--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Each of these [bacterial] species are…" description: "\"Each of these [bacterial] species are masterpieces of evolution. Each has persisted for thousands to millions of years. Each is exquisitely adapted to ..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7bf/e-o-wilson-1348_adapted_each-of-these-bacterial-species-are-mast_1047978.jpg" --- # Each of these \[bacterial\] species are masterpieces of… ![“Each of these [bacterial] species are masterpieces of evolution. Each has persisted for thousands to millions of years. Each is exquisitely adapted to the environment in which it lives, interlocked with other species to form ecosystems upon which our own lives depend in ways we have not begun even…” quote by E. O. Wilson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7bf/e-o-wilson-1348_adapted_each-of-these-bacterial-species-are-mast_1047978.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7bf/e-o-wilson-1348_adapted_each-of-these-bacterial-species-are-mast_1047978.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7bf/e-o-wilson-1348_adapted_each-of-these-bacterial-species-are-mast_1047978.jpg) > “Each of these \[bacterial\] species are masterpieces of evolution. Each has persisted for thousands to millions of years. Each is exquisitely adapted to the environment in which it lives, interlocked with other species to form ecosystems upon which our own lives depend in ways we have not begun even to imagine.” [E. O. Wilson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/e-o-wilson/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Bacterial species are evolutionary masterpieces, intricately adapted and essential to ecosystems we barely comprehend. **In simple terms:** Bacteria are vital, evolved wonders. Key Takeaway Appreciate and protect microbial diversity. Themes biology ecosystems evolution Mood educational reverent Type scientific inspirational When to use this quote - healthcare - conservation - agriculture Key Concepts science environmentalism Questions to Reflect On - How do microbes shape our daily lives? - What actions protect microbial ecosystems? A Different Perspective Microbial complexity can be overlooked, leading to misguided policies. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Bacteria](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/bacteria/) [Biology](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/biology/) [Ecosystems](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ecosystems/) [Environment](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/environment/) [Evolution](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/evolution/) [Inspiration](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/inspiration/) [Masterpiece](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/masterpiece/) [Motivation](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/motivation/) ## Related quotes > [“One bacterial species stood out, both for its protective powers and for its colour: blackish-purple, ominous but darkly beautiful. It was called Janthinobacterium lividum.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ed-yong/one-bacterial-species-stood-out-both-for-its-protective-powers-and/) [Ed Yong](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ed-yong/) > [“No one knows the number of bacterial species. About 5,000 species have been characterized and another 10,000 have been partially identified. Biodiversity authority Edward…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-e-maczulak/no-one-knows-the-number-of-bacterial-species-about-5-000-species-have/) [Anne E. Maczulak](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-e-maczulak/) > [“Sixty years on, we know that HGT is one of the most profound aspects of bacterial life. It allows bacteria to evolve at blistering…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ed-yong/sixty-years-on-we-know-that-hgt-is-one-of-the-most-profound-aspects/) [Ed Yong](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ed-yong/) > [The flu can definitely set you up for bacterial pneumonias.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-a-offit/the-flu-can-definitely-set-you-up-for-bacterial-pneumonias/) [Paul A. Offit](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-a-offit/) > [You think of yourselves as human beings, but I think of you as 99 percent bacterial.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bonnie-bassler/you-think-of-yourselves-as-human-beings-but-i-think-of-you-as-99/) [Bonnie Bassler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bonnie-bassler/) > [Where there's water on Earth, you find life as we know it. So if you find water somewhere else, it becomes a remarkable draw…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-degrasse-tyson/where-there-s-water-on-earth-you-find-life-as-we-know-it-so-if-you/) [Neil deGrasse Tyson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-degrasse-tyson/) > [“Once you go bacterial, you never go back…”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edgar-swamp/once-you-go-bacterial-you-never-go-back/) Edgar Swamp > [The big question that scientists haven't even begun to get an answer for is how many species of microorganisms are there? Now, this is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/e-o-wilson/the-big-question-that-scientists-haven-t-even-begun-to-get-an-answer/) [E. O. Wilson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/e-o-wilson/) > [Most people are surprised when they hear my somber figures: we know of 2 million species of plants, animals and microorganisms, and we can…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/e-o-wilson/most-people-are-surprised-when-they-hear-my-somber-figures-we-know-of/) [E. O. Wilson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/e-o-wilson/) > [Look closely at nature. Every species is a masterpiece, exquisitely adapted to the particular environment in which it has survived. Who are we to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/e-o-wilson/look-closely-at-nature-every-species-is-a-masterpiece-exquisitely/) [E. O. Wilson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/e-o-wilson/) > [No one knows the diversity in the world, not even to the nearest order of magnitude. ... We don't know for sure how many…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/e-o-wilson/no-one-knows-the-diversity-in-the-world-not-even-to-the-nearest-order/) [E. O. Wilson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/e-o-wilson/) > [It may be argued that to know one kind of beetle is to know them all. But a species is not like a molecule…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/e-o-wilson/it-may-be-argued-that-to-know-one-kind-of-beetle-is-to-know-them-all/) [E. O. Wilson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/e-o-wilson/) > [There are millions and millions of species, including organisms most people have never heard of. There is so much that waits to be told.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/e-o-wilson/there-are-millions-and-millions-of-species-including-organisms-most/) [E. O. Wilson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/e-o-wilson/) > [When you get into the whole field of exploring, probably 90 percent of the kinds of organisms, plants, animals and especially microorganisms and tiny…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/e-o-wilson/when-you-get-into-the-whole-field-of-exploring-probably-90-percent-of/) [E. O. Wilson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/e-o-wilson/) > [Human existence may be simpler than we thought. There is no predestination, no unfathomed mystery of life. Demons and gods do not vie for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/e-o-wilson/human-existence-may-be-simpler-than-we-thought-there-is-no/) [E. O. Wilson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/e-o-wilson/) ## More by E. O. Wilson > [Without a trace of irony I can say I have been blessed with brilliant enemies. I owe them a great debt, because they redoubled…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/e-o-wilson/without-a-trace-of-irony-i-can-say-i-have-been-blessed-with-brilliant/) [E. O. Wilson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/e-o-wilson/) > [It's always been a dream of mine, of exploring the living world, of classifying all the species and finding out what makes up the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/e-o-wilson/it-s-always-been-a-dream-of-mine-of-exploring-the-living-world-of/) [E. O. Wilson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/e-o-wilson/) > [Competing is intense among humans, and within a group, selfish individuals always win. But in contests between groups, groups of altruists always beat groups…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/e-o-wilson/competing-is-intense-among-humans-and-within-a-group-selfish/) [E. O. Wilson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/e-o-wilson/) > [When all else fails, men turn to reason.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/e-o-wilson/when-all-else-fails-men-turn-to-reason/) [E. O. Wilson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/e-o-wilson/) > [The commitment must be much deeper - to let no species knowingly die; to take all reasonable action to protect every species and race…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/e-o-wilson/the-commitment-must-be-much-deeper-to-let-no-species-knowingly-die-to/) [E. O. Wilson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/e-o-wilson/) > [Science is not marginal. Like art, it is a universal possession of humanity, and scientific knowledge has become a vital part of our species'…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/e-o-wilson/science-is-not-marginal-like-art-it-is-a-universal-possession-of/) [E. O. Wilson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/e-o-wilson/) > [The living environment is the biosphere, the thin layer around the world of living organisms. We're part of that. Our existence is dependent on…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/e-o-wilson/the-living-environment-is-the-biosphere-the-thin-layer-around-the/) [E. O. Wilson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/e-o-wilson/) > [The biological evolutionary perception of life and of human qualities is radically different from that of traditional religion, whether it's Southern Baptist or Islam…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/e-o-wilson/the-biological-evolutionary-perception-of-life-and-of-human-qualities/) [E. O. Wilson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/e-o-wilson/) > [We should preserve every scrap of biodiversity as priceless while we learn to use it and come to understand what it means to humanity.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/e-o-wilson/we-should-preserve-every-scrap-of-biodiversity-as-priceless-while-we/) [E. O. Wilson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/e-o-wilson/) > [In many environments, take away the ants and there would be partial collapses in many of the land ecosystems.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/e-o-wilson/in-many-environments-take-away-the-ants-and-there-would-be-partial/) [E. O. Wilson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/e-o-wilson/) > [If those committed to the quest fail, they will be forgiven. When lost, they will find another way. The moral imperative of humanism is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/e-o-wilson/if-those-committed-to-the-quest-fail-they-will-be-forgiven-when-lost/) [E. O. Wilson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/e-o-wilson/) > [The extinctions ongoing worldwide promise to be at least as great as the mass extinction that occurred at the end of the age of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/e-o-wilson/the-extinctions-ongoing-worldwide-promise-to-be-at-least-as-great-as/) [E. O. Wilson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/e-o-wilson/) > [Most people are surprised when they hear my somber figures: we know of 2 million species of plants, animals and microorganisms, and we can…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/e-o-wilson/most-people-are-surprised-when-they-hear-my-somber-figures-we-know-of/) [E. O. Wilson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/e-o-wilson/) > [Because the living environment is what really sustains us.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/e-o-wilson/because-the-living-environment-is-what-really-sustains-us/) [E. O. Wilson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/e-o-wilson/) > [The variety of genes on the planet in viruses exceeds, or is likely to exceed, that in all of the rest of life combined.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/e-o-wilson/the-variety-of-genes-on-the-planet-in-viruses-exceeds-or-is-likely-to/) [E. O. Wilson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/e-o-wilson/) [Explore all 253 E. O. Wilson quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/e-o-wilson/) ## More Adapted quotes > [A 'modern' man has nothing to add to modernism, if only because he has nothing to oppose it with. The well-adapted drop off the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elias-canetti/a-modern-man-has-nothing-to-add-to-modernism-if-only-because-he-has/) [Elias Canetti](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elias-canetti/) > [. . . by natural selection our mind has adapted itself to the conditions of the external world. It has adopted the geometry most…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henri-poincare/by-natural-selection-our-mind-has-adapted-itself-to-the-conditions-of/) [Henri Poincare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henri-poincare/) > [ David Mamet, Tim Kazurinsky, and Denise DeClue, who adapted \[ About Last Night\]. Between the three of them... I mean, it's always down to… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rob-lowe/david-mamet-tim-kazurinsky-and-denise-declue-who-adapted-about-last/) [Rob Lowe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rob-lowe/) > [To be quite honest, I've been very blessed when I've worked with Hollywood. The studios that have purchased my work to be adapted to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nicholas-sparks/to-be-quite-honest-i-ve-been-very-blessed-when-i-ve-worked-with/) [Nicholas Sparks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nicholas-sparks/) > [More birds have adapted to a changing world than have failed. Very few have the narrow tolerance of the ivory-billed woodpecker or the Bachman's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roger-tory-peterson/more-birds-have-adapted-to-a-changing-world-than-have-failed-very-few/) [Roger Tory Peterson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roger-tory-peterson/) > [All our surest statements about the nature of the world are mathematical statements, yet we do not know what mathematics "is"... and so we…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-d-barrow/all-our-surest-statements-about-the-nature-of-the-world-are/) [John D. 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