Biodiversity Pattern Species: Definition, Types, Patterns, Relationship, examples

The diversity of life forms on earth is referred to as biodiversity. Different species, communities, regions, habitats, biomes, ecosystems, and even the entire Earth can exhibit different biodiversity patterns. With the study of biodiversity, we can learn about species-area correlations. Check out or download the Vedantu app for a thorough and understandable explanation.

Biodiversity

The phrase "biodiversity" refers to the wide range of ecosystems and organisms, the connections and interactions among them that support life, and the variety of their species and genetic makeup.

Examples of biodiversity include habitat, species, and genetic diversity. The amount of biodiversity varies with latitude and elevation rather than uniformly distributed throughout the planet.

When the environmental conditions are favourable, and speciation may occur, it is feasible to have more species in particular places. More species are found in the tropics than in the polar or temperate regions.

Loss and conservation are the guiding ideas for biodiversity management. Initiatives for nature protection involve several parties, including governments, corporations, non-profit organisations, and volunteers.

Patterns of Biodiversity

1) Over time, species change

After studying their fossilised bones, scientists discovered that certain ancient species were enormous duplicates of their more recent relatives. The size and appearance of modern armadillos (50 cm long) and the 3 m long glyptodont species from prehistory are comparable.

2) Global species diversity

Since they share many traits, creatures from different parts of the world may be distantly related according to one biodiversity pattern. In terms of appearance and behaviour, emus, rheas, and ostriches are all comparable. They are all unable to fly.

3) Local species vary

A range of habitats for different species within a constrained area defines this biodiversity pattern. The temperatures of the Galapagos Islands are incredibly diverse despite their proximity. The biological conditions and tortoise shells on the various islands vary. The high peaks of Isabela Island receive more rainfall than the rest of the island and are covered in luxuriant vegetation. A short neck and a canopy shell characterise the tortoise on this island. Hood Island has a drier climate, lower elevations, and fewer trees and bushes. This tortoise can be distinguished from other species by its thick neck and saddle-backed shell. Researchers have also noted that the mockingbird species found on various islands are distinct.

Biodiversity of Species: Patterns

The world's ecosystems contain different amounts of biodiversity. The evolution of biodiversity is influenced by both the passage of time and variations in distance from the equator. It is unquestionably the most precisely defined pattern in all of nature.

Observing and Understanding Patterns in the Universe: Diversity develops in accordance with two distinct patterns, each of which has its unique way of doing so:

1) Latitudinal gradients

The variety of species increases as we move closer to the equator and decreases as we move closer to the pole. Due to the lower altitudes at which it occurs, the equator contains more biodiversity than the poles. A few species represent an exception to this rule. India is home to a diverse range of animals due to its position in a tropical area.

The Amazon jungles are the most biologically diverse in the world regarding the number of species.

The climate in the Tropics (latitudinal range of 23.50 N to 23.50 S) is steady in contrast to temperate regions. In this area, species don't have to adapt to the changing seasons sparingly. Therefore, we might see a broader range of species.

Tropical latitudes have stayed mostly unmodified for millions of years, giving enough chance for biological diversity, in contrast to temperate regions that have periodically endured glacial.

2) Species-area relationships

Up to a certain degree, there is a correlation between species richness and region size. Alexander von Humboldt made this discovery. The connection is shown as a straight line on a logarithmic scale.

log S = log C + Z log A

where,

S = richness of species

C = Y-intercept

Z = regression coefficient

A = Area

Biodiversity: Pattern with Time

1. Evolutionary Pattern: As a result of animal evolution, biodiversity has risen over the past 600 million years in every regime and epoch. While other species are extinct but may still be found as living fossils, others are depicted as missing or extant connections on the evolutionary timeline.

2. Successional Pattern: Following a disturbance, plants and animals start to retake the region in a successional pattern. When another species replaces them, they go extinct. Success describes this pattern of changing species composition over time.

3. Seasonal Pattern: Species diversity changes as the seasons' change. The number of bug species fluctuates over the wet season. The number of birds in the area is influenced by the migratory and breeding seasons.

Biodiversity: Key Points

• The diversity of life forms on earth is referred to as biodiversity. Different species, communities, regions, habitats, biomes, ecosystems, and even the entire Earth can exhibit different biodiversity patterns.

• The world's ecosystems do not all contain different amounts of biodiversity. The evolution of biodiversity is influenced by both the passage of time and variations in distance from the equator. It is unquestionably the most precisely defined pattern in all of nature.

• When the environmental conditions are favourable, and speciation may occur, it is feasible to have more species in particular places. More species are found in the tropics than in the polar or temperate regions.

• Loss and conservation are the guiding ideas for biodiversity management. Initiatives for nature protection involve several parties, including governments, corporations, non-profit organisations, and volunteers.

• The climate in the Tropics (latitudinal range of 23.50 N to 23.50 S) is steady in contrast to temperate regions. In this area, species don't have to adapt to the changing seasons constantly, therefore, we might see a broader range of species.