Final answer:
Prospect Park woodland is an urban park with likely less biodiversity than the Catskills forests, which are larger, more remote, have a colder climate, and retain much of their natural complexity.
Step-by-step explanation:
Prospect Park woodland and forests of the Catskills Mountains differ in several ways. Answer A) is correct as Prospect Park woodland is indeed an urban park, contrasting with the Catskills forests which are located in a more mountainous region. Option C) also provides a true distinction, stating that Catskills forests are typically larger and more remote than Prospect Park woodland. Lastly, option D) correctly notes that Catskills forests experience colder winters compared to the milder climate of Prospect Park woodland.
Option B) suggests that Prospect Park woodland has a greater variety of plant and animal species compared to Catskills forests. However, based on ecosystem type, it is likely that the Catskills, being a larger and less disturbed natural habitat, would have a greater biodiversity than the urban woodland. Moreover, studies show that urban parks, while possibly richer in species diversity than secondary forests, are generally less diverse than larger primary forest reserves due to their smaller size and lower complexity of habitats.
Considering the loss of old-growth broadleaf forests and the changes in temperate regions due to human settlement, smaller urban woodlands like Prospect Park cannot rival the biodiversity and ecosystem complexity found in larger, less disturbed mountainous forests such as the Catskills.