Environment, Ecology & Biodiversity MCQs
Environment, Ecology & Biodiversity Multiple choice questions for GK paper in SSC, NDA, CDS, UPSC, UPPSC and State PSC Examinations.
61. Identify the climate pollutant with the help of given information:
- It is the most abundant reactive trace gas in the atmosphere and arises from both natural and anthropogenic sources.
- This gas is 30 times more powerful than carbon dioxide in its heat-trapping potential.
- Agriculture and dairy farming are the most significant human sources of this gas while wetlands and oceans form the natural sources.
- It’s a common fabric, plastic, anti-freeze and fertilizer ingredient.
Select the correct answer from options given below:
[A] Sulfur Hexafluoride
[B] Methane
[C] Nitrous Oxide
[D] Carbon Monoxide
Show Answer
Correct Answer: B [Methane]
Notes:
Methane is the most abundant reactive trace gas in the atmosphere and arises from both natural and anthropogenic sources. The main natural sources of methane are wetlands, termites and oceans. Wetlands are by far the largest source, accounting for 30% of total emissions. Methane is also produced by the digestive processes of termites, resulting in the generation of around 20 Mt per year-approximately 5% of world methane emissions. It’s a common fabric, plastic, anti-freeze and fertilizer ingredient. Industrial natural gas consumers include companies that make pulp and paper.
62. Which among the following can lead to eutrophication in the water bodies?
- Use of Fertilizers in nearby fields
- Wastewater effluents
- Runoff from abandoned mines
Select the correct option from the codes given below:
[A] Only 1 & 2
[B] Only 2 & 3
[C] Only 1 & 3
[D] 1, 2 & 3
Show Answer
Correct Answer: D [1, 2 & 3]
Notes:
Water enriched with nutrients leads to eutrophication. Decaying organic matter releases odorous gases and partially decomposed matter accumulates on the river or lakebed, hereby limiting water’s suitability for human consumption and other uses. High levels of fertilizer use has been associated with increased incidence of eutrophication in rivers and lakes in several of India’s most important water bodies, such as the Hussein Sagar in Hyderabad and Nainital in Uttar Pradesh.
63. The Ecosystem Approach:
1. keeps human needs at the centre stage of biodiversity management
2. aims for short term economic gains Which among the above is / are correct?
[A] Only 1
[B] Only 2
[C] Both 1 & 2
[D] Neither 1 nor 2
Show Answer
Correct Answer: A [Only 1]
Notes:
The Ecosystem Approach places human needs at the centre of biodiversity management. It aims to manage the ecosystem, based on the multiple functions that ecosystems perform and the multiple uses that are made of these functions. The ecosystem approach does not aim for short-term economic gains, but aims to optimize the use of an ecosystem without damaging it.
64. Consider the following bacteria:
- Rhizobium
- Azotobacter
- Anabaena
- Nostoc
Which among the above fix nitrogen without being in symbiotic relation with other biota?
[A] Only 1, 2 & 3
[B] Only 2, 3 & 4
[C] Only 2 & 4
[D] Only 2
Show Answer
Correct Answer: B [Only 2, 3 & 4]
Notes:Two kinds of nitrogen-fixing bacteria are recognized:
- Free-living (non-symbiotic) bacteria, including the cyanobacteria (or blue-green algae) Anabaena and Nostoc and genera such as Azotobacter, Beijerinckia, and Clostridium;
- Mutualistic (symbiotic) bacteria such as Rhizobium, associated with leguminous plants (e.g., various members of the pea family), and certain Azospirillum species, associated with cereal grasses.
65. Which of the following fauna have been listed under Schedule-V of the Wild Life (Protection) Act, 1972?
- Dugong
- Common Crow
- Common fox
- Fruit bats
Select the correct option from codes given below:
[A] 1, 2 & 4 Only
[B] 2, 3 & 4 Only
[C] 1, 3 & 4 Only
[D] 1, 2, 3 & 4
Show Answer
Correct Answer: B [2, 3 & 4 Only]
Notes:
Wildlife laws divide species into “schedules” ranked from I to V. Schedule I members are the best-protected species, in theory, with severe punishments meted out to those who hunt them. On the other hand, few other fauna have been listed under the Schedule 5 of the act and have been declared vermin, therefore, can be hunted. Animals listed under the Schedule-V of the Wild Life (Protection) Act, 1972 are Common crow, Mice, Common Fox, Rats, Fruit bats, Voles & Jackals. Dugong is listed under Schedule-I of the Act.
66. A biome is classified according to the
[A] Species living in it
[B] Temperature
[C] Edaphic Properties
[D] Amount of rainfall received
Show Answer
Correct Answer: A [Species living in it]
Notes:It is an area of planet that is classified according to the plant and animal species living in it. Temprature, soil, rainfall just defines the kind of life in that particular biome. There is a difference between biome and ecosystem and ecosystem is formed after the interaction of biotic and abiotic interaction in an environment but a biome is an specific area classified according to the species living there. Many ecosystem can exist in a biome. For example- In aquatic biome there are various ecosystems like coral reefs, kelp forest.
67. These organism of aquatic group are unattached organisms living at the interface of air and water. Which among the following are those organisms?
[A] Periphyton
[B] Neuston
[C] Nekton
[D] Plankton
Show Answer
Correct Answer: B [Neuston]
Notes:
Neuston is one of the 5 aquatic organisms who are unattached organisms and live on the air-water interface. Some of these organisms spend their lives on the top of air-water interface like floating plants.
68. Ramsar convention is related to which of the following-
[A] Limiting the desertification
[B] Conservation of wetlands
[C] Conservation of Snow Leopard
[D] Conservation of Tigers
Show Answer
Correct Answer: B [Conservation of wetlands]
Notes:Ramsar convention signed in 1971 in Ramsar, Iran is related to the wise use and conservation of notified wetlands. From India there are 38 wetland sites recognized in the convention.
69. Which of the following is true about Alpha diversity?
[A] It is the species diversity within a specified habitat
[B] It is the diversity between two communities
[C] It is the diversity among two or more ecological communities
[D] None of the above
Show Answer
Correct Answer: A [It is the species diversity within a specified habitat]
Notes:
Alpha diversity is the species diversity that is found within a specified habitat. It is the lowest level of community.
70. Which of the following classical text give references to ecological concepts?
1) Vedas
2) Samhitas
3) Brahmanas
4)Aranyakas – Upanishads
Select the correct answer from the codes given below:
[A] Only 1 & 2
[B] Only 2, 3 & 4
[C] Only 3 & 4
[D] 1, 2, 3 & 4
Show Answer
Correct Answer: D [1, 2, 3 & 4]
Notes:
Many of the ancient classical texts of the Vedic period such as the Vedas, the Samhitas, the Brahmanas, and the Aranyakas- Upanishads contain many references to the prevailing ecological concepts.
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