You may have heard that there are many undiscovered plants and animals sharing our planet with us, particularly in rainforests and other regions where travel is complicated. But, did you know that we have a long way to go before discovering and naming all the creatures dwelling in the world’s seas and oceans? A new study estimates that between one-third and two-thirds of the 700,000 to one million species living in marine environments have yet to be discovered.
Life in the Age of Discovery
People have been discovering and naming new species forever. Today, though, easier access to remote regions topside and underwater is aiding researchers in discovering new species at an unprecedented pace. In fact, scientists are describing as many as 2,000 previously undiscovered marine species annually. Marine biologists, including those working for the Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission of UNESCO, are hard at work in an effort to find new marine species. Though the newest figure is much more conservative than previous estimates, which had conjectured that there could be as many as ten million or more marine species, an emphasis on accuracy will aid conservationists in focusing effort where it is needed most.
In all, the study counted approximately 400,000 described marine species, although about forty percent of those had been scientifically described more than once, and had been given multiple scientific names. Amazingly, once duplicates were eliminated, researchers were left with approximately 226,000 marine species, with the list including approximately 200,000 animal species, 7600 plant species, and over 1,000 fungi species.
The study estimates that between 482,000 and 741,000 marine species have yet to be found and scientifically described. Most are thought to be mollusks, crustaceans, and other small organisms, including phytoplankton; however, experts predict that science has yet to describe as many as eight species of dolphins and whales, along with approximately ten reptile species, including sea snakes.
Researchers are quick to point out that the fundamental question of how many unnamed, undescribed marine species remain is important, yet that the question itself is not the most important aspect of the equation – it’s having the knowledge that so many species are still undescribed that is most significant. Knowing new species exist places a stronger focus on the importance of marine conservation, and it highlights the importance of preserving biodiversity.
Scientists warn that our planet is losing biodiversity at a rate approximately one thousand times greater than it should be, and that amounts to a hemorrhaging of known and unknown species. Finding new species and discovering what their role is amounts to an important first step in the process of making decisions about how best to proceed with marine conservation efforts.
The greatest challenge, though, lies not in finding new species and giving them names. Instead, it lies in preserving threatened ecosystems. Without protection, we could lose countless species before we discover them, along with many species that have already been named. With protection, scientists will be better equipped not only to make new marine life discoveries, but to learn what role each species plays in supporting the web of life we all are a part of.