The species-productivity hypothesis would predict that there would be more species per unit area in the southwestern United States than in the Amazon rainforest.

Question

Answer the following statement true (T) or false (F)

Answer 1

False

Clarify Question


• What is the key concept addressed by the question?
     o This question addresses patterns of species richness.
• What type of thinking is required?
     o This question is asking you to take what you already know and apply it to this unfamiliar situation.


Gather Content


• What do you already know about patterns of species richness?
     o The number of species in a community is called species richness.
     o Globally, the number of species of most taxa varies according to latitudinal gradient, generally increasing from polar to temperate areas and reaching a maximum in the tropics.
     o There are several main hypotheses for the variation in species richness. These hypotheses are not mutually exclusive-all can contribute to patterns of species richness.
     o The species-time hypothesis suggests that communities diversify with age. In this view, temperate regions have less rich communities than tropical ones because they are younger and have only more recently recovered from glaciations and severe climatic disruptions.
     o The species-area hypothesis proposes that larger areas contain more species than smaller areas because they can support larger populations and a greater range of habitats.
     o The species-productivity hypothesis suggests that more energy permits the existence of more species. In other words, greater production by plants results in greater overall species richness. An increase in plant productivity leads to an increase in the number of herbivores and hence an increase in the number of predator, parasite, and scavenger species. Production itself is influenced by factors such as temperature and rainfall, because many plants grow better where it is warm and wet.


Choose Answer


• Given what you now know, what information and/or problem-solving approach is most likely to produce the correct answer?
     o According to the species-productivity hypothesis, the energy created by primary producers-plants-is critical in supporting numerous species of herbivores and their predators.
     o Since the southwestern United States consists of scrub and desert, the productivity is much lower than the dense, lush rainforests of the Amazon.
     o So the answer is False-we would not predict more species in the southwest United States


Reflect on Process


• Did your problem-solving process lead you to the correct answer? If not, where did the process break down or lead you astray? How can you revise your approach to produce a more desirable result?
     o The question required you to take what you already know and apply it to this unfamiliar situation.
     o Did you recognize that the species-productivity hypothesis states that lush, tropical areas will have higher species diversity due to the added energy input from plants?