Diversity of Life and the 'Paradox of Sex'
Published:04 Aug.2021 Source:University of Arizona
There are huge differences in species numbers among the major branches of the tree of life. Some groups of organisms have many species, while others have few. For example, animals, plants and fungi each have over 100,000 known species, but most others -- such as many algal and bacterial groups -- have 10,000 or less.
A new University of Arizona-led study, published in the Proceedings of the Royal Society B, tested whether sexual reproduction and multicellularity might help explain this mysterious pattern. "We wanted to understand the diversity of life," said paper co-author John Wiens, a professor in the Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology. "Why are most living things animals, plants and fungi?"