Question

The diversity of insects ___.

• A. Decreases as you move away from the poles
• B. Increases as you move towards the equator
• C. Stays the same as you move towards the equator
• D. Is independent of the latitudes
• E. Is high in the tropics

Answer 1

Answer: (B), (E)

Is high in the tropics

Biodiversity exhibits a latitudinal gradient, that is, species richness decreases as you move away from the equator to the poles, or in other words, increases as you move towards the equator. Species richness is defined as the number of species per unit area. However, there are some exceptions. The Saharan desert for instance, lies nearer to the equator than the temperate zones, but shows comparatively much lower biodiversity. Nevertheless, tropics have higher biodiversity than other regions on the planet.