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Write a 4 page essay on Latitudinal Gradients in Species Richness.This study actively promotes hypotheses put forward in recent times in explanation of latitudinal gradients in species richness. First
Write a 4 page essay on Latitudinal Gradients in Species Richness.
This study actively promotes hypotheses put forward in recent times in explanation of latitudinal gradients in species richness. First it lightly touches upon biodiversity as a whole to set parameters within which the study topic can dealt with. It defines biodiversity in the most modern manner taking into account genetic variation, which is the most specific means by which variations within different taxa can be successfully explained. Next it goes on to introduce the various nuances inherent within the biogeographical term "Latitudinal Gradients in Species Richness". It spells out the various complexities within the term and the inherent difficulties present in determining and explaining species variation across the globe using hypotheses based on it. It next posits certain singular hypotheses that support latitudinal gradient in species richness and points out the strengths and failings inherent within each such hypothesis. It concludes the study with a revision of the six hypotheses explaining latitudinal gradients in species richness that are currently favoured among biogeographers.Biodiversity is the variety of life on Earth. It is distributed heterogeneously across the Earth. Some areas like moist rain forests and coral reefs teem with variant life and are taken to have high biodiversity while others like hot dry deserts and polar regions are almost devoid of life and are taken to have very low biodiversity. Most other regions fall in between. Explaining why such differences occur is a major objective of ecologists and biogeographers.
A fine definition of biological diversity is available from a book "Biodiversity" edited by Edmund Wilson, 1988, wherein it is put as - "Totality of hereditary variations in life forms, across all levels of biological organization from genes and chromosomes within individual species to the array of species themselves and finally at the highest level to the living communities of ecosystems, such as forests and lakes".(Biodiversity, latitudinal gradients, Para. 2) For the purpose of this present study this definition is sufficient as genetic variation remains the most specific basis for determining variations within and among species'.
Latitudinal Gradient
Introduction
This Earth has a varied biome incidence in certain patterns and processes and the broadest pattern that a geographical survey should delve into to determine and explain successfully the species diversity across the different biomes is the latitudinal gradient in species richness. It can successfully explain in most cases incidence in species variations across varying physical environments as well as such variations across the notional temporal scale. This study focuses on the various recent hypotheses that have been put forward advocating study of this eminently revealing pattern.
Though the latitudinal gradient is a particular spatial pattern it also often accounts in large part for such other spatial patterns as elevation and depth gradients across land and water.
At the very onset of this study it must be admitted that although much emphasis has been placed on latitudinal gradients in species richness not much is known about the variations in genes, individuals and populations along latitudinal gradients. (Global Patterns in Biodiversity, Kevin J. Gaston, May 11, 2000)
