Biodiversity : so much more than legs and leaves

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Authors

Cowan, Don A.
Rybicki, Edward P.
Tuffin, Marla I.
Valverde, Angel
Wingfield, Michael J.

Journal Title

Journal ISSN

Volume Title

Publisher

AOSIS Open Journals

Abstract

Microorganisms inhabit virtually every possible niche on Earth, including those at the outer envelope of survival. However, the focus of most conservation authorities and ecologists is the ‘legs and leaves’ side of biology – the ‘macrobiology’ that can be seen with the naked eye. There is little apparent concern for the preservation of microbial diversity, or of unique microbial habitats. Here we show examples of the astounding microbial diversity supported by South Africa’s ecosystems and argue that because microbes constitute the vast majority of our planet’s species they should be considered seriously in the future protection of our genetic resources.

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Keywords

Bacteria, Endemism, Fungi, Genetic resources, Viruses

Sustainable Development Goals

Citation

Cowan DA, Rybicki EP, Tuffin MI, Valverde A, Wingfield MJ. Biodiversity: So much more than legs and leaves. S Afr J Sci. 2013;109(11/12), Art. #a0037, 9 pages. http://dx.DOI.org/ 10.1590/sajs.2013/a0037