Why tropics has more species?
"The nearer we approach the tropics, the greater the increase in the variety of structure, grace of form, and mixture of colors, as also in perpetual youth and vigor of organic life," German naturalist Alexander von Humboldt wrote in 1807. In tropical climates, the concentration of plant, animal, and fungal species decreases away from the equator, with more species found in any given area.
Energy is the basis for the first hypothesis that why tropics has more species. In the tropics, there is greater sunshine, which increases plant growth when paired with rainfall and nutrients from the soil. From the standpoint of evolution, more plant diversity results in a wider variety of creatures.
The second hypothesis determines that because the tropics are older habitats that have not seen frequent freezing temperatures, organisms have had more time to evolve there. Although it has been impacted by several ice ages, the majority of today's biodiversity has been developing during the previous 200 million years."Life goes on in the tropics, continuing to evolve and diversify," whereas life at the poles has to recolonize.
The third hypothesis is concerned with diversity limitations. According to ecology professor David Storch, this hypothesis suggests that different habitats have a "carrying capacity for species richness, which means that more species can exist in the tropics than in the temperate zones."More resource-rich environments support a higher range of creatures, some of which compete. However, the number of species does not always increase in parallel with an increase in the output of plant matter.
In conclusion, tropics has more species that related to energy, temperature and the diversity limitations. All biological activity, including the rates of coevolution and ecological interactions, is impacted by temperature, especially the rate of metabolism. In the tropics, "diversity begets diversity" because "the Red Queen runs faster when she is hot."
how do factors like energy availability, evolutionary history, and ecological limitations contribute to the richness of plant, animal, and fungal species in tropical regions?
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DeleteEnergy availability in the form of abundant sunshine, coupled with rainfall and nutrient-rich soils, supports greater plant growth in tropical regions, fostering a diverse range of plant species. The evolutionary history of the tropics, characterized by older habitats and a lack of frequent freezing temperatures, allows organisms more time to evolve, contributing to a wide variety of creatures. Ecological limitations, as proposed by the hypothesis, suggest that resource-rich environments in the tropics can sustain a higher species richness, facilitating the coexistence of a diverse array of plants, animals, and fungi. These factors collectively contribute to the richness of species in tropical regions.