What is latitudinal and altitudinal gradient?

What is latitudinal and altitudinal gradient?

Species richness, or biodiversity, increases from the poles to the tropics for a wide variety of terrestrial and marine organisms, often referred to as the latitudinal diversity gradient (LDG). The LDG is one of the most widely recognized patterns in ecology.

How does an altitudinal gradient affect biodiversity?

Elevational diversity gradient (EDG) is an ecological pattern where biodiversity changes with elevation. The EDG states that species richness tends to increase as elevation increases, up to a certain point, creating a “diversity bulge” at middle elevations.

What is the relationship between biodiversity and latitude?

This idea is also referred to as the latitudinal diversity gradient, meaning that as you move from the equator towards the poles, diversity lessens. This pattern is one of the oldest observed in ecology.

What do you mean by latitudinal gradient?

Introduction. Latitudinal gradients of biodiversity are biogeographic patterns that define the way in which components of taxonomic, phylogenetic, functional, genetic, or phenetic dimensions change with latitudinal position on the surface of the earth.

What is gradient of biodiversity?

biodiversity gradient The gradual reduction in biomass and species numbers that occurs with increasing latitude. The simplest explanation is that the greater surface area of the planet at the equator, compared to the poles, provides more space in which species can evolve.

What is latitudinal biodiversity gradient?

Latitudinal gradients of biodiversity are biogeographic patterns that quantify the ways in which taxonomic, phylogenetic, functional, genetic, or phenetic biodiversity change with latitudinal position on the surface of the earth (Fig. 1).

What are levels of biodiversity?

Levels of biodiversity. Biodiversity is usually explored at three levels – genetic diversity, species diversity and ecosystem diversity. These three levels work together to create the complexity of life on Earth.

What is latitudinal gradients of biodiversity?

Latitudinal gradients of biodiversity are biogeographic patterns that define the way in which components of taxonomic, phylogenetic, functional, genetic, or phenetic dimensions change with latitudinal position on the surface of the earth.

What is latitudinal gradient of biodiversity?

What do you mean by latitudinal gradient of biodiversity?

Latitudinal gradients of biodiversity are biogeographic patterns that define the way in which components of taxonomic, phylogenetic, functional, genetic, or phenetic dimensions change with latitudinal position on the surface of the earth. By far, most research has considered only taxonomic biodiversity, generally species richness.

Are there latitudinal gradients in species richness?

The majority of research has considered only taxonomic biodiversity, and generally has focused on gradients of species richness. Consequently, much of this article summarizes the understanding of latitudinal gradients in species richness.

Why is it important to study latitudinal gradients?

Historically, research has focused on gradients of species richness (i.e., the number of species in an assemblage) because that was the only information available to effectively evaluate patterns of biodiversity at broad spatial extents ( Fig. 2 ).

Where does the latitudinal gradient occur in the deep sea?

The change in species diversity with latitude for Atlantic deep-sea (a) isopods, (b) gastropods; and (c) bivalves. Rex and colleagues demonstrated that species richness for these taxa falls from the equator northward into the Norwegian Sea.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v5mvmp_EQwI

What is latitudinal and altitudinal gradient? Species richness, or biodiversity, increases from the poles to the tropics for a wide variety of terrestrial and marine organisms, often referred to as the latitudinal diversity gradient (LDG). The LDG is one of the most widely recognized patterns in ecology. How does an altitudinal gradient affect biodiversity? Elevational…