Question

Explain, giving three reasons, why tropics show greatest levels of species diversity.

Answer 1

 Oct 23, 2018 by Vikash Kumar

 

(i) Tropical latitude have remained relatively undisturbed, have a long evolutionary time for species diversification.
(ii) Less seasonal variations, constant and predictable environmental condition, promote niche specialization for greater species diversity.
(iii) More availability of solar energy, contributes to higher productivity.
Detailed Answer: 
(i) Speciation is generally a function of time. Unlike temperate regions subjected to frequent glaciations in the past, tropical latitudes have remained relatively undisturbed for millions of years and thus, had a long evolutionary time for species diversification. 
(ii) 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. 
(iii) There is more solar energy available in the tropics, which contributes to higher productivity; this in turn might contribute indirectly to greater diversity.

Answer 2

Answer:

There are three different hypotheses proposed by scientists for explaining species richness in the tropics:

1. Tropical latitudes receive more solar energy than temperate regions, which leads to high productivity and high species diversity.
2. Tropical regions have less seasonal variations and have a more or less constant environment. This promotes the niche specialization and thus, high species richness.
3. Temperate regions were subjected to glaciations during the ice age, while tropical regions remained undisturbed which led to an increase in the species diversity in this region.

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