Environmental Studies · Biology

Biodiversity and Conservation

2,266 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

Which of the following would not be a cause of extinction?

  1. natural disaster

  2. disease

  3. hunting

  4. love
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
D Correct answer
Explanation

Extinction is the dying out of a species. Natural disasters, disease, and hunting are all environmental or human factors that can lead to extinction, whereas love is an emotion.

Multiple choice business organisation and correspondence industrial pollution and degradation of environment pollution and industrial pollution pollution and its type pollutions

There are four major causes of accelerated rates of species extinction, which are collectively called as 'the evil quartet'. Which one of the following is not included in 'the evil quartet'?

  1. Over exploitation

  2. Pollution

  3. Co-extinctions

  4. Alien species invasions
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
B Correct answer
Explanation

The world is facing accelerated rates of species extinction, largely due to human interference. There are four major causes collectively called as the evil quarter.

Multiple choice social science waste generation and management origin of waste products e-wastes waste generation waste and its types

Which of the following consequences is due to the over exploitation of natural resources by man?

  1. Increase in natural resources

  2. Ecological imbalance

  3. Increase in the ozone layer

  4. Reappearance of some extinct species
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
B Correct answer
Explanation

Natural resources are the resources gifted by nature. these are useful for the sustenance of the living organism on earth. Overexploitation of natural resources leads to ecological balance. Human activities like deforestation is a major threat which causes global warming. Excessive mining shifting of land which causes volcanic eruptions.

So, the correct answer is option B.

Multiple choice zoology biodiversity and conservation hotspots and methods of conservation biodiversity: conservation conservation of biodiversity basis of classification in animals basis of the classification of animals criteria for animal classification

Wild varieties of plants must be conserved to

  1. Destroy ecosystem

  2. Feeding wild animals

  3. Future evolution

  4. Incorporate useful traits in future crop varieties
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
D Correct answer
Explanation

Wild varieties of plants must be conserved because they are of utmost value to plant breeders for producing improved and favourable varieties of plants by selecting useful genes from a wide range of their wild relatives. In other words, new and improved varieties of crops are derived from their wild relatives by genetic modification. Useful traits are like high yielding, disease resistant, stress resistant etc.

Multiple choice commercial applications environment in its totality alternatives for minimising depletion of natural resources components of environment effects and successes of environment conservation

The process by which an ecosystem species become extinct is known as ___________.

  1. Loss of biodiversity

  2. Deforestation

  3. Acid rain

  4. Bio-diversity
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
A Correct answer
Explanation

The loss of biodiversity refers to the decline or disappearance of biological diversity, which can lead to the extinction of species within an ecosystem.

Multiple choice zoology selection and evolution extinction extinctions environmental science

Which of the following is included in those species which are likely to become extinct?

  1. Endangered species

  2. Critically endangered species

  3. Vulnerable species

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

The species (including animals, plants, fungi, etc.) which are vulnerable to endangerment in the near future are known as threatened species. The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) is the authority on threatened species, and it treats threatened species as a group of three categories, depending on the degree relative to which they are threatened. Those categories are Vulnerable species; Endangered species and Critically endangered species. 

So, the correct answer is 'All of the above'.

Multiple choice zoology selection and evolution extinction extinctions environmental science

Fear of extinction of species from tropical forests is

  1. 2-5 species/hr

  2. 2-5 species/day

  3. 2-5 species/week

  4. 2-5 species/month
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
A Correct answer
Explanation

When there are no more individuals of a species (plant or animal) alive anywhere in the world, the species is said to be extinct. Extinction is also known as the process of dying out. The process is a completely natural part of evolution. But sometimes extinctions happen at a higher and a faster rate than usual. Factors such as large body size, small population, and position at a higher trophic level favour extinction. Fear of extinction of species from tropical forests is at the rate of 2-5 species/hr.

So, the correct answer is '2-5 species/hr'.

Multiple choice biology water absorption and ascent of sap in plants transport of water across plants habit of plants plant classifications

When a species becomes extinct, the plant and animal species associated with it in an obligatory way also become extinct. This phenomenon is referred to as 

  1. fragmentation

  2. alien species invasion

  3. over-exploitation

  4. co-extinction.
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
D Correct answer
Explanation

Extinction of one species automatically causes extinction of the other species in certain obligatory mutualistic relationship.

Multiple choice commercial studies forests: our lifeline afforestation deforestation and its effect deforestation

What would happen if forest disappears?

  1. Flood

  2. Global warming

  3. Extinction of animal

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

Answer is option D i.e. "All of the above"
Deforestation(disappearance of the forest) is when humans remove or clear large areas of forest lands and related ecosystems for non-forest use.

  • Without trees, rain runs off soil into rivers and streams i.e soil erosion, raising the water level which leads to floods.
  • When deforestation takes place it results in an increase in carbon dioxide concentration in the atmosphere which results in global warming.
  • If forests are destroyed, animals and other creatures of the forests will come out to human settlements searching for a place to stay. They will be killed more, thus leading to their extinction.

Multiple choice zoology diversity in living world botanical gardens, zoological parks and zoological museums museums and zoos tools of taxonomy

Which of the following is not a cause for loss of biodiversity?

  1. Destruction of habitat

  2. Invasion by alien species

  3. Keeping animals in zoological parks

  4. Over-exploitation of natural resources
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
C Correct answer
Explanation

Keeping of animals in zoological parks is a method to provide protection to the organisms in some other area instead of its natural habitat. The animals transferred  from their  natural habitat to a safer area either due to an injury or other physical ailment or a change in environmental conditions that is no longer sustainable

So, the correct option is 'Keeping animals in zoological parks'

Multiple choice geography water bodies study of water pollution threats to water resource pollution and environment major hazards in india and prevention

Which of these statements is not a valid reason for the depletion of flora and fauna?

  1. Agricultural expansion

  2. Large scale development projects

  3. Grazing and fuel-wood collection

  4. Rapid industrialisation and urbanisation
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
C Correct answer
Explanation

Human activities have been the major causes for the depletion of flora and fauna. Various such activities are –

1. Agricultural expansion

2. Shifting cultivation (Jhum), a type of ‘slash and burn’ agriculture.

3. Large scale development projects.

4. Mining activities.

5. Habitat destruction, hunting, poaching, over-exploitation of forest products, environmental degradation, forest-fire are some other factors which have led to the decline of India’s biodiversity.

6. Environmental destruction due to unequal access, inequitable consumption of resources and differential sharing of responsibilities for environmental well-being are also responsible for the depletion of flora and fauna.

Multiple choice biology interdependence in living beings - plants and animals animals as consumers scavengers and decomposers interdependence between plants and animals

If the decomposers become extinct, the most severely affected would be

  1. Non-cycling of minerals

  2. Damage to nitrogen fixation

  3. Biomagnification

  4. Carnivores will be starved
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
A Correct answer
Explanation

Decomposers are microorganisms which decomposes organic matter. These include bacteria and fungi. They break down the organic matter of dead animals and plants and releases essential minerals back to the environment. If the decomposers become extinct, the most severely affected would be noncycling of minerals. Due to this, the essential minerals would not be released back in the environment and could not be used by plants for next cycle.

Thus, the correct answer is 'Noncycling of minerals.'

Multiple choice zoology human population population ecology population size population and how it changes

The best way to reduce the population of undesirable species is

  1. Reduce the carrying capacity of the environment for that species

  2. Elimination of females

  3. Elimination of the young generation

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

Carrying capacity is the maximum population size of a species that an ecosystem can support indefinitely. When carrying capacity is reached, a population can survive on the resources available without depleting the overall availability of the resources. When a population is below the carrying capacity, the individuals have access to more than enough resources to survive. When a population grows and begins to reach the carrying capacity, the population begins using resources at an equal rate to which the resources are created. This often creates competition between individuals for the available resources. As a result, some individuals will die when they cannot get enough resources and others will not reproduce because they do not have the resources to support offspring. Environmental resistance leads to the establishment of a carrying capacity.