Environment & Biodiversity MCQs

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Environmental Supplemental Plan refers to an environmentally beneficial project or activity twhich is not required by law. An alleged violator of Environmental Impact Assessment Notification, 2006 agrees to undertake an environmentally beneficial project as part of the process of environmental clearance.

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Organisms that obtains hydrogen or electrons from organic substrates are known as Organotrophs. Some organotrophs such as animals and many bacteria can also be heterotrophs.

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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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Carbon Footprint is a measurement of all greenhouse gases that we produce individually and has units of tonnes (or kg) of carbon dioxide equivalent. It is made up of the sum of two parts, i.e., the primary footprint and the secondary footprint.

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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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Primary producers are the organisms in an ecosystem that produce biomass from inorganic compounds (autotrophs). In almost all cases, these are photosynthetically active organisms (plants, cyanobacteria and a number of other unicellular organism.

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The ventilation coefficient (m2/s) is a product of maximum mixing depth and average wind speed. It is used as an indicator of the atmosphere’s dispersive capability. High potential for air pollution is generally associated with ventilation coefficient values of less than 6000 m2/s, as established by researchers Portelli and Lewis in 1987.

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Valley of Flowers National Park is a national park, located in North Chamoli, in Uttarakhand. At 3352 to 3658 meters above sea level, the gentle landscape of the Valley of Flowers National Park complements the rugged mountain wilderness of Nanda Devi National Park to the east.

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The coast of Tamil Nadu (Coromandal coast) receives most of its annual rainfall from the retreating monsoon during October-December. This rainy extension of the generally dry retreating monsoon is called the northeast, or winter, monsoon. It is in contrast to the south west monsoon that brings rainfall over the Northern plains and eastern India during July-September.

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The Península Valdés, recognized as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1999, provides a sanctuary for marine mammals, hosting half of the world’s southern right whale population. The conservation area, located in Argentina, also houses breeding colonies of southern elephant seals and sea lions. A unique hunting strategy has evolved among its resident orcas. Furthermore, the 400,000-hectare desert-like headland features towering cliffs, expansive gulfs, and sandy beaches. Discovered by a Spanish expedition in 1779, it shows signs of Neolithic occupation like obsidian tools. The peninsula, divided into five sections, each offering unique attractions like whale watching, is home to myriad bird species, penguins, maras, and guanacos.