Biology · Environmental Studies

Biology of Insects and Pollination

861 Questions

Insect biology and pollination focus on ecological relationships, crop science, and practical applications like apiculture. These topics regularly appear in general science sections of competitive exams. Review core concepts to build accuracy for test day.

Apiculture and honeyTypes of pollinationInsect binomial nomenclatureCrop damaging pestsFriend of farmers organism

Biology of Insects and Pollination Questions

Multiple choice

Red ants have evolved a sophisticated defense mechanisms against various predators that raid their colonies. For example, worker ants detect a raiding ant from a rival colony at the entrance to their colony, the worker ants release warning signals which cause other ants to swarm around and sting the intruder. This makes it difficult to understand why when a swallow, which sometimes eats red ants, is detected just at the entrance to colony, no swarm-inducing signal is produced.

Which of the following, if true, contributes most to an explanation of the behavior of red ants as it is described above?

  1. A raiding ant must be stung many times by red ants before it die

  2. Swallows do not eat many ants in quick succession and never enter the colony

  3. A raiding ant must be stung fewer times than a swallow before it dies

  4. Swallows fly away as soon as it detects swarm inducing signal

  5. None of these
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
B Correct answer
Explanation

This issue to be resolved is why red ants swarm around raiding ants but not around swallows that get near the colony. We're told that the swarming around raiding ants is an example of a defense against raids on colony, so a good explanation of the ants' failure to swarm around swallow would be that the swallows are not raiding the colonies, merely coming close to them and picking off a few stray ants. Choice (2) provides this explanation.

Multiple choice

From which of the following lac is produced?

  1. Tachardia lacca

  2. Lytta

  3. Bombyx mori

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

Laccifer lacca, (=Tachardia lacca) is the commercially cultured lac insect. It is mainly cultured in India and Bangladesh on the host plants such as ber, Zizyphus mauritiana, palas, Butea monosperma and kusum, Schleichera oleosa.

Multiple choice

Queen bee is adapted for

  1. laying eggs

  2. laying eggs and rearing the youngs

  3. preparing honey

  4. controlling other bees
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
B Correct answer
Explanation

The queen normally lives for about 5 years and does nothing except laying eggs. She possesses immensely developed ovaries, a large abdomen and a body which is nearly five time larger and about three times heavier than that of worker. 

Multiple choice

Bagging is done to

  1. achieve desired pollination

  2. prevent contamination from unwanted pollen

  3. avoid self-pollination

  4. avoid cross-pollination
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
B Correct answer
Explanation

Bagging is done to prevent contamination from unwanted pollen.

Multiple choice

What do you call the pollination performed by bats?

  1. Entomophily

  2. Ornithophily

  3. Cheiropterophily

  4. Hydrophily
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
C Correct answer
Explanation

Pollination performed by bats is called cheiropterophily.Bat pollination is most common in tropical and desert areas that have many night-blooming plants.

Multiple choice

Natural parthenogenesis is found in

  1. aphids

  2. honey bees

  3. wasps

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

Natural parthenogenesis is found in aphids, honey bees and wasps.It is a form of asexual reproduction in which growth and development of embryos occur without fertilization.

Multiple choice

What is honey for honey bee?

  1. Nectar

  2. Food

  3. Excretory material

  4. Waste product
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
B Correct answer
Explanation

Honey is the complex substance prepared from the nectar of flowers, which act as the food source for the bees.