Environment & Biodiversity MCQs

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Biopiracy refers to the theft of genetic materials especially plants and other biological materials by the process of patent. It is a situation where indigenous knowledge of nature, originating with indigenous people, is exploited for commercial gain without permission and compensation.

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Gene banks are established to protect genetic material, be it plant or animal. In plants, genetic material can be saved by freezing cuts from the plant, or stocking the seeds. In animals, genetic material can be saved by freezing of sperm and eggs in zoological freezers until further need.

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Minamata disease is a neurological syndrome caused by severe methyl mercury poisoning. It is caused by eating large quantities of fish and shellfish polluted by methyl mercury in factory wastewater. The disease is named after Minamata city in Kumamoto prefecture, Japan, where it was first discovered in 1956.

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Cellulose for industrial use is mainly obtained from wood pulp and cotton. Cellulose is the major constituent of paper, paperboard, and card stock. It is also the main ingredient of textiles made from cotton, linen, and other plant fibres. It can be turned into rayon, an important fiber that has been used for textiles since the beginning of the 20th century.

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Ecology is the scientific study of interactions among organisms and their environment, such as the interactions organisms have with each other and with their abiotic environment. Topics of interest to ecologists include the diversity, distribution, amount (biomass), number (population) of organisms, as well as competition between them within and among ecosystems.

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The Taj Mahal, is slowly turning brownish-yellow because of air pollution, also called “Marble cancer”. The Industries located in and around Agra especially the Mathura oil refinery have been responsible for producing pollutants. Emissions of sulphur dioxide around the Taj Mahal are twice the permissible levels. Now, researchers found 3% of the deposits to be black carbon, around 30% organic carbon (or brown carbon) and most of the rest dust. Black carbon is emitted by vehicles and other machines that burn fossil fuels.

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The Mudumalai National Park and Wildlife Sanctuary, now also declared a Tiger Reserve, lies on the northwestern side of the Nilgiri Hills, in Nilgiri District, about 150 km north-west of Coimbatore city in the westernmost part of Tamil Nadu, on the interstate boundaries with Karnataka and Kerala states in South India. The sanctuary is a haven for Bengal Tigers and Indian Leopards and other threatened species.

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Sikkim is the largest producer of orchids in India. The state is home to an amazing 450 species of exotic orchids alone. Annually, around 20 million stalks of orchids are produced in Sikkim. Sikkim, owing to its climatic conditions, has developed as a natural hub of orchids.

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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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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.