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According to Robert May, the total number of species on earth is around
According to Robert May, the total number of species on earth is around
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Solution
The correct option is D 7 million
Earth sustains a variety of different species belonging to different kingdoms of the living world.
According to the reports by the IUCN (2004), more than 1.5 million different species of plants and animals have been identified and described by biologists so far. But it is difficult to achieve a complete inventory of all the biological species that exist.
Estimates of global species diversity have been made by biologists all over the world and vary widely, some being mere educated guesses. It is assumed that the species inventory is more complete in the temperate regions than in the tropics. This is because the tropics support a wider variety of species due to a fairly constant climate throughout the year. Thus, it is assumed that a wider variety of species are yet to be identified and described in the tropics.
Considering this, biologists make a statistical comparison of the temperate-tropical species richness of insects (the taxonomic group with highest species diversity) and extrapolate this ratio to other groups of plants and animals to have a gross estimate of the total number of species that exist.
A scientifically sound and more conservative estimate given by Robert May estimates the global species diversity to be at around 7 million.
Earth sustains a variety of different species belonging to different kingdoms of the living world.
According to the reports by the IUCN (2004), more than 1.5 million different species of plants and animals have been identified and described by biologists so far. But it is difficult to achieve a complete inventory of all the biological species that exist.
Estimates of global species diversity have been made by biologists all over the world and vary widely, some being mere educated guesses. It is assumed that the species inventory is more complete in the temperate regions than in the tropics. This is because the tropics support a wider variety of species due to a fairly constant climate throughout the year. Thus, it is assumed that a wider variety of species are yet to be identified and described in the tropics.
Considering this, biologists make a statistical comparison of the temperate-tropical species richness of insects (the taxonomic group with highest species diversity) and extrapolate this ratio to other groups of plants and animals to have a gross estimate of the total number of species that exist.
A scientifically sound and more conservative estimate given by Robert May estimates the global species diversity to be at around 7 million.
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