--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: We don't even know what species are out…" description: "\"We don't even know what species are out there, for the most part, particularly when you get down to the microbes and very small invertebrates. They mak..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3a0/e-o-wilson-1348_certain_we-don-t-even-know-what-species-are-out_667973.jpg" --- # We don't even know what species are out there, for the… ![“We don't even know what species are out there, for the most part, particularly when you get down to the microbes and very small invertebrates. They make up the mass of the organisms around us, including the soil we depend on, the soil of cornfields as well as hardwood forests. We haven't taken…” quote by E. O. Wilson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3a0/e-o-wilson-1348_certain_we-don-t-even-know-what-species-are-out_667973.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3a0/e-o-wilson-1348_certain_we-don-t-even-know-what-species-are-out_667973.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3a0/e-o-wilson-1348_certain_we-don-t-even-know-what-species-are-out_667973.jpg) > “We don't even know what species are out there, for the most part, particularly when you get down to the microbes and very small invertebrates. They make up the mass of the organisms around us, including the soil we depend on, the soil of cornfields as well as hardwood forests. We haven't taken ecology to the point where we can even make a crude prediction of what's going to happen when we've reduced the living world down to a certain level.” [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. We lack knowledge of most tiny species, especially microbes, which dominate ecosystems and affect soils we rely on, making ecological predictions difficult. **In simple terms:** We know little about tiny organisms that shape ecosystems. Key Takeaway Study and protect microbial diversity. Themes biodiversity ecology microbiology Mood concerned inquisitive Type scientific educational When to use this quote - soil health - agriculture - forestry - conservation planning Key Concepts species richness ecosystem services Questions to Reflect On - How can we better catalog microscopic life? - What policies could protect unseen species? A Different Perspective Our understanding is limited by insufficient research and funding. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Ecology](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ecology/) [Environment](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/environment/) [Forests](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/forests/) [Hardwood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/hardwood/) [Invertebrates](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/invertebrates/) [Mass](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mass/) [Organisms](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/organisms/) [Predictions](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/predictions/) [World](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/world/) ## Related quotes > [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/) > [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/) > [That's the beauty of the Web: You can roll around in a stranger's obsession without having to smell his or her house. You can…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/penn-jillette/that-s-the-beauty-of-the-web-you-can-roll-around-in-a-stranger-s/) [Penn Jillette](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/penn-jillette/) > [ I \[do not know\] when the end of science will come. ... 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Lawrence](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/d-h-lawrence/) > [I can no more explain why I like "natural history" than why I like California canned peaches; nor why I do not care for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/theodore-roosevelt/i-can-no-more-explain-why-i-like-natural-history-than-why-i-like/) [Theodore Roosevelt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/theodore-roosevelt/) > [There is the life of the plankton in almost endless variety; there are the many kinds of fish, both surface and bottom living; there…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alister-hardy/there-is-the-life-of-the-plankton-in-almost-endless-variety-there-are/) Alister Hardy ## 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. 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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. 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