Bio 105 29 January 2004

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Bio 105 29 January 2004

• Scientific classification
• Describing and naming species
• How many species are there?
• Group exercise
• number of described species
• estimates of number of undescribed species
• Overview of global patterns of diversity
• What does species diversity mean?
• Why does it matter? applications

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Scientific Classification

• Kingdom    Phylum (plural phyla)       Class
           Order             Family
                 Genus (plural genera)
                       Species

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TERMS

• Systematics
• Classification
• Taxonmy

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Describing and Naming Species
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How many species on Earth?

• Work in groups of 2-3
• Use your best information to come up with an
  estimate of total number of species.
• Record your number on Excel spreadsheet.

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Species diversity of major groups of organisms

• Described of species
• Estimated of species
• How are estimates calculated?

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1.65 million described species
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Methods for estimating total species diversity

• Extrapolation from expert estimates and rates of
  species descriptions
• (e.g. Wilson)

• Extrapolation from thorough collection of one
  taxon at one site
• (e.g. Erwin)

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Extrapolation from diversity of one taxon at one
site

• Technique developed by Terry Erwin of Smithsonian
  Institution
• Used canopy fogging technique on Luehea seemannii
  in Panama
• Found 1200 total beetles
• Knew that 162 were specific to Luehea

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Assumptions

• 50,000 tropical tree species, each w/ 162
  host-specialist beetles 8 x 106 beetle species
• Canopy beetles are 40 of all canopy arthropods
  8 x 106 x 2.5 20 x 106 canopy arthopods
• 2x as many canopy as ground arthropod species,
  add another 10 x 106 ground arthropods
• 10 x 106 10 x 106
  30 x 106 total arthopod
  species

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Global species diversity

• We dont know the actual of species
• best guesses vary by an order of magnitude
• Cost of describing species
• Cost of not describing species