North American Plant Distributions:
Yesterday, Today, and Tomorrow

A Plant Number Game

Is plant diversity uniform across North America?

The map below shows the number of plant families represented in each state or province of North America (Figure from Flora of North America volume 1, page 134).

1. Compare the number of number of plant families across regions of North America. Do you see a trend in the data?
2. Draw latitudinal lines for 30 ° N and 60 ° N on this map. Does this new information change how you interpret the data? How?
3. Extend your interpretation the data to predict global patterns of diversity. Describe and explain your prediction.