NEETBotanyBiodiversity and its Conservation
What is the relationship between species richness and area for different taxa, according to Alexander von Humboldt's observations?
Options
- ASpecies richness decreases with increasing area
- BSpecies richness remains constant with increasing area
- CSpecies richness increases with increasing area, but only up to a limit
- DSpecies richness decreases logarithmically with increasing area
Correct answer
C. Species richness increases with increasing area, but only up to a limit
Step-by-step solution
: During his pioneering and extensive explorations in the wilderness of South American jungles, the great German naturalist and geographer Alexander von Humboldt observed that within a region species richness increased with increasing explored area, but only up to a limit. In fact, the relation between species richness and area for a wide variety of taxa (angiosperm plants, birds, bats, freshwater fishes) turns out to be a rectangular hyperbola (Figure13.2). On a logarithmic scale, the relationship is a straight li