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Identifying new species at Open House
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May 28, 2008
One of the biggest challenges facing scientists trying to keep tabs on the number of animal and plant species threatened with extinction on Earth is figuring out just how many species there were originally.
Elizabeth Elle, an SFU plant evolutionary ecologist and associate chair of the biology department, will lead visitors at the department’s booth during SFU’s May 31 Open House on a ‘bioblitz’ of Burnaby Mountain. Students, faculty and other volunteers will start combing Burnaby Mountain for unidentified species at 7 p.m. on Friday, May 30 and wrap up their inventory at 7 p.m. on Open House day.
Elle is available now and during the Open House to talk about the importance of getting a handle on just how many species there are right in our backyard, never mind around the world. “We estimate that more than two-thirds of the species on Earth are not identified,” says Elle. “We may have more than 20 million species, but only about two million have been identified. Scientists discover about 10,000 new species a year and yet we are likely losing that many, primarily due to human activities.”
During a ‘bioblitz’ of Burnaby Mountain, seven years ago, researchers and community members identified more than 500 species living on the mountain.
Saturday’s ‘bioblitz’ participants will learn what organisms make SFU their home and gain some insight into how global warming is threatening with extinction major groups of animals, such as the polar bear.
Elizabeth Elle, (North Van resident), 778.782.4592, elizabeth_elle@sfu.ca
Elizabeth Elle, an SFU plant evolutionary ecologist and associate chair of the biology department, will lead visitors at the department’s booth during SFU’s May 31 Open House on a ‘bioblitz’ of Burnaby Mountain. Students, faculty and other volunteers will start combing Burnaby Mountain for unidentified species at 7 p.m. on Friday, May 30 and wrap up their inventory at 7 p.m. on Open House day.
Elle is available now and during the Open House to talk about the importance of getting a handle on just how many species there are right in our backyard, never mind around the world. “We estimate that more than two-thirds of the species on Earth are not identified,” says Elle. “We may have more than 20 million species, but only about two million have been identified. Scientists discover about 10,000 new species a year and yet we are likely losing that many, primarily due to human activities.”
During a ‘bioblitz’ of Burnaby Mountain, seven years ago, researchers and community members identified more than 500 species living on the mountain.
Saturday’s ‘bioblitz’ participants will learn what organisms make SFU their home and gain some insight into how global warming is threatening with extinction major groups of animals, such as the polar bear.
Elizabeth Elle, (North Van resident), 778.782.4592, elizabeth_elle@sfu.ca