Question

In the equation of the species-area relationship, the letter 'C' and 'Z' represent:

• A. $C=$ Regression coefficient, Z = Y-intercept
• B. $C=$ Slope of the line, Z = Regression coefficient
• C. $C=$ Y-intercept, Z = Slope of the line (regression coefficient)
• D. Both $\left(B\right)and\left(C\right)$

Answer 1

Answer: (C)

Biodiversity includes all the flora and fauna on Earth. All the varieties of organisms come under biodiversity. German naturalist Alexander von Humboldt made the observation regarding the relationship between species richness and the area of the habitat. As per his observation, species richness increased with increasing area of habitat upto a limit. When plotted in a graph, this relationship forms a rectangular hyperbola with the equation $S=C{A}^Z$ . On a log scale, the relationship is a straight line having the equation.
$logS=logC+ZlogA$ . $S=$ species richness, $A=$ area of region, $C=Y$ -intercept and $Z=$ regression co-efficient (Slope). Ecologists' study has shown that value of Z lies in the range of $0.1-0.2$ irrespective of the organism group or region unless the area is very large like entire continents.