Biology · Biodiversity and Conservation · NEET
NCERT is very precise here, and NEET copies these numbers directly. More than 70 per cent of all recorded species are animals. Plants (this includes algae, fungi, bryophytes, gymnosperms and angiosperms) make up no more than 22 per cent of the total. Learn both numbers as a pair: 70% animals versus 22% plants.
Among animals, insects are the most species-rich group. They make up more than 70 per cent of all animals. NCERT gives a simple picture: out of every 10 animals on this planet, 7 are insects. So the reason animals beat plants is mostly the huge diversification of insects. This double 70% (70% animals, and 70% of those are insects) is the single most tested fact of this section.
Yes, and this surprises most students. NCERT clearly states that the group Fungi has more species than all the vertebrate species combined. Note that in these proportions fungi are counted under 'plants' (the plant 22% includes algae, fungi, bryophytes, gymnosperms and angiosperms), not under animals. This exact line appears in the chapter summary, so it is exam-ready.
These proportions describe the species already recorded and named, not the true total on Earth. NCERT reminds us that only about 22 per cent of the total species have been recorded so far, using Robert May's estimate of about 7 million global species. So the 70% animals and 22% plants figures are based on current species inventories, not the undiscovered total.
Invertebrates. NCERT's Amazon example gives the descending order: invertebrates (more than 1,25,000) > plants (more than 40,000) > fishes (about 3,000) > birds (about 1,300) > mammals (about 427). This matches the global pattern - invertebrates (mostly insects) dominate, and mammals are the smallest group. NEET has directly asked to arrange these five in order.
Arrange the following in descending order of the number of species in the Amazonian rain forest: (a) Plants, (b) Birds, (c) Fishes, (d) Invertebrates, (e) Mammals.
Try the real previous-year questions from this chapter — each with the answer and a full solution.
Because animals, especially insects, have diversified far more. Over 70% of recorded species are animals and plants are no more than 22%. Insects alone are over 70% of all animals.
Insects. They make up more than 70 per cent of all animal species. NCERT says 7 out of every 10 animals on Earth is an insect.
Algae, fungi, bryophytes, gymnosperms and angiosperms are all counted as plants in NCERT's proportion. This is why fungi appear on the plant side even though fungi has more species than all vertebrates combined.
No. They describe species already recorded and named. Only about 22% of the estimated total (Robert May's 7 million) has been described so far.
Mammals, with only about 427 species. This shows how few large animals there are compared with invertebrates and plants.
