how special the Earth is the game plaan of this universe....it is NOT an insgnificant planet.

 

[Levina]

do we really need 1200 beetle species?...

What do you think???

These number of species would not have evolved if they were not needed in the ecosystem they live in.
These species would have been terminated by the process of extinction (natural extinction I meant).

 

[Sparkle229]

What if there is a new species of lion tiger etc

 

[for truth]

And we are loosing so many of them in daily basis.
Can you believe it in one study of just 19 trees in Panama, 80% of the 1200 beetle species discovered were previously unknown to science.
Isn't it unfortunate that we have a better understanding of the number of stars in the galaxy and not of the species of animals on earth?

in one of the documentaries, they said that we know more about the outer space than we know about the species living in deep seas, and still around 90% of the living things in seas are unknown to mankind.

 

[AUz]

And homo sapiens rule em all!

Humans are awesome. We've won the evolutionary struggle of life.

 

[Hamza913]

What if there is a new species of lion tiger etc

Possible, but unlikely considering how big those animals can get.

 

[Sparkle229]

Possible, but unlikely considering how big those animals can get.

But what if there is a animal which is from the species of dinosaurs

 

[Hamza913]

But what if there is a animal which is from the species of dinosaurs

Again, possible, but unlikely.

Although, many scientists consider birds to be modern day dinosaurs.