You have assessed species richness in the tropics using 15 plots,each approximately 10 km by 10 km,spread over an entire region.Let us assume each plot is a community.Which of the following statements is likely correct?
A) Productivity is high in the tropics. The alpha diversity of the 15 tropic plots should be low.
B) Productivity is high in the tropics. The alpha diversity of the 15 tropic plots will be the same as the gamma diversity.
C) Productivity is low in the tropics. The alpha diversity of the 15 tropic plots will be the same as the gamma diversity
D) Productivity is high in the tropics. The alpha diversity of each of the 15 plots should be high.

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

High productivity in the tropics is often associated with high species richness. Therefore, the alpha diversity (species richness of individual plots) should be high. Additionally, since the plots are spread over an entire region, the gamma diversity (species richness of the entire region) may be higher than the alpha diversity, but it is not specified in the question.

You Have Assessed Species Richness in the Tropics Using 15