Select the statements that are CORRECT regarding patterns of biodiversity.
(A) Species diversity increases as we move away from the equator towards the poles.
(B) The tropical Amazon rain forest in South America has the greatest biodiversity on earth.
(C) There is more solar energy available in the temperate region than tropics.
(D) Tropical environments are less seasonal relatively more constant and predictable
(E) A. Humboldt observed that within a region, species richness decreases with increasing explored area, up to a limit.
Choose the correct answer from the options given below:
Answer & explanation
Correct answer: option 3
The correct answer is Option (3) → (B) and (D) only
(A) Species diversity increases as we move away from the equator towards the poles. — False. The trend is reversed: diversity decreases from the equator towards the poles (the latitudinal gradient).
(B) The tropical Amazon rain forest in South America has the greatest biodiversity on earth. — True. The Amazon is home to the greatest biodiversity on earth.
(C) There is more solar energy available in the temperate region than tropics. — False. More solar energy reaches the tropics, which adds to their high productivity.
(D) Tropical environments are less seasonal relatively more constant and predictable — True. This steady climate encourages niche specialisation and greater species diversity.
(E) A. Humboldt observed that within a region, species richness decreases with increasing explored area, up to a limit. — False. Humboldt found that species richness increases with the explored area, up to a limit.
NCERT Extract:
Patterns of Biodiversity – “… In general, species diversity decreases as we move away from the equator towards the poles. With very few exceptions, tropics (latitudinal range of 23.5° N to 23.5° S) harbour more species than temperate or polar areas. … The largely tropical Amazonian rain forest in South America has the greatest biodiversity on earth- it is home to more than 40,000 species of plants, 3,000 of fishes, 1,300 of birds, 427 of mammals, 427 of amphibians, 378 of reptiles and of more than 1,25,000 invertebrates. … (b) Tropical environments, unlike temperate ones, are less seasonal, relatively more constant and predictable. Such constant environments promote niche specialisation and lead to a greater species diversity and (c) There is more solar energy available in the tropics, which contributes to higher productivity; this in turn might contribute indirectly to greater diversity. (ii) Species-Area relationships: During his pioneering and extensive explorations in the wilderness of South American jungles, the great German naturalist and geographer Alexander von Humboldt observed that within a region species richness increased with increasing explored area, but only up to a limit.”