How many species inhabit the planet?

ELKCHSR

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I've mentioned before that these boards could be a great place to help educate, possibly find new species or species lost to science with the amount of field time our outdoorsmen and women spend out side every year.

Budgets are always tight for the "ologists" and I think some of their arrogance is losing valuable research that could be added to their data bases for free, and a little bit of their time.

Ornithologists and star gazers utilize this avenue all the time and it is successful to an extent. These people have a love for seeing some thing new that do find a good number of new discoveries or happen across lost ones.

On the other hand, is it just the fact that it would ruin some individuals high held belief they are the only ones in the world who can be of use in these avenues, and only if government dollars are spent in the process?

But who am I to bring new ideas (or possibly old ones) to the table that could be a very valuable resource to help in finding and cataloging more plants and animals that are waiting to be found seeing as I haven't went to the "right schools" to some or taken the same classes as others? :)


How many species inhabit the planet?
By Ed Stoddard

JOHANNESBURG (Reuters) - Scientists and policy makers who want to slow the rate at which species are being lost face a conundrum: No one knows how many different plants and animals there are.

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"Some people who study insects think there may be as many as 100 million species out there," said Jeff McNeely, the chief scientist at the World Conservation Union.

"But if you took a poll of biologists, I think most would say there are somewhere around 15 million," he told Reuters by telephone from the organization's Swiss headquarters.

According to the Collins English Dictionary, a species is "a class of plants or animals whose members have the same main characteristics and are able to breed with each other."

The conundrum will hang over a U.N. conference in Brazil next week where experts will discuss ways to slow the loss of species. The United Nations agreed in 2002 to reduce the rate at which animals and plants are disappearing by 2010.

"The implication of not knowing exactly how many species there are is that we can't tell if we are actually making progress on the 2010 target," said McNeely.

WHAT WE KNOW, WHAT WE DON'T

What we know is that around 1.7 million plant and animal species have been identified and named by scientists.

There are probably few large mammals on land left to be discovered although new deer and wild pig species were found in Vietnam in the 1990s in a region that had been heavily bombed by the United States during the war between the two countries.

Most birds have been named although new ones do crop up occasionally and a few "extinct" ones, such as the famed ivory-billed woodpecker of the U.S. South, have reappeared.

Biologists say there are still many plant, insect and fish species that have yet to be named.

"In southern Africa, there are between 3,000 and 4,000 described spiders. I would estimate this is less than 50 percent of what there is in the region," said John Leroy, co-author with his wife of a field guide to spiders in southern Africa.

Underscoring the apparent ubiquity of unnamed creatures, Leroy says unknown spiders could even be lurking in gardens.

"In Johannesburg, you could easily find a new species in your backyard, if you knew what to look for," he said, adding that new information on species had been collected, but much of it was gathering dust in laboratories.

The dearth of knowledge about species numbers stems in part from the fact that there are only so many qualified scientists out there who can actually name a new plant or animal. And many of those who are qualified focus on known species.

LOST WORLDS

The uncertainty also highlights the fact that we have not explored the planet as thoroughly as a modern atlas may suggest.

Scientists said last month they had found a "Lost World" in an Indonesian mountain jungle, home to dozens of exotic new species of birds, butterflies, frogs and plants.

"Every expedition that goes into a place that hasn't been examined before finds new species," said McNeely.

So is there any scientific consensus on these issues?

Scientists agree on the sobering fact that most species that walked, crawled, swam or flew at some point are now extinct.

"There are millions of different species of animals and plants on earth -- possibly as many as 40 million. But somewhere between 5 and 50 billion species have existed at one time or another," writes paleontologist David Raup in his book "Extinction: Bad Genes or Bad Luck?."

"Thus, only about 1 in 1,000 species is still alive -- a truly lousy survival record; 99.9 percent failure!"

Scientists also agree that current extinction rates are far higher than "natural" ones because of human activities such as pollution, habitat destruction, and greenhouse gas emissions that have been linked to climate change.

But pinning down precise extinction rates is impossible when so many species have not yet been described by science.

A new housing development in Johannesburg could sound the death knell for an unknown butterfly restricted to a small area. Or a piece of Brazilian rainforest could get chopped down and a species of toad could become extinct as a result.

Some number-crunching has been done for known species.

According to the World Conservation Union, more than 800 plant and animal species have become extinct since 1500, when accurate historical and scientific records began.

Critics, who say environmentalists are being alarmist, would point out that this is less than 0.05 percent of known species.

About one-third of described amphibian species are endangered compared to about 12 percent of bird and 23 percent of mammal species.

Scientists say other measurements can also be used.

"What we can measure is how hard we are trying. Measures of effort may be a more useful indicator than estimated rates of species loss," said McNeely. "For example, we can measure the number of new protected areas being established and ask if they have sufficient budgets."
 
What?

You're now thinking you are finding new species in Anaconda?

What are you talking about? You make no sense.

Name an 'oligist that you think is arrogant.

I have a suggestion, just say what you think in plain English instead of trying to sound smart.

Whats your point?
 
ELKCHSR said:
I've mentioned before that these boards could be a great place to help educate, possibly find new species or species lost to science with the amount of field time our outdoorsmen and women spend out side every year.

On the other hand, is it just the fact that it would ruin some individuals high held belief they are the only ones in the world who can be of use in these avenues, and only if government dollars are spent in the process?

But who am I to bring new ideas (or possibly old ones) to the table that could be a very valuable resource to help in finding and cataloging more plants and animals that are waiting to be found seeing as I haven't went to the "right schools" to some or taken the same classes as others? :)

Alreay happening here. I have folks stop in all the time with information. Also have lots of volunteers that help out with grouse and raptors. Some of these folks I solicit, while others come to me. If you want to help, visit some of your local land and wildlife agencies. Just a few minutes talking with some of the 'ologists should give you an idea of needs and how you may be able to help.

I wouldn't suggest you go in to USFWS and show them some of the bull trout you have been monitoring however. ;) :D
 
"I wouldn't suggest you go in to USFWS and show them some of the bull trout you have been monitoring however."

Good one Craig!

Ken,

Like the new sig....checkout my new one.
 
LOL Craig, Ken, Robert, Paul... :)

I've been on that avenue already, turning in two wolf sightings and a few GPS readings on tracks, and one set of Wolverine tracks I found in the snow on one of the mountains out here and an actual sighting by Jackson Mt. when I first moved out here.

These are the obvious things a person can do because the signs are so apparent to any one looking.

I thought about that really hard Robert, I'm not interested in becoming a professional, I like to stumble on things as I go, plus the field of knowledge one needs to know is so large that it would be impossible to learn every thing enough to be that effective as an individual in a life time.

That’s why I ask some of the questions from a host of "ologists" verse sticking with one.

Matter of fact, my professional passions are in different venues, (most bird watchers aren't actual paid Ornithologists, or star gazers are professional Astronomers).

Moreover, even people in the same studies know different things about the same topics, (hence the general reason for conferences, or the need to search out the opinions of more than one doctor in the same type practice for some reasons). That’s why I e-mail and talk to a number of people beyond this board, I always get a more positive response on queries and questions... ;) :)
 
Washington Hunter said:
BHR, are you suggesting that NHY is a geezer? :eek:

...'fraid so WH, but the only time I slow down is to let you younguns catch up. :D
Paul, I likey the new sig. :cool:
Marv, is that gay cabellero(sp.) slang? :D
 
mtmiller said:
I wouldn't suggest you go in to USFWS and show them some of the bull trout you have been monitoring however. ;) :D

I spit soda all over my monitor laughing at that one. :p

And he probably shouldn't take the pictures of the tiger trap / Meth Lab holes he has been digging out in the forrest and covering with branches.

Cheese said:
I'm not interested in becoming a professional, I like to stumble on things as I go, plus the field of knowledge one needs to know is so large that it would be impossible to learn every thing enough to be that effective as an individual in a life time.
I am guessing most of your life is the result of stumbling. Do you really think that the purpose of college is to learn everything you need to be effective as an individual?
 
I am guessing most of your life is the result of stumbling. Do you really think that the purpose of college is to learn everything you need to be effective as an individual?

And he probably shouldn't take the pictures of the tiger trap / Meth Lab holes he has been digging out in the forrest and covering with branches.

:D:D:D ??? What does this have to do with the topic guner/sybil, you have a problem staying focused??? :D:D:D
 

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