The Birds and the Bees: Integrating Other Organisms

Abstract

Ecological landscapes are full of life. The myriad organisms that inhabit living soil are just the beginning. Spores settle on every leaf. Insects crawl along stems, while birds hop, strut, and chatter. Animals, like plants, have diversified to inhabit most every climate. They have further diversified to exploit different plants in each environment, and even different parts of those plants, and also other animals. This explains why, if we accept Robert May's (2000) estimates of the number of species on Earth, there are 300,000 plants and more than five million animals. Most of these animals are insects, and most of them have yet to be identified.