Nov. 22, 2013 — A new study of 2300 species of mammals and nearly 6700 species of birds from across the globe helps explain why there are so many more species of plants and animals in the tropics than at higher latitudes. In a study supported by the National Evolutionary Synthesis Center in North Carolina, researchers found that while the tropics harbor a greater diversity of species, the number of subspecies -- potential stepping stones in the process by which one species becomes two -- is actually greater in the harsher environments typical of higher latitudes.
Showing posts with label tropics. Show all posts
Showing posts with label tropics. Show all posts
Sunday, 24 November 2013
Sunday, 16 September 2012
Teamwork in the Tropics: Pollinators and Frugivores Are Less Choosy at the Equator
ScienceDaily (Sep. 14, 2012) — The bright crimson Andean Cock-of-the-rock eats the fruits of over 100 plant species and disperses their seeds. It is in good company, since other seed-dispersing birds and pollinating insects in the tropics are also -- contrary to prior doctrine -- less specialised on individual plant species than their temperate counterparts. This is the outcome of a study conducted by an international research group, which is published September 14 in the journal Current Biology. This suggests that ecosystem functions such as pollination and seed dispersal in the tropics have a higher tolerance against extirpations of individual species than in the temperate communities.
It is a win-win business for bees and plants: bees forage on plant nectar, and in return they pollinate the next flower they visit. Virtually the same is true for fruit-eating birds, which by the way disperse the seeds of plants. A large number of such mutualistic interactions between species exist in an ecosystem, which together form a complex network. Scientists have now analysed the "Who with whom?" in a worldwide study and have discovered that the specialization of pollinators and seed disperses on individual plant species decreases towards the equator.
Read on: http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/09/120914080638.htm
It is a win-win business for bees and plants: bees forage on plant nectar, and in return they pollinate the next flower they visit. Virtually the same is true for fruit-eating birds, which by the way disperse the seeds of plants. A large number of such mutualistic interactions between species exist in an ecosystem, which together form a complex network. Scientists have now analysed the "Who with whom?" in a worldwide study and have discovered that the specialization of pollinators and seed disperses on individual plant species decreases towards the equator.
Read on: http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/09/120914080638.htm
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