Among the most famous anecdotes in biology relates that the Archbishop of Canterbury (or some scholarly cleric) asked the witty English biologist J. B. S. Haldane "What can we learn about the Creator from looking at the Creation [Nature]? To which Haldane succinctly replied: "An inordinate fondness for beetles." Not knowing that, at over 300,000, there are more species of beetles than any other earthly macro-taxonomic group, the Archbishop probably missed the wit and humor of Haldane's quip.
A spectacular array of living other living things inhabits this planet. Estimates for the total number of species on Earth range from 1.5 million to 30 million. In 2005, I published a book called "Biodiversity: Przewalski's Horse, Edna's Trillium, The Giant Squid, and Over 1.5 Million Other Species." In it, I attempted my on take of organizing and explaining the biodiversity found on this planet.
This is the first installation of a blog on the subject of biodiversity. I hope to periodically update this site with sketches on species, ecology, and natural processes.
Next up: Edna's Trillium (Trillium persistens).
No comments:
Post a Comment