Where are the most animals?

In the late 1980s, scientist Norman Myers coined the term “biodiversity hotspot” to refer to places with unusually high numbers of species per unit area. Of the 36 “hotspots” around the world, Most are on continents that cross the equator, where the climate is hot and humid..

The reason for this is not only connected with animals but also with plants.

Plants are the foundation of species. If plant diversity is high in a place, it becomes easier for other organisms that depend on these plants to reproduce.
– says ecologist Barnabas Daru from Stanford University.

Although plants can live in any environment, Most grow in warm and humid places. Humidity and heat work together to provide the necessary conditions. Warm air traps water molecules, creating humidity. Heat is also beneficial to many microorganisms, especially those that break down dead matter from which plants gather nutrients.

In addition, Insects that pollinate many flowering plants are better adapted to warmer climatesBecause they can’t regulate their own body temperature. In the tropics, more insects mean more pollination for plants and more food for hungry predators.

But other factors also play a role. For many species to survive on a continent, it must offer a variety of habitats in addition to tropical conditions. Places with high biodiversity have many potential niches for animals to occupy. For example, tall trees or high mountains create vertical differences in temperature, solar radiation, and topography, allowing more animals to coexist without competing for the same resources or habitat.

Based on these factors and estimates, most scientists agree that: South America has the largest number of animal speciesFrom the Amazon rainforest, with its four-row tree line as a habitat for animals, to the Andes with its dozens of different microclimates, South America has the perfect combination of temperature and geography. Everything comes together there, which is why it has such biodiversity.

At the same time South America’s biodiversity may not always be so brightAs deforestation, mercury mining and climate change threaten South America’s animals more than ever before, but there is still room to reduce the damage.