Rainforests found on islands throughout the Caribbean Sea have a number of endem

Question

Rainforests found on islands throughout the Caribbean Sea have a number of endemic species (those found nowhere else but in the native forests of those islands). About 75% of the land area on the island of Cuba has been converted from native forest to either agricultural or urban use and is thus no longer available for use by these species. The graph below shows the number of species of reptiles and amphibians present on islands of varying size throughout the Caribbean. Use this curve to predict the approximate percentage of the 75 reptile and amphibian species originally found on Cuba that are in danger of going extinct due to habitat loss.

Explanation / Answer

From the curve it is seen that approximate area of Cuba is 100,000 square kilometres. Thus, if 75% of land is not available for use of these species, then only 25,000 square kilometres of land would be available which corresponds to about 50 species.

Thus,approximate percentage of reptiles in danger of extinction = {(75 - 50)/75} * 100 = 33.33%

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