Question

Maximum biodiversity is found in

• A. Tropical rain forests
• B. Temperate rain forests
• C. Mangrove vegetation
• D. Tundra

Answer 1

Answer: (A)

Tropical rain forests

Maximum biodiversity is found in Tropical rain forests. One of the reasons is that tropical environments, unlike temperate ones, are less seasonal, relatively more constant and predictable. Such constant environments promote niche specialization and lead to greater species diversity. Examples:-

A) A forest in a tropical region like Equador has up to 10 times as many species of vascular plants as a forest of equal area in a temperate region like the Midwest of the USA.

B) 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.

So, the correct answer is 'Tropical rain forests'.