Question

could someone help me with these questions please? Just need a very briefly explanation for them.

1) How does habitat type would affect on plant diversity?

2) How does habitat type would affect on animal diversity?

Answer 1

The ‘habitat heterogeneity hypothesis’ assumes that structurally complex habitats may provide more niches and diverse ways of exploiting the environmental resources and thus increase species diversity .

In most habitats, plant communities determine the physical structure of the environment, and therefore, have a considerable influence on the distributions and interactions of animal species

But, the relationship between habitat heterogeneity of the vegetation and animal species diversity generally depend on how habitat heterogeneity is perceived by the animal guild studied , the measurement of species diversity , the definition and measurement of vegetation structure and the temporal and spatial scale of the study .

On larger spatial scales , species diversity depends on, e.g. the size of the regional species pool and evolutionary history. Considering these aspects, the measurement of species diversity is always a snapshot and results may vary even for similar habitats. Correlations between species diversity and habitat heterogeneity in different locations are subject to equilibrium and nonequilibrium dynamics.

The number of habitat types in a landscape is most likely highly correlated with its species diversity when the habitat types are sufficiently distinct

It is considered that the chief environmental factors affecting the distribution of living organisms are temperature, humidity, climate, soil type and light intensity, and the presence or absence of all the requirements that the organism needs to sustain it. So disturbance of any of these variables can affect species distribution and survival , leading to changes in species composition and abundance in a particular landscape.