Environmental Studies · Biology

Ecology and Biodiversity

1,739 Questions

Ecology and biodiversity are vital topics in environmental studies, covering ecosystem structures, species diversity, and environmental impacts. These concepts are frequently tested in competitive examinations for civil services and state selections. The questions cover carrying capacity, ecological succession, and conservation fundamentals.

Species richness measurementTypes of ecological diversityBiome distribution factorsCarrying capacity conceptEcosystem servicesEnvironmental Impact Assessment

Ecology and Biodiversity Questions

Multiple choice

Which of the following criteria is/are used for classification of biomes?

  1. Availability of soil
  2. Availability of water
  3. Availability of vegetation cover

  1. Only 3

  2. Only 2 and 3

  3. 1, 2 and 3

  4. Only 1 and 3
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
C Correct answer
Explanation

In ecology, a biome is a major regional group of distinctive plant and animal communities best adapted to the region's physical natural environment, latitude, altitude and terrain. A biome is made up of communities at stable steady state and all associated transitional, disturbed, or degraded, vegetation, fauna and soils, but can often be identified by the climax vegetation type. A fundamental classification of biomes is into: Terrestrial (or continental) biomes, and Aquatic biomes. The criteria used for classification of biomes are:

  1. Availability of soil
  2. Availability of water
  3. Availability of vegetation cover
Multiple choice

What is a large naturally occurring community of flora and fauna occupying a major habitat called?

  1. Biodiversity

  2. Biosphere

  3. Biotic potential

  4. Biome

  5. Biotic components
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
D Correct answer
Explanation

A large naturally occurring community of flora and fauna occupying a major habitat is called a biome. Biomes are large geographic regions in many locations with similar kinds of communities and climates. Climates are one of the most important factors that determine the kind of organisms in a biome.

Multiple choice

Which of the following statements is incorrect for ecosystem?

  1. During the stress conditions, the count of rare species gets reduced in an ecosystem.

  2. An ecosystem is considered to be unstable if its structure and functions remain more or less the same throughout the year.

  3. An ecosystem having high population diversity and low dominance is regarded as less productive in nature.

  4. In ecosystems, the biotic communities generally accommodates large number of individual species occurring in small numbers.
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
B Correct answer
Explanation

Statement 2 is incorrect. It is just the reverse statement as an ecosystem is considered to be stable in the ecological sense if its structure and functions remain more or less the same throughout the year.

Multiple choice

Match the following:

 
(A) Population (1) Part of Earth's crust, water and atmosphere that support life
(B) Ecosystem (2) Total number of individuals living (inhabiting) in a particular area
(C) Community (3) Various groups of individuals living together in a defined area
(D) Biosphere (4) A group of living organisms (including plants, animals and microbes) and surroundings

  1. (A) - 2, (B) - 4, (C) - 3, (D) - 1

  2. (A) - 4, (B) - 2, (C) - 3, (D) - 1

  3. (A) - 2, (B) - 3, (C) - 1, (D) - 4

  4. (A) - 2, (B) - 3, (C) - 4, (D) - 1
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
A Correct answer
Explanation

(1) Population is the total number of individuals living (inhabiting) in a particular area (country, city, state, etc.) (2) The ecosystem is the group of living organisms (including  plants, animals, and microbes) and their surrounding. For example, water ecosystem, pond ecosystem, etc. (3) Community is a group of individuals living together in a defined area, e.g. humans, animals etc. (4) Biosphere is the part of Earth's crust, water and atmosphere that supports the life. For example, hydrosphere, lithosphere, etc.

Multiple choice

In a terrestrial ecosystem, pyramid of energy is always __________.

  1. irregular

  2. upright

  3. inverted

  4. linear

  5. constant
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
B Correct answer
Explanation

An energy pyramid is always upright because the total amount of energy available for utilization in the layers above is less than the energy available in the lower levels. This happens because according to the 10% law of energy transfer, only 10% of the total energy is transferred from one trophic level to another.

Multiple choice

Consider the following facts:

  1. Biodiversity increases as we move away from the equator.
  2. The study of the spatial distribution of organisms, species and ecosystems, is the science of biogeography.

Which of the above statements is/are true?

  1. Only 1

  2. Only 2

  3. Both 1 and 2

  4. Neither 1 nor 2
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
B Correct answer
Explanation

Generally, there is an increase in biodiversity from the Poles to the tropics. Thus, localities at lower latitudes have more species than localities at higher latitudes. This is often referred to as the latitudinal gradient in species diversity.

Multiple choice

Which of the following statements is/are false? a. Wildlife denotes the richness of species in a particular area or habitat. b. An ecosystem is a self-sustaining unit of living organisms and non-living environment, needing only the input of sunlight energy for its functioning. c. The biggest threat to the existence and survival of wild animals and birds is deforestation.

  1. Only a

  2. Only a and b

  3. Only b

  4. Only b and c

  5. Only c
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
A Correct answer
Explanation

Statement 'a' is a false statement. Biodiversity denotes the richness of species in a particular area or habitat. Thus, it is the correct option.

Multiple choice

Match the following:

a. Wildlife 1. It is the variety of organisms like plants, animals, microorganisms, etc., found in a particular area or habitat.
b. Biodiversity 2. It is the system, which includes plants, animals, microorganisms of an area and the physical environment like soil, air and water in which they live.
c. Ecosystem 3.It is all the animals and plants, which are found naturally in the forests and other natural habitats.

  1. a - 2, b - 3, c - 1

  2. a - 3, b - 2, c - 1

  3. a - 3, b - 1, c - 2

  4. a - 2, b - 1, c - 3

  5. a - 1, b - 3, c - 2
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
C Correct answer
Explanation

This is the correct option.  All are correctly matched. 

Multiple choice

Which of the following statements is/are false? a. A special feature of Biosphere Reserve is that local tribals are an integral part of it. b. Giant squirrel and flying squirrel are two examples of endemic fauna of the Pachmari Biosphere Reserve. c. In the core zone of a Biosphere Reserve, activities like research, environmental education and tourism are allowed.

  1. Only a

  2. Only a and b

  3. Only b

  4. Only b and c

  5. Only c
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
E Correct answer
Explanation

Statement 'c'  is a false statement. Thus, it is the correct option. In the buffer zone of a Biosphere Reserve, activities like research, environmental education and tourism are allowed.

Multiple choice

What do you mean by a community?

  1. A community is often defined as a group of organisms capable of interbreeding and producing fertile offspring.

  2. A community is a summation of all the organisms of the same group or species, which live in the same geographical area, and have the capability of interbreeding.

  3. A community is a group of interacting living organisms sharing a populated environment.

  4. The community describes how an organism or population responds to the distribution of resources and competitors and how it in turn alters those same factors.

  5. A community is a group of living organisms in conjunction with the non living components of their environment, interacting as a system.
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
C Correct answer
Explanation

This option is correct.

Multiple choice

The conservation of biodiversity is important for

  1. plants only

  2. animals only

  3. both plants and animals

  4. all living organisms
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
D Correct answer
Explanation

Biodiversity includes all living organisms, from a single celled microorganism to multicellular organisms. So, it should be conserved for all living organims.

Multiple choice

Choose the best suitable statement(s) from the following about a balanced ecosystem:

  1. Number of organisms at all levels is equal.
  2. Amount of biomass at all trophic levels is equal.
  3. Organisms are independent.

  1. 1 and 2 only

  2. 2 only

  3. 3 only

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

A pyramid of biomass is the amount of energy contained in biomass, at different trophic levels for a given time and higher trophic levels would have less total biomass than those below, because some energy is lost in the transfer from one level to the next. Thus, the amount of biomass at all trophic levels cannot be equal. A pyramid of numbers represents the number of organisms in each trophic level. For upward pyramids, the bottom level would be of quite large organisms. But sometimes the pyramid of numbers might be inverted. Then, the number of organisms at lower level would be less than that at higher level. Thus, the number of organisms at all levels also cannot be equal. An ecosystem is made up of all the living animals and plants and the non-living matter in a particular place, like a forest or lake. All the living things in an ecosystem depend on all the other things - living and non-living for continued survival - for food supplies and other needs. Thus, a balanced ecosystem is one in which the amount of energy synthesized and utilized is nearly equal. 

Multiple choice

Which of the following statements is TRUE about biomes?

  1. Biomes are defined as group of ecosystems sharing similar climatic conditions on Earth, such as communities of plants, animals and soil organisms living in the same environment.
  2. A Temperate Grassland or Shrub-Land Biome is commonly known as Steppe in Central Asia, Prairie in North America and Pampas in South America.
  3. Biomes may have both biotic and abiotic components.

  1. Only 2

  2. Only 3

  3. 1, 2 and 3

  4. 1 and 2
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
C Correct answer
Explanation

Biomes are climatically and geographically defined as similar climatic conditions on the Earth, such as communities of plants, animals, and soil organisms, and are often referred to as groups of ecosystems. Terrestrial biomes are those that occur on the land and include deserts, grasslands, tropical forests, temperate forests, taiga, and tundra. For example, Temperate Grassland or Shrub-Land Biome is commonly known as Steppe in Central Asia, Prairie in North America and Pampas in South America. The Aquatic Biomes occur in water and are often divided into the marine and freshwater biomes, depending on the salinity of the water. Biomes may have both biotic and abiotic components.