In: Biology
How does knowledge of historic climatic patterns affect our interpretation of present-day patterns of species diversity?
Species respond in very different ways to climatic changes.
Variation in the distribution and abundance of species will lead to
inevitable changes in the relative abundance of species and their
interactions. These changes will flow on to affect the structure
and function of ecosystems.
Tropical region have been limited by the increased differentiation
between the poles and equator.Species diversity increase towards
equator, take Tropical rainforest which house two thirds of the
world's species.Tropical regions harbor greater biodiversity
because they are especially fertile grounds for the formation of
new species or biodiversity hotspots are less likely to lose the
species they already have.
While the number of bird and mammal species increases closer to the
equator, the number of genetically distinct groups within each
species is greater in the harsher environments typical of higher
latitudes.