Question

Which of the following represents the maximum number of species among global biodiversity?

Answer 1

The currently available records on the identified species tell us that more than 70% of all the recorded species are animals and about 22% of the recorded species belong to plants and fungi.

Amongst plants, the highest species diversity is shown by angiosperms (flowering plants), followed by algae, mosses (bryophytes) and ferns (pteridophytes). Fungi are approximately as diverse as the angiosperms. In fact, the total number of fungi species in the world is more than the sum total of the number of species belonging to fishes, reptiles, amphibians and mammals.

Lichens are symbiotic associations between algae and fungi and contribute very little to the combined species diversity of 22% shown by the plants and fungi.


So, the correct answer is option C.