Question

Western ghats have come under the category of hotspot because of
A. High endemism
B. High elevation
C. Tropical climate
D. Evergreen forest

Answer 1

Hint:Hot-spots refers to the areas of the richest and the most threatened reservoirs of the flora and the fauna. The concept of the hotspot was developed to designate the areas of priority for the in-situ conservation of animals and plants.

Complete answer:The hotspots are determined on the basis of very high levels of species richness, high degrees of endemism, and degree of threat that is measured in the terms of habitat loss. Endemism refers to the species that are confined in any given area and are not found anywhere else.
Initially, twenty-five hotspots were identified globally which has now been raised to thirty-four. These hotspots occupy approximately two percent of the earth’s area. India has three hotspots. One of them is the Western Ghats.
The Western Ghats are the mountain range. They run parallel to the western coast of Peninsular India. They occur in the states of Maharashtra, Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, and Kerala to Sri Lanka. The Southern Western Ghats are known as the Malabar. The major centers of biodiversity in the Western Ghats are the Agasthyamalai hills, the Silent Valley, and the new Amarambalam Reserve. The area has over seven thousand four hundred two species of flowering plants, one thousand eight hundred fourteen species of non-flowering plants, one hundred thirty-nine mammal species, five hundred eight bird species, one hundred seventy-nine amphibian species, six thousand insect species, and two hundred ninety freshwater fish species. Many undiscovered species also exist. Around three hundred twenty-five globally threatened species also occur here. A high degree of endemism exists there.
Thus, based on the above information we can conclude that the Western ghats have come under the category of hotspot because of high endemism.

Hence, the correct answer is option (A).

Note: India has three biodiversity hotspots. Apart from the Western Ghats, the other two hotspots of biodiversity are Indo- Burma which extends from Bhutan to Myanmar, covering almost all of the North-East Indian states and himalaya which ranges in the north and extends from Jammu and Kashmir to North-East while passing through Nepal. They are one of the richest hotspots of biodiversity in the world.