Question

Which of the following best describes endemism?

• A. Species confined to an area and not found anywhere else
• B. Species found in many parts of the world
• C. Species found in few scattered parts of the world
• D. Availability of many different species of flora and fauna in a particular geographical location

Answer 1

The correct option is A Species confined to an area and not found anywhere else

A species refers to a group of similar individuals that can breed amongst themselves. Species range refers to the area where a species can be found during its lifetime.

Some species have a range that is well distributed all over the world and are found in different geographical areas. Examples include humans (Homo sapiens). Hence option b is incorrect.

In contrast to such widely distributed species, some species have a range that is confined to a specific geographical location of the Earth. Such a distribution of species is referred to as endemic distribution or endemism. Such species which have a higher risk of extinction as they are not found in any other part of the world. For example, Lion-tailed macaque is endemic to Western Ghats and the red panda is endemic to the Himalayas. Hence option a is correct.

Figure : Endemic species

The availability of a particular species in a few scattered ranges or geographical areas that are not connected to each other is known as disjunct distribution. For example, the Eurasian pygmy shrew has a disjunct distribution in Europe and the island of Ireland. So option c is incorrect.

Figure : Eurasian pygmy shrew

The availability of many different species of flora and fauna in a particular geographical location indicates its species diversity or species richness. Examples include tropical rainforest. So option d is incorrect.