Which one of the following contributes the maximum percentage to the biodiversity of a vertebrate group?
Answer & explanation
Correct answer: option 2
The correct answer is Option (2) → Fishes
NCERT shows the number of species of the major groups as pie charts. In the chart of the vertebrates, the size of each slice shows that group’s share of all vertebrate species.
Option (1) Mammals — Incorrect. Mammals have one of the smallest slices of the vertebrate chart.
Option (2) Fishes — Correct. Fishes have by far the largest slice, close to half of the chart. So they make up the largest share of vertebrate species.
Option (3) Birds — Incorrect. Birds form a large slice, but it is much smaller than that of the fishes.
Option (4) Reptiles — Incorrect. The reptile slice is smaller than both the fish and the bird slices.
NCERT Extract:
Biodiversity – “… Let us look at some interesting aspects about earth’s biodiversity based on the currently available species inventories. More than 70 per cent of all the species recorded are animals, while plants (including algae, fungi, bryophytes, gymnosperms and angiosperms) comprise no more than 22 per cent of the total. Among animals, insects are the most species-rich taxonomic group, making up more than 70 per cent of the total. … In Figure 13.1, biodiversity is depicted showing species number of major taxa.”
