Warm temperature and high humidity of tropical region are favourable for most of the species on earth @. Tropical areas have more stable climate than temperate regions @. Other examples are grassland (between forest and desert), estuary (between fresh water and salt water) and riverbank or marshland … Recent work is providing increasing evidence that boundary regions between ecological communities can be highly diverse at both the within-species and community levels. Ecotones bordering rainforests and savannas, secondary forests, plantations, and other forest types are evolutionary hotbeds where evolutionary competition may lead to the rise of new species. the mangrove forests represent an ecotone between marine and terrestrial ecosystem. 5 years ago. Thanks! Ecotone is the zone where two communities meet and integrate. I know what a climax community is and why it is stable, but I have no idea why it has a high biodiversity. Prof. E. O Wilson, in How Our Health Depends on Biodiversity, Chivian, E., Bernstein A., Center for Health and the Global Environment, Harvard Medical School, 2010 . Ecotones harbor range-restricted species which are mostly considered to be vulnerable to climatic changes and fragmentation and thus prone to extinction. What is biodiversity and why does it matter to us? Tropical areas are rich in biodiversity than temperate regions, because: @. On the other extreme, moist, tropical zones like the Amazon rainforest support some of the highest levels of biodiversity in the world. Almost 300 bird species have been observed at the Dixon Waterfowl Refuge in north-central Illinois, while the restored wetland–prairie landscape at Midewin National Tallgrass Prairie near Joliet supports some species found almost nowhere else, including federally endangered leafy prairie-clover. Ecotone An ecotone is a zone of junction or a transition area between two biomes (diverse ecosystems). We need ants to survive, but they don't need us at all. Relevance. How For e.g. Plants and animals have as much difficulty surviving in the thin atmosphere on freezing mountain tops as they do living in hot, waterless deserts. As such, these climates support very low biodiversity. Yet, as described in Chapter 1, there is little evidence supporting these claims. 1 Answer. Coral reefs are believed by many to have the highest biodiversity of any ecosystem on the planet—even more than a tropical rainforest. Answer Save. many ecologists have made sweeping statements claiming there is higher species richness at ecotones, concluding that ecotones are areas of high conservation concern due to their diversity. This is urgent! Biodiversity and Tropical Rainforests. There have been multiple studies on patterns of biodiversity in ecotonal areas, which have led to a range of results. ECOTONES: FOREST EDGES Recent studies suggest that ecotones, transition zones between habitats, play an important role in the biodiversity of rainforests. Ecotones promote high biodiversity and unique, rare, specialized, vulnerable species, which make them biodiversity hot spots and may be central regions for future conservation efforts. The number of animals living on the Earth has plunged by half since 1970. As a community reaches its climax sere, it becomes increasingly capable of supporting a larger number of species. Biodiversity is the variety of life on Earth, in all its forms and all its interactions. We do not know how many species of plants and animals live in the rainforest, however, we do know it is the most biodiverse ecosystem in the world. Biological diversity, or biodiversity, is the scientific term for the variety of life on Earth. I need to know today. Hi. The number of tigers has plunged by 97% in the last century. Biodiversity means variety and variability among the living organism's. Biodiversity is the variety of living species that can be found in a particular place—region, ecosystem, planet, etc. Asst Prof. Lv 7. Why do we need to protect biodiversity? Two of TWI’s restoration sites are particularly well known for their high level of biodiversity.