Tropics account for their highest biological diversity because
(1) Speciation is a function of time
(2) They have low pest pressure
(3) Have less seasonal variation but unpredictable environment
(4) Needless evolutionary time for species diversification
Answers
Answer:
Ecologists and evolutionary biologists have proposed various hypotheses; some important ones are (a) 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; (b) tropical environments, unlike temperate ones, are less seasonal, relatively more constant and predictable. Such constant environments promote niche specialization 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.
Explanation:
Answer:
Ecologists and evolutionary biologists have proposed various hypotheses; some important ones are (a) 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; (b) tropical environments, unlike temperate ones, are less seasonal, relatively more constant and predictable. Such constant environments promote niche specialization 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.