Jahresbericht 2009-2010 - Senckenberg

In touch with
life: Organismic
diversity and
evolution
The diversity of the Earth’s living organisms knows no bounds.
To date, about two million fauna and flora species have been
described, but many more remain undiscovered or have yet
to be documented by scientists. Deep sea studies show that
up to 90 percent of organisms found in the oceans are unknown.
And it is estimated that numerous species become
extinct each day without ever having been discovered and
described by science. Senckenberg researchers thus focus
much of their work on documenting organismic diversity.
This goes way beyond collecting and describing new species,
taking in the evolutionary interrelationships, and the position
and function of organisms in the Earth’s ecosystems. The
following highlights some of this work.
Nicht farbecht: der Frosch
Diasporus citrinobapheus –
neu entdeckt von
Senckenberg-Wissenschaftlern
in Panama.
16
20
Senckenberg Researchers on
Species Diversity
The Jumping Cockroach from
Table Mountain
// Recently discovered
by Senckenberg scientists
in Panama: Diasporus
citrinobapheus.
24
Ida: Fascinating fossil
from Messel Pit
Copyright: Andreas Hertz