Give three hypotheses for explaining why tropics show greatest levels of species richness?
Give three hypotheses for explaining why tropics show greatest levels of species richness?
The three hypotheses for explaining why tropics show greatest levels of species richness are
(i) Speciation is generally a function of time and environmental stability.
The temperate regions were subjected to frequent glaciations in the past, whereas tropical latitudes have remained relatively undisturbed for millions of years and thus, had a long evolutionary time for species diversification.
(ii) Tropical environment provide continued favourable seasons that are relatively more constant and predictable. Such constant environment promote niche specialisation and lead to a greater species diversity.
(iii) Availability of more solar energy in the tropics, contributes to higher productivity; this in turn might contribute indirectly to greater diversity.
The three hypotheses for explaining why tropics show greatest levels of species richness are
(i) Speciation is generally a function of time and environmental stability.
The temperate regions were subjected to frequent glaciations in the past, whereas tropical latitudes have remained relatively undisturbed for millions of years and thus, had a long evolutionary time for species diversification.
(ii) Tropical environment provide continued favourable seasons that are relatively more constant and predictable. Such constant environment promote niche specialisation and lead to a greater species diversity.
(iii) Availability of more solar energy in the tropics, contributes to higher productivity; this in turn might contribute indirectly to greater diversity.
