408 new species have been described (10% of the fauna previously known), mostly in South America and Asia, in areas with rapid habitat destruction
Although it seems that not even new species are being discovered. In fact, it is considered this time in biology " new era of discovery. " Recently the discovery of new species has increased our knowledge of biodiversity on earth and have been instrumental in the understanding of ecosystems and the provision that they provide goods and services. In a recent paper, Ceballos and Ehrlich studied the discoveries of new mammal species, one of the groups living better known and more charismatic. Although one might think that "all" species of mammals are already known, the authors report that since 1993, 408 new species have been described (10% of the fauna previously known). Most of the new species have been described in South America and Asia. Although most of the discoveries are concentrated in the American tropics, new species of mammals have been found in the temperate zones of Chile (mostly rodents such as Octodon pacifus found only on Isla Mocha), Argentina, Alaska and United together. A substantial number of new species persist in areas with rapid habitat destruction. With this, the authors show that the diversity of animal species has been underestimated even well studied taxa, implying that there is still urgent to explore, understand and conserve the planet's biodiversity.
Source:
Ceballos, G., & Ehrlich, P. (2009). Discoveries of new mammal species and Their Implications for conservation and Ecosystem services Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 106 (10), 3841-3846 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.0812419106
(Octodon degu ) Photo: Wikimedia Commons
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