Identify the incorrect statement in reference to the latitudinal gradient in biodiversity.
Answer & explanation
Correct answer: option 3
The correct answer is Option (3) → A forest in a tropical region like Equador has up to 10000 times as many species of vascular plants as a forest of equal area in a temperate region like the Midwest of the USA.
Species diversity decreases as we move away from the equator towards the poles, so the tropics hold far more species.
Option (1) In general, species diversity decreases as we move away from the equator towards the poles. — A correct statement. This is the latitudinal gradient itself: the tropics, near the equator, hold the most species, and the number falls towards the poles.
Option (2) The largely tropical Amazonian rain forest in South America has the greatest biodiversity on earth. — A correct statement. It holds tens of thousands of plant species and thousands of fish, bird, mammal and insect species.
Option (3) A forest in a tropical region like Equador has up to 10000 times as many species of vascular plants as a forest of equal area in a temperate region like the Midwest of the USA. — An incorrect statement. NCERT says up to 10 times, not 10000 times. One changed number makes the line false.
Option (4) With very few exceptions, tropics harbor more species than temperate or polar areas. — A correct statement. It is the same pattern stated another way. The tropics lie between 23.5° N and 23.5° S.
NCERT Extract:
Patterns of Biodiversity – …
