Species-Area Relationship Formula — NEET Biology
📚 Practice ConceptLog S = log C + Z log A where S= Species richness A= Area Z = slope of the line (regression coefficient) C = Y-intercept
Which of the following statements about the species-area relationship are NOT correct? S1: The German naturalist and geographer Alexander von Humboldt observed that species richness decreases with increasing explored area in a region. S2: On a logarithmic scale, the relationship between species richness (S) and area (A) is represented by a straight line, given by log S = log C + Z log A. S3: For small areas, the slope of the line (Z) typically falls within the range of 0.6 to 1.2, irrespective of the taxonomic group. S4: For very large areas, such as entire continents, the slope of the species-area curve becomes much steeper than for smaller regions. S5: The Y-intercept (C) in the logarithmic equation of species-area relationship represents the species richness.
View solution & NCERT explanation
Correct answer: A — S1, S3, and S5 only
Let's evaluate each statement: S1: Alexander von Humboldt observed that species richness increased with increasing explored area, but only up to a limit. This statement is NOT correct. S2: On a logarithmic scale, the relationship is indeed a straight line described by log S = log C + Z log A. This statement is correct. S3: For small areas, the value of Z lies in the range of 0.1 to 0.2. The range 0.6 to 1.2 is for very large areas like entire continents. This statement is NOT correct. S4: For very large areas like entire continents, the slope of the line (Z values in the range of 0.6 to 1.2) is much steeper. This statement is correct. S5: In the equation log S = log C + Z log A, 'S' represents species richness, and 'C' represents the Y-intercept. This statement is NOT correct. Therefore, statements S1, S3, and S5 are NOT correct. The final answer is A because it accurately identifies S1, S3, and S5 as incorrect descriptions of the species-area relationship, while S2 and S4 are correct.
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