by From the depths of the Amazon rainforest to the deserts of Antarctica, there are still big unanswered questions about life on Earth. We asked leading scientists and conservationists: what’s the one thing you’d like to know about the planet that’s still a mystery?
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How many species are there on Earth?
“How many different animal species do we share the planet with? Estimates range from as little as 3 million to as many as 100 million, and there is little sign that we are converging on an answer yet.”
• Dr Andy Purvis is a researcher at the Natural History Museum and co-author of the 2019 UN global assessment of the planet
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I would go back 540m years to see the ‘biological big bang’
“As an evolutionary biologist, I would love a time machine to go back to the Cambrian explosion [when most major animal groups first appeared in the fossil record] to find out why the rapid rise of most animal groups resulted from this short period, and why some like trilobites [extinct marine arthropods] didn’t last.”
• Evolutionary biologist Dr Corrie Moreau an expert on ants in Cornell University’s Moreau lab
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Could some of the smallest forms of life help avert a climate crisis?
“Just as humans rely on our gut microbiome for good digestive health, the dirt beneath our feet contains countless bacteria, fungi and viruses that affect the health of the soil and the plants that grow in it. Because most of these organisms cannot be cultivated in the laboratory, little is known about their ecology. But the presence of specific microbes can help trees grow up to three times faster. Could these ‘good microbes’ be some of our best allies in fighting climate change and promoting food security?”
• Dr. Bonnie Waring is a senior lecturer at the Grantham Institute at Imperial College London
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What is the total biodiversity of the rainforests of the Amazon or Congo basin?
“I would love to understand the total diversity in a tiny area of tropical rainforest – like 100 by 100 metres: how many species live there or pass through it, what interactions they have with each other, how old they are, where did they come from. , what they are doing. Apart from the scientific insights this would give us, I hope this would help convince people of the true complexity and value of ecosystems built up over thousands of years – and that size is always a better option to protect what we have left is to destroy what we have left and try to restore it later.”
• Dr Alexandre Antonelli is director of science at the Royal Botanic GardensKew
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How do animals influence the functioning of the Earth?
“How do animals shape the look and function of ecosystems? We know they do it in some well-publicized ways such as pollination or seed dispersal, but there are many subtle ways – such as nutrient cycling, selective eating of plants, complex webs of predators and prey – that are not so bad. understand but always wonder. Just last month, I learned that spiders determine where plants grow and ecosystems recover after a volcanic eruption by capturing seeds in their webs. And ultimately, how much impact does this animal have on a biome or global level? How much do animals shape the workings of planet Earth?”
• Yadvinder Malhi is professor of ecosystem science at the University of Oxford
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What will happen to the Gulf Stream?
“If I knew one thing that is uncertain right now, it is if, and if so when, the Gulf Stream will suddenly stop, completely changing Europe’s climate, causing a drastic drop in temperature – with potentially catastrophic impacts. on water and food security – while the rest of the planet is suffering from human-caused climate change.”
• Sir Robert Watson one of the UK’s leading climate scientists
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Do universal rules govern how plants and animals develop?
“Organisms from very different ancestries (both animals and plants) seem to follow a limited number of general ‘styles’. What are the simple general rules that govern the way they are put together, and what makes some of these styles so much more successful on Earth than others? And if there are such rules, are they the same for animals and plants?”
• Sandra Myrna Diaz is a professor of ecology at the National University of Cho Córdoba in Argentina
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How many people could support the Earth?
“The one thing I want to know is how many more people the Earth can accommodate. At the current rate, it will only take 10 years to add another 1 billion people to the planet. We are already seeing the devastating impact of unsustainable human population growth, as more and more people destroy beautiful habitats for food and other basic needs leading to climate change and more frequent outbreaks of zoonotic diseases and pandemics. If we are able to live in balance, health and harmony with nature, how many more people will the Earth be able to serve?”
• Dr Gladys Kalema-Zikusoka Uganda was the first a wildlife vet and conservation pioneer
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Which species will adapt to the climate crisis – and which will not?
“What are the limits of species adaptation and why? We know that the climate is changing and that species are adapting but we don’t understand what the limits are and why they change. Which species will not adapt quickly enough and at what point? Which will adapt and flourish – and what determines these responses? What can we as a society do to help species adapt? These are fundamental questions, the answers to which will determine what the natural world will look like in the future, but will also provide deep insight into how biology works and develops.”
• Sir Patrick Vallance former chief scientific adviser to the UK government and chairman of the board of trustees of the Natural History Museum
