Biologists find one new species in Norway every single day
How many animals and plants can you name? No matter how good you are, you can definitely not be everyone. Many thousands have not yet been found.
Most likely you can not even tell the difference between a dandelion and a dandelion.
According to Store norske leksikon, we have 370 dandelion species in Norway. About 90 of them are described in the Species Data Bank.
But biologists know there are many, many more. Dozens of varieties appear when they check the DNA profile of the beautiful and troublesome yellow flowers.
But where should the line go for what is a new species?
Scientists do not know yet. But they know that the species are adapted to life exactly where they live, and they know that Norway will be a little poorer as the varieties disappear. But to keep up with what is going on, they must first know what is here.
The plant kingdom is one of the kingdoms they know most about. Nevertheless, it is assumed that we have only found just over half of the species. We have just begun to reveal the fungi and amoebas.
3750 new species since 2011
In recent years, there has been a huge effort to reveal Norwegian nature. Biologists have estimated that as many as 25,299 of the species living in Norway have not yet been discovered. As many as 35 percent of the species the researchers believe live here.
Through three-year projects, groups of biologists have been looking for new species since 2009, on behalf of the Species Data Bank. Recently, they released one updated overview about how many species there are in Norway and what we know about them, including what The Species Databank’s own «Species project» has revealed.
Since the first reports in the Species Project came in 2011, 3750 new species have been revealed. There’s almost one new art every day!
Full DNA overview of nature?
Project manager Stine Svalheim Markussen says it will take many years to reveal all Norwegian species:
– New species appear every year. The number depends on the type of habitat being studied and the groups of species being searched for. And just as important as finding the species, is to increase knowledge about the art diversity in Norway – where in the country the species are found and what habitats they live in, she says.
As an important part of the art search, the researchers are building a library of DNA barcodes. The goal is to eventually get a full DNA overview of what is found in Norwegian nature. Many species look very similar, and can only be distinguished by DNA mapping.
The frost bell moss has been found in Jotunheimen and on Svalbard.
Large coral mushroom. There are more species in the genus in Norway than previously thought.
The researchers decided to pay tribute to Artbanken by naming a new slug. It was named «Jorunna speciesdatabankia».
Knows seven out of 500 amoebas
It is often not particularly large species that are searched for. It is rare for a new mammal or bird to be added to listen. The last new mammal was the golden jackal that was set in Finnmark in 2020.
Climate change means that new fish and birds are appearing more and more often. But in order for them to be classified as «Norwegian», it must be documented that they have come here on their own, without human help, and clearer and survive and reproduce here.
Most new finds are in large, and poorly mapped groups such as insects and fungi. Since 2009, biologists have discovered 2,000 wasps and tusks, and 700 new species of fungi, but they know there are still thousands left to uncover.
In the more unknown the Protocol there are even bigger knowledge gaps. This kingdom gathers thousands of single-celled decomposers and slime molds. Many hundreds of slime fungi have not been discovered, and of Norway’s estimated 500 amoebas, the researchers have found seven species, or approx. one percent.
– We know a lot about mammals, fish, birds and amphibians. But otherwise we have large knowledge gaps. Not least in the sea, there is a lot to discover. Our knowledge of algae and marine animals is actually very small, says Stine Svalheim Markussen.
Small darlings can be extremely important
– Many of the strangers are so small that we never see them. Why is it important to know that they exist?
– The small, unknown species also have their role to play in the ecosystem, and are therefore important. Without it being possible to know it today, for example, species may also become of great importance to us humans in the future. For example, they may be important in medicine, technology or food production.
– What can happen if we eradicate them, maybe even before we have discovered them?
– Species diversity is important for a robust ecosystem. We do not have enough knowledge about the function of these species in ecosystems to know what happens if they become extinct. But that is precisely why we should be careful, so that all species, including the unknown, stay with us.