Environment & Biodiversity MCQs

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Grasslands and shrubs ecosystems typically flourish in areas that receive 25 cm to 75 cm of rainfall per year. This range of rainfall is not sufficient for supporting dense forests but is adequate for grasses and shrubs. The richness and distribution of species are greatly affected by rainfall patterns and seasonality. Knowing the amount of rainfall helps in predicting vegetation type in a particular region, which is crucial for management and conservations strategies.

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Gases that trap heat in the atmosphere are called green house gases. Global Warming Potentials (GWPs) are used to compare the abilities of different green house gases to trap heat in the atmosphere. Carbon dioxide is used as the base for all the calculations, so its global warming potential is 1.2. The higher the GWP, the more heat the specific gas can keep in the atmosphere. Fluorinated gases : Chlorofluorocarbons, Hydrofluorocarbons, perfluorocarbons, sulfur hexafluoride, and nitrogen trifluoride : are synthetic, powerful greenhouse gases that have highest heat trapping abilities. These gases are 1,000; 10,000 even 20,000 times more powerful than Carbon dioxide (CO2) at trapping heat and many can stay in our atmosphere for thousands of years.

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Acid rain is a rain or any other form of precipitation that is unusually acidic i.e. it possesses elevated levels of hydrogen ions (low pH). It is caused by emissions of oxides of sulphur (SO2 or SO3) and nitrogen oxide, which react with the water molecules in the atmosphere to produce acids.

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Blue Revolution means the adoption of a package programme to increase the production of fish and marine products. The Blue Revolution in India was started in 1970 during the Fifth Five-Year Plan when the Central Government sponsored the Fish Farmers Development Agency.

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India’s first national park was established in 1936 as Hailey National Park to protect the endangered Bengal tiger. It is now known as Jim Corbett National Park. It is located in Nainital district of Uttarakhand and was named after Jim Corbett, a British- Indian hunter and tracker-turned-conservationist, who played a key role in its establishment.

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In any ecosystem, there is conversion of inorganic into organic material with the help of the radiant energy of the sun by the autotrophs; consumption of the autotrophs by heterotrophs; decomposition and mineralisation of the dead matter to release them back for reuse by the autotrophs, these events are repeated over and over again. There is unidirectional movement of energy towards the higher trophic levels and its dissipation and loss as heat to the environment.

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Ecological sanitation is a sustainable system for handling human excreta, using dry composting toilets. This is a practical, hygienic, efficient and cost-effective solution to human waste disposal. With this composting method, human excreta can be recycled into a resource (as natural fertiliser), which reduces the need for chemical fertilisers.

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The Gold Panda is the highest conservation award by the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF), the leading global environmental organisation. WWF is an international non-governmental organization founded in 1961, working in the field of the wilderness preservation, and the reduction of humanity’s footprint on the environment.

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A UNESCO World Heritage Site, recognized in 1984, the Iguazu National Park stretches across a vast area of 677 km² in Argentina. The park’s name draws from the Guarani legacy and it was first established in 1934 to protect its stunning natural beauty. It boasts the spectacular Iguazu Falls, consisting of 275 individual waterfalls including the awe-inspiring Devil’s Throat, and is known for its rich biodiversity with over 2,000 plant and 400 bird species. A hub for tourists and nature lovers, the park is home to the elusive jaguars and caimans, attracting over 1.5 million visitors annually.

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The Pantanal Conservation Area, recognized as a UNESCO World Heritage Site, accounts for 1.3% of the vast Pantanal wetland in Brazil and spans across 187,818 hectares. It provides shelter for more than 650 bird species, 325 fish species, and 80 mammal species, including giant armadillo and jaguar. The area’s unique ecosystem extends from floodplains to the Amolar Mountains, supporting diverse habitats and maintaining regional fish stocks. Moreover, it is an all-important breeding ground for wetland birds and refuge for globally threatened species like the hyacinth macaw. Additionally, it is a Ramsar Wetland and a UNESCO Man & Biosphere Reserve.