Fundamentals of Ecology & Ecosystems MCQ Questions
Ques:
61
Concerning ‘Eco-Sensitive Zones’, which of the following statements is/are correct?
Eco-Sensitive Zones are the areas that are declared under the Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972.
The purpose of the declaration of Eco-Sensitive Zones is to prohibit all kinds of human activities in those zones except agriculture.
Select the correct answer using the code given below:
Correct Answer:
(D)
Neither 1 nor 2
Eco - sensitive zones are mentioned under the Environment (Protection) Act, 1986. Hence statement 1 is incorrect.
Prohibited activities: Tourism activities like flying over protected areas in an aircraft or hot air balloon, and discharge of effluents and solid waste in natural water bodies or terrestrial areas.
Regulated activities: Felling of trees, establishment of hotels and resorts, commercial use of natural water, erection of electrical cables, drastic change of agriculture system, e.g. adoption of heavy technology, pesticides etc. widening of roads.
Permitted activities: Ongoing agriculture and horticulture practices by local communities, rainwater harvesting, organic farming, adoption of green technology and use of renewable energy sources.
Hence, statement 2 is also incorrect. Hence, option (d) is the correct answer.
Ques:
62
Which one of the following statements best describes the term ‘Social Cost of Carbon’? It is a measure, in monetary value, of the:
Correct Answer:
(A)
long-term damage done by a tonne of CO2 emissions in a given year.
Social Cost of Carbon or SC-CO2 is a measure, in monetary value, of the long-term damage done by a tonne of carbon dioxide (CO2) emission in a given year. EPA (Environmental Protection Agency) and other federal agencies use estimates of the social cost of carbon to evaluate the climate impacts of rulemaking.
Ques:
63
The pyramid of energy in any ecosystem is
Correct Answer:
(A)
Always upright
Pyramid of energy is always upright, can never be inverted, because when energy flows from a particular trophic level to the next trophic level, some energy is always lost as heat at each step. Each bar in the energy pyramid indicates the amount of energy present at each trophic level in a given time or annually per unit area. Hence option (a) is correct.
Ques:
64
Biomass Pyramid is reversed in which type of ecosystem?
Correct Answer:
(B)
Pond
The Pyramid of Biomass is a graphical representation that depicts the extent of biomass per unit area within different trophic levels in an ecological system. In grasslands and forests, there is a gradual decrease in the biomass of organisms at successive levels from the producers to the top carnivores. Thus, pyramids are upright. However, in a pond, as the producers are small organisms, their biomass is least and this value gradually shows an increase towards the apex of the pyramid, thus making the pyramid inverted in shape.
Note: An inverted pyramid of biomass can be found in marine ecosystem. The pyramid of biomass in sea is generally inverted because the biomass of fishes far exceeds that of phytoplankton.
Ques:
65
Which of the following statements is true about Bionomics?
It means “management of life’.
It is synonymous with ecology.
It stresses the value of natural systems which influence human systems.
Code :
Correct Answer:
(C)
2 and 3
In ecology, bionomics (Greek: bio = life; nomos = law) is the comprehensive study of an organism and its relation to its environment. Another way of expressing this word is the term currently referred to as “ecology”. It stresses the value of natural systems which influence human systems and is not related to the management of life.
Ques:
66
In the marine environment, the main primary producers are:
Correct Answer:
(A)
Phytoplanktons
Phytoplankton, also known as microalgae, are similar to terrestrial plants in that they contain chlorophyll and require sunlight to live and grow. Most phytoplankton are buoyant and float in the upper part of the ocean, where sunlight penetrates the water. Phytoplankton also requires inorganic nutrients such as nitrates, phosphates, and sulfur which they convert into proteins, fats, and carbohydrates.
Ques:
67
The example of “Lentic Habitat” in the freshwater community is:
Correct Answer:
(A)
Ponds and swamps
Lentic Ecosystem refers to the static water habitats like ponds, lakes, swamps and marshes. Lotic Ecosystem refers to the dynamic water habitats like rivers.
Ques:
68
Which of the following is the most stable ecosystem?
Correct Answer:
(C)
Ocean
Oceans are the cradle of life on Earth which harbour the highest level of biodiversity. No terrestrial ecosystem can match the biological richness of a coral reef, not only in some species but also in variety and originality of survival strategies.
Note: Freshwater, Grassland and Rainforest are examples of natural biome whereas cropland is an example of the anthropogenic biome.
Ques:
69
Consider the following statements:
Most of the world's coral reefs are in tropical waters.
More than one-third of the world's coral reefs are located in the territories of Australia, Indonesia and the Philippines.
Coral reefs host far more number of animal phyla than those hosted by tropical rainforests.
Which of the statements given above is/are correct?
Correct Answer:
(D)
1, 2 and 3
Corals are invertebrate animals. Reefs are created by hard corals which secrete a skeleton that can turn into giant structures like Australia's 'Great Barrier Reef'. Most of the world's coral reefs are located in tropical oceans near the equator. More than one-third of the world's coral reef is located in the territories of Australia. Indonesia and Philippines. Coral reefs are one of the most diverse ecosystems on the planet. These tropical marine communities occupy less than 1% of the ocean floor but are inhabited by more than 25% of all known marine fish species. 32 of the 34 recognized animal phyla are formed on coral reefs compared to 9 phyla in tropical rainforests.
Ques:
70
In the context of ecosystem productivity, marine upwelling zones are important as they increase the marine productivity by bringing the:
Decomposer micro-organisms to the surface.
Nutrients to the surface.
3. Bottom-dwelling organisms to the surface.
Which of the statements given above is/are correct?
Correct Answer:
(B)
2 only
Winds blowing across the ocean surface push water away. Water then rises up from beneath the surface to replace the water that was pushed away. This process is called "upwelling. Water that rises to the surface as a result of upwelling is typically colder & is rich in nutrients. These nutrients "fertilize" surface waters, meaning that these surface waters often have high biological productivity. Therefore, good fishing grounds are found where upwelling is common.