Newly described species are increasing in pace

The number of species being newly described to science is accelerating, pushing the predicted number of total species on the planet higher than previous estimates. In a study published recently in Science Advances, researchers found that about 16,000 new species were described from 2015 to 2020. This number included 10,000 animals—mostly arthropods—2,500 plants and 2,000 fungi. “These thousands of newly found species each year are not just microscopic organisms but include insects, plants, fungi and even hundreds of new vertebrates,” said John Wiens, an ecology professor at the University of Arizona. Naming new species is important because it can help bring formal protection to imperiled organisms. “Documentation is the first step in conservation—we can’t safeguard a species from extinction if we don’t know it exists,” Wiens said.

Read more at The University of Arizona News.