Which domain has the greatest diversity?

[Avery07]

This has to be the most demoralizing question I've asked in some time but.. Which domain has the greatest diversity?

This is Bacteria, right? (I have lousy nay-saying sources which suggest to me otherwise)

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[Erhatstil]

i would say eukarya. the number of plants and protista are endless

 

[Avery07]

i would say eukarya. the number of plants and protista are endless

Compared to the bacteria though? I think that would be false..

I mean, think about it. Bacteria have been around since the beginning of life. Eukaryotes evolved from Bacteria. 2 billion years after the first Bacteria for that matter..

You don't really notice their diversity because they're not in front of your eyes but IMO, these guys are everywhere and should take home the diversity prize. Eukaryotes are pretty new species in the grand scheme of things.

 

[Erhatstil]

you've got a point, plus there are probably tons of undiscovered bacteria as well. but i suppose the same goes for plants and protista, new species are always being uncovered. maybe we'll get an expert to chime in on the thread. good topic

 

[Knadian]

I may argue eukaryotes. Consider the vast diversity of beetles, for example, then, widen your gaze to insects in general.

 

[Avery07]

This just in:

There are 40 million bacterial cells in a single gram of soil
There are 1 million bacterial cells in a single milliliter of freshwater
There are 5 nonillion (5x10^30) bacteria on Earth
(granted this is # organisms, not species)

I believe there are about 250,000 species of beetles on earth.


But alas, I am wrong:

Group and Number of Species
Higher plants - 270,000
Algae - 40,000
Fungi - 72,000
Bacteria (including cyanobacteria) - 4,000
Viruses - 1,550
Mammals - 4650
Birds - 9700
Reptiles - 7150
Fish - 26,959
Amphibians - 4,780
Insects - 1,025,000
Crustaceans - 43,000
Molluscs - 70,000
Nematodes and worms - 25,000
Protozoa - 40,000
Others - 110,000

Eukaryotes bring home the money. Though their recent origin compared to bacteria does have me confused as to how they achieved this..

 

[dentalWorks]

its bacteria...

when they talk about diversity, they dont' just mean "number of species"... they are talking about metabolism... bacteria has pretty much EVERY KIND OF METABOLISM that exists

they can live in extream heat, super pH's, some do autotrophic-photosynthsis other do organotrophic-potosynthesis, some are lithotrophs while others are organotrophs..... bacteria is most diverse

 

[Avery07]

its bacteria...

when they talk about diversity, they dont' just mean "number of species"... they are talking about metabolism... bacteria has pretty much EVERY KIND OF METABOLISM that exists

they can live in extream heat, super pH's, some do autotrophic-photosynthsis other do organotrophic-potosynthesis, some are lithotrophs while others are organotrophs..... bacteria is most diverse

Phhhhhhhhh...


Now I don't know what to think... I'm jumping back on the Bacteria idea. I knew something was fishy..

 

[Knadian]

This just in:

There are 40 million bacterial cells in a single gram of soil
There are 1 million bacterial cells in a single milliliter of freshwater
There are 5 nonillion (5x10^30) bacteria on Earth
(granted this is # organisms, not species)

I believe there are about 250,000 species of beetles on earth.


But alas, I am wrong:

Group and Number of Species
Higher plants - 270,000
Algae - 40,000
Fungi - 72,000
Bacteria (including cyanobacteria) - 4,000
Viruses - 1,550
Mammals - 4650
Birds - 9700
Reptiles - 7150
Fish - 26,959
Amphibians - 4,780
Insects - 1,025,000
Crustaceans - 43,000
Molluscs - 70,000
Nematodes and worms - 25,000
Protozoa - 40,000
Others - 110,000

Eukaryotes bring home the money. Though their recent origin compared to bacteria does have me confused as to how they achieved this..

I was fairly certain the question was asking about # of species within the domain. Dentalworks has a different take on it, however, and it makes sense as well, so I suppose you're no better off

 

[Frederico Albin]

I would say bacteria also. To add to what dentalworks said... bacteria also are able to exchance their DNA by horizontal gene transfer (In bacteria more known as conjugation). This creates SO much diversity its not even funny. Making some of them resistant to antibiotics and stuff... I wont even go there lol

 

[Erhatstil]

i doubt something this arbitrary would be asked on a DAT. i know viruses are "non living" but i wonder how many there are. anyone know??

 

[MatthewLeeDDS]

Think of just the last 60 years and how bacterial species have responded to penicillin. Bacteria have the ability to adapt to new antibiotics in a matter of years, creating new hardy species that withstand just about anything. Bacteria have given us ways to study evolution within our lifetime, showing how new species can form right before our eyes. Not to mention these little guys have been on earth for billions of years. We find them in the most insane places that typical eukaryotic life cannot, and probably never will not, live. That's diversity if you ask me. I really don't see any way that the answer is not bacteria.

Diversity is not just sheer number. If I have a bag full of 1000 green marbles and a second bag with 1 green, 1 yellow and 1 red marble, then it's my second bag that has the greatest diversity even though it has 997 fewer marbles than the first.

 

[Avery07]

i doubt something this arbitrary would be asked on a DAT. i know viruses are "non living" but i wonder how many there are. anyone know??

It was actually for an exam I had this morning lol.. Lucky me the question was not asked.