Environmental Studies · Biology

Biodiversity and Conservation

2,388 Questions

Biodiversity and conservation questions address threats to ecosystems, climate change impacts, and habitat loss. These topics are essential for environmental science sections in major competitive exams. Practicing these questions clarifies concepts regarding species extinction and ecological management.

Habitat loss consequencesClimate change impactsEcosystem degradation causesDesert biodiversity threatsForest diversity threatsResource extraction effects

Biodiversity and Conservation Questions

Multiple choice evs animal- the base of our life diversity in the living world environmental conservation and biodiversity biodiversity on earth and in india

India's biodiversity is in jeopardy and major reason for this is 

  1. Population explosion

  2. Habitat destruction

  3. Pollution and animal poaching

  4. All of the above
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
D Correct answer
Explanation

Biodiversity is the degree of variation of life. It is a measure of the variety of organisms present in different ecosystems. India is a mega diverse nation, housing around 10% of world's species. India also has a rich cultural heritage going back thousands of years. Much of Indian biodiversity is intricately related to the socio-cultual practices of the land. Unfortunately, due to population explosion, climate change and implementation of environmental policies, several species are facing the threat of extinction. Not only does this affect the food chain, but also the livelihood and the culture of millions of Indians, who depend on local biodiversity. Thus, the correct answer is option D.

Multiple choice evs animal- the base of our life diversity in the living world environmental conservation and biodiversity biodiversity on earth and in india

Given below are a few statements related to biodiversity. Pick those that are correctly related to biodiversity 
(a)  Biodiversity refers to the different species of flora and fauna present in an area.
(b)  Biodiversity refers to only the flora of a given area.
(c)  Biodiversity is greater in a forest.
(d)  Biodiversity refers to the total number of individuals of a particular species living in an area.
Which of the above statements are correct?

  1. (a) and (b)

  2. (b) and (d)

  3. (a) and (c)

  4. (b) and (c)
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
C Correct answer
Explanation
Biodiversity refers to the variety of life. It is seen in the number of species in an ecosystem or on the entire Earth. Biodiversity gets used as a measure of the health of biological systems, and to see if there is a danger that too many species become extinct. It includes the variety in both, flora and fauna.
Forests are biodiversity hotspots. They are areas rich in biodiversity which are also the most threatened ones due to a high degree of exploitation and human interference.
Multiple choice evs animal- the base of our life diversity in the living world environmental conservation and biodiversity biodiversity on earth and in india

Biodiversity of any given geographical region represents 

  1. The diversity in the organisms living in that region.

  2. The diversity in the organisms living in that region and regions nearby it.

  3. Endangered species found in the region.

  4. Genetic diversity present in the dominant species of the region.
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
A Correct answer
Explanation

Biodiversity is the existence of a wide variety of plant and animal species in their natural environments, which is the aim of conservationists concerned about the indiscriminate destruction of rainforests and other habitats. Biodiversity is the degree of variation of life. It is a measure of the variety of organisms present in different ecosystems. This can refer to genetic variation, ecosystem variation, or species variation (number of species) within an area, biome, or planet. 

Thus, the correct answer is option A.

Multiple choice evs animal- the base of our life diversity in the living world environmental conservation and biodiversity biodiversity on earth and in india

The total number of species of plants, animals and microorganisms living on the Earth is called as

  1. Biodiversity

  2. Flora

  3. Fauna

  4. Ecosystem
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
A Correct answer
Explanation

Biodiversity is the term given to the variety of life on Earth. It is the variety within and between all species of plants, animals and micro-organisms and the ecosystems within which they live and interact. Thus, the correct answer is option A.

Multiple choice evs animal- the base of our life diversity in the living world environmental conservation and biodiversity biodiversity on earth and in india

The term alpha diversity refers to 

  1. Genetic diversity

  2. Community and ecosystem diversity

  3. Species diversity

  4. None of the above
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
B Correct answer
Explanation

Whittaker's idea was that the total species diversity in a landscape is the gamma diversity and is determined by two different things, the mean species diversity in sites or habitats at a more local scale is an alpha diversity and the differentiation among those habitats is the beta diversity. 

Alpha diversity was defined by Whittaker (1972) as the species richness of a place. However, the practical development of this concept led to redefine the alpha diversity on the basis of the structure of the community. 
Thus, the correct answer is option B.

Multiple choice evs animal- the base of our life diversity in the living world environmental conservation and biodiversity biodiversity on earth and in india

Biodiversity-rich areas are the 

  1. Hotspots

  2. Plants

  3. Animals

  4. None of the above
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
A Correct answer
Explanation
A biodiversity hotspot is a region of the earth that is extremely biologically diverse. The forest serves as the reservoir of biodiversity containing different species of plants, animals and all other sorts of living organisms. Many forests include a very rich diversity of species including most rare and prior to extinct species. Thus, the correct answer is option A.
Multiple choice evs animal- the base of our life diversity in the living world environmental conservation and biodiversity biodiversity on earth and in india

The variety of forms of life found in a region is called as

  1. Biodiversity

  2. Flora

  3. Fauna

  4. Endemic
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
A Correct answer
Explanation

Biodiversity is the variability among living organisms from all sources, including terrestrial, marine, and other aquatic ecosystems and the ecological complexes of which they are part; this includes diversity within species, between species, and of ecosystems. Biodiversity boosts ecosystem productivity where each species, no matter how small, all have an important role to play.

So, the correct answer is 'Biodiversity'.

Multiple choice evs animal- the base of our life diversity in the living world environmental conservation and biodiversity biodiversity on earth and in india

Given below are a few statements related to biodiversity. Pick those that correctly describe the concept of biodiversity.

  1. Biodiversity refers to the different species of flora and fauna present in an area

  2. Biodiversity is greater in a forest

  3. Biodiversity refers to the total number of individuals of a particular species living in an area

  4. Both A and B

Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
D Correct answer
Explanation

Biodiversity refers to the different species of flora and fauna present in an area. It is a term coined to describe the immense variety and richness of life on this planet. The word was coined in 1985 and during the 1990s has become very widely used in the scientific circles. So, the correct answer is option D.

Multiple choice evs animal- the base of our life diversity in the living world environmental conservation and biodiversity biodiversity on earth and in india

The term biodiversity implies only to organisms living in/on

  1. Land

  2. Forest

  3. Water

  4. All of the above
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
D Correct answer
Explanation

The term biodiversity means all life forms present all over the world, it implies to all organisms whether they live on land and water. Thus the correct answer is option D. 

Multiple choice evs animal- the base of our life diversity in the living world environmental conservation and biodiversity biodiversity on earth and in india

The term alpha diversity refers to

  1. Genetic diversity

  2. Community and ecosystem diversity

  3. Species diversity

  4. Diversity among the plants
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
B Correct answer
Explanation
Alpha diversity, present within community diversity is a species diversity in a given community or habitat and is dependent upon species richness and evenness. There is a lot of competition, adjustments and interrelationships amongst members of the same community
So, the correct answer is 'Community and ecosystem diversity'
Multiple choice evs animal- the base of our life diversity in the living world environmental conservation and biodiversity biodiversity on earth and in india

How does the level of biodiversity change as an individual moves from the north pole to the equator? 

  1. The biodiversity increases and then decreases.

  2. The biodiversity decreases and then increases.

  3. The biodiversity increases.

  4. The biodiversity does not change significantly.

  5. The biodiversity rapidly decreases.
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
C Correct answer
Explanation

Biodiversity increases as one moves from North pole towards the equator. The North pole has an extremely cold climate that requires specialized adaptations for organisms to dwell, moreover resources are few.

As we move towards the equator natural resources in the form of precipitation, producers and a climate that is conducive to support a variety of flora and fauna increases and hence diversity increases.
So, the correct answer is 'The biodiversity increases.'

Multiple choice evs animal- the base of our life diversity in the living world environmental conservation and biodiversity biodiversity on earth and in india

Which is accepted by researchers as a level of biodiversity?

I.   Species biodiversity
II.  Genetic biodiversity 
III. Ecosystem biodiversity 

  1. I only

  2. II onIy

  3. I and II only

  4. II and III only

  5. I, II and III
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
E Correct answer
Explanation

  • Researchers have accepted three levels of biodiversity, namely genetic biodiversity, species biodiversity, and ecosystem biodiversity. All three levels are interrelated.
  • Genetic diversity includes variety at the level of genes. It is measured at various levels like population, species, community, and biome.
  • Species diversity includes variety in the species. It is the easiest method of studying diversity. Each species has a particular role in the ecosystem.
  • Ecosystem diversity includes diversity that deals with species distribution, community patterns, the role of key species and species interactions.
     
Thus, the correct answer is option E.

Multiple choice evs animal- the base of our life diversity in the living world environmental conservation and biodiversity biodiversity on earth and in india

Assertion : Diversity observed in the entire geographical area is called as gamma diversity.

Reason : Biodiversity decreases from high altitude to low altitude.

  1. Both the Assertion and the Reason are true and the Reason is a correct explanation of the Assertion.

  2. Both the Assertion and the Reason are true but the Reason is not a correct explanation of the Assertion.

  3. The Assertion is true but the Reason is false

  4. Both the Assertion and Reason are false.

  5. The Assertion is false but Reason is true.
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
C Correct answer
Explanation

Community and ecosystem diversity is of three types- alpha, beta and gamma. 

Alpha diversity is the species diversity in a given community or habitat, alpha diversity is dependent upon species richness and evenness or equitability. 
Beta diversity is biodiversity, which appears in a range of communities due to the replacement of species with the change in community or habitat due to the presence of different micro-habitats, niches and difference in environment conditions. 
Gamma diversity is diversity present in ranges of communities as represented by the diversity of habitats or ecosystems over a total landscape or geographical area. 
Biodiversity is not uniform on the Earth. It varies with the change in latitude or altitude. 
Biodiversity increase, when we move from high to low latitude (i.e., from the poles to the equator)
Thus, the correct answer is option C.

Multiple choice evs animal- the base of our life diversity in the living world environmental conservation and biodiversity biodiversity on earth and in india

Convention on Biodiversity came into force on

  1. 29 Dec, 1993

  2. 6 June, 1992

  3. 3 October, 1994

  4. 4 October, 1993
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
A Correct answer
Explanation

The Earth Summit of Rio de Janeiro, also known as the United Nations Conference on Environment and Development (UNCED), was held in Rio de Janeiro from 3 to 14 June 1992. It resulted into the Convention on Biodiversity, a multilateral treaty, which entered into force on December 29, 1993. Three major goals were addressed in this convention which included: conservation of biodiversity; sustainable use of its components; and the fair and equitable sharing of benefits arising from the genetic resources. 

So, the correct answer is '29 Dec, 1993'.

Multiple choice evs animal- the base of our life diversity in the living world environmental conservation and biodiversity biodiversity on earth and in india

Diversity of habitats over the total geographical area is

  1. Alpha diversity

  2. Beta diversity

  3. Gamma diversity

  4. Delta diversity

  5. Omega diversity
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
C Correct answer
Explanation

A) The diversity of organisms sharing the same habitat is known as alpha diversity.

B) The rate of replacement of species along a gradient of habitats is known as beta diversity. 
C) The diversity of habitats over the total landscape or geographical area is known as gamma diversity.
D) Delta diversity includes the differentiation of diversity over wide geographic areas.
So, the correct answer is 'Gamma diversity'.