Scientists have identified and named over one million animal species, but there are millions more yet to be discovered across Earth’s seven continents. But which continent has the most animal species?
For hundreds of years, scientists have been classifying and geolocating organisms around the world. Before the digital age, most information about organism distribution came from museum collections. Vitor PiacentiniOrnithologist at the Federal University of Mato Grosso in Brazil, Mr. Now, ordinary people are also contributing to the effort.
A “revolution” has taken place in citizen science over the past 20 years, with “scientists using their own data to fill in the gaps,” Piacentini told Live Science.
Using this information, scientists can map the distribution of species around the world. In the late 1980s, scientist Norman Myers coined the term “Biodiversity Hotspots“It refers to a place where the number of species is abnormally large relative to the area. 36 Hotspots Around the world, most of the landmasses lie across the equator and have warm, humid climates.
The reason is not only related to animals but also to plants: “Plants are the basis of species.” Barnabas Dalle“If there’s a higher diversity of plants in a place, it makes it easier for other organisms that depend on those plants to become more abundant,” the Stanford University applied ecologist told Live Science.
Related: Which group of animals has the most species?
Plants can live in a variety of environments, but most plants thrive in warm, humid places. Humidity and warmth work together to provide essential moisture. Warm air traps water molecules, creating moisture. Warmth is also good for many microorganisms, especially decomposers, which break down dead matter that plants gather for nutrients.
Plus, the insects that pollinate many flowering plants are adapted to warmer climates because they can’t regulate their own body temperatures, and more insects in the tropics means more plant pollination and more food for hungry predators, Dal says.
But Piancentini points out that other factors are also at play. To support many species, continents must offer a variety of habitats, not just tropical conditions. Places with high biodiversity have lots of potential niches for animals to live in, Piancentini says. For example, tall trees and high mountains create vertical changes in temperature, light and topography, allowing more creatures to coexist without competing for the same resources and habitat.
Based on these factors and estimates using museum and citizen science data, most scientists agree that South America has the greatest number of animal species. From the Amazon rainforest, with its four tree layers for animals to live in, to the Andes mountains, with their dozens of different microclimates, South America has the perfect combination of heat and topography. “It all combines,” Piancentini says. “And that’s why South America is so rich in biodiversity.” [that it does]”
However, South America’s biodiversity may not always have been as rich as it is today. deforestationmercury mining and Climate ChangeSouth America’s animals face more threats than ever before, but there are still opportunities to mitigate the damage.
“We will certainly lose many species,” Piacentini said, “but every effort we make to reduce the impact will be a big win for us.”
