Why Are There So Many Species? Chaos Is An Important Factor For Biodiversity

Arthur T Knackerbracket has processed the following story:

Scientists at the University of Cologne and the University of Osnabruck have demonstrated for the first time, in biological systems with a single species, that chaos-like unpredictable dynamics can arise under completely constant external conditions. Such dynamics, for example fluctuations in population density, occur even without interactions with the environment or other species.

This may explain why such an enormous diversity of species has evolved on our planet. If, contrary to earlier assumptions, different species and evolutionary lineages are subject to irregular chaotic dynamics in and of themselves, they never encounter each other at the same time with the same number of individuals. Since direct competition among species thus becomes rare, they can coexist and evolve for much longer time periods. The current study has appeared in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS).

Biodiversity refers to the variety of life at all levels, from genes to entire ecosystems. It encompasses evolutionary, ecological, and cultural processes. It is not just about species we consider rare, threatened or endangered, but about all living things-from humans to organisms we know little about, such as microorganisms, fungi, and small invertebrates.

Biodiversity is an essential part of our lives. In addition to maintaining the stability of our own habitat, it also contributes to the fulfillment of many basic human needs, including as food, and serves as a supplier of energy or as a basis for medicines. In addition, biodiversity is important for pollination and seed dispersal and for controlling agricultural pests.

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