With reference to Earth 39 s biodiversity consider the following statements 1 Among the total number...........

Environment and Ecology Biodiversity

With reference to Earth's biodiversity, consider the following statements:

1. Among the total number of recorded species, the total number of species of plants is greater than the total number of animal species on earth.

2. Among animals, mammals constitute the largest group with the maximum number of species.

Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

1 only

2 only

Both 1 and 2

Neither 1 nor 2

Statement 1 is not correct: According to the International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources (IUCN) (2004), the total number of plant and animal species described so far is slightly more than 1.5 million. More than 70 per cent of all the species recorded are animals, while plants (including algae, fungi, bryophytes, gymnosperms and angiosperms) comprise no more than 22 per cent of the total.
Statement 2 is not correct: Among animals, insects are the most species-rich taxonomic group, making up more than 70 per cent of the total . That means, out of every 10 animals on this planet, 7 are insects. Insect biodiversity accounts for a large proportion of all biodiversity on the planet—over half of the estimated 1.5 million organism species described are classified as insects.