Species Diversity

About 85% of Canada’s wild species fall into one of the four popular, though not necessarily evolutionarily correct, groupings (vertebrates, plants & fungi, invertebrates I, invertebrates II). For each major group, the names of some common or recognizable members are provided, along with the number of described species (red bars), the estimated number of as yet undescribed species (black bars), and the proportion of the group ranked in this report (green bars). Most of the species considered in this first report are vertebrates, the most familiar and conspicuous of species. The total number of described vertebrates in Canada (approx. 1 800) is included in each panel of the figure (blue bars) to allow comparison across the very different scales. For example, the “ants, bees, wasps” bar is more than three times longer than the vertebrates bar of that panel, indicating that this one insect group alone numbers over 6 000 described species. Interestingly, insects and fungi alone make up almost 60% of the described species in Canada. Although this report covers a large number of species, the figure makes clear that there is still much to do in order to get a more complete picture of the state of Canada’s species. This report is an essential first step in clarifying the state of what is known and the dimensions of the challenge that will inform future efforts.

Note: Numbers of species in each group are drawn principally from Mosquin, T. and P.G. Whiting, 1992. Canada Country Study of Biodiversity: Taxonomic and Ecological Census, Economic Benefits, Conservation Costs, and Unmet Needs. Draft report for delegations to the International Convention on Biological Diversity, Brazil, 1992. Ottawa: Canadian Museum of Nature.