Question

Explain how evapotranspiration can affect the local climate.

Give two reasons why there is a latitudinal diversity gradient. Define the term in your answer.

Answer 1

Evapotranspiration is the process by which water is transferred from the land to the atmosphere by evaporation from the soil and other surfaces and by transpiration from plants.
Evapotranspiration is an important process in the water cycle because it is responsible for 15% of the atmosphere's water vapor. Without that input of water vapor, clouds couldn't form and precipitation would never fall. Evapotranspiration is the combined name for the processes of evaporation and transpiration.
Evapotranspiration response to climate change. While evapotranspiration rates are known to increase with higher temperature, other factors in addition to rising temperatures also affect evapotranspiration (ET). ... The minimum temperature was increased by 4°C and the maximum temperature by 2°C over current conditions.
The pattern of having lots of species at the equator with diversity dwindling off towards the poles is known as the Latitudinal Diversity Gradient — "latitudinal" meaning how far north or south of the equator, "diversity" meaning the number of species, and "gradient" meaning the transition between high and low.
The latitudinal diversity gradient (LDG) is one of the most striking ecological patterns on our planet. Determining the evolutionary causes of this pattern remains a challenging task.previous LDG studies have usually relied on correlations between environmental variables and species richness, only considering evolutionary processes indirectly. Instead, we use a phylogenetically integrated approach to investigate the ecological and evolutionary processes responsible for the global LDG observed in swallowtail butterflies (Papilionidae). We find evidence for the 'diversification rate hypothesis' with different diversification rates between two similarly aged tropical and temperate clades. We conclude that the LDG is caused by (1) climatically driven changes in both clades based on evidence of responses to cooling and warming events, and (2) distinct biogeographical histories constrained by tropical niche conservatism and niche evolution. This multidisciplinary approach provides new findings that allow better understanding of the factors that shape LDGs.