Ecology

Total Questions: 88

21. Which of the following does not help to maintain ecological balance? [U.P.U.D.A./L.D.A. (Pre) 2013]

(a) Cutting forest
(b) Afforestation
(c) Rainwater Management
(d) Biosphere Reserves

Correct Answer: (a) Cutting forest

Solution:Wildlife conservation and prevention of environmental pollution is helpful in maintaining ecological balance. Deforestation adds to the environmental imbalance.

Afforestation: This involves establishing forests or stands of trees in areas that were previously not forested. It is a key component of environmental restoration and can improve water management, soil health, and biodiversity.

Rainwater Management: This includes techniques for collecting, storing, and using rainwater, which can be crucial in water-scarce areas or during droughts. It can also help reduce the amount of water that flows into storm drains and helps reduce flooding.

Biosphere Reserves: These are areas designated by UNESCO to protect biodiversity, promote sustainable development, and support scientific research. They are designed to reconcile the conservation of natural resources with human development.

22. Which one of the following is one of main causes of ecological imbalance in India? [R.A.S./R.T.S. (Pre) 2012]

(a) Deforestation
(b) Desertification
(c) Floods and Famines
(d) Rainfall variation

Correct Answer: (a) Deforestation

Solution:Deforestation is the clearing of forests, which significantly impacts the water cycle. Trees absorb and store water, regulating rainfall. When forests are cleared, the rate of evapotranspiration decreases, leading to less cloud formation and reduced rainfall. This can result in both droughts and increased flooding during heavy rainfall events due to the lack of tree canopy to absorb water.

Desertification is the process of land degradation in arid and semi-arid regions, often caused by factors like deforestation. Desertification encompasses broader land degradation, including soil erosion and loss of vegetation due to various factors.

Floods and famines are consequences of several environmental and human factors, including climate change, deforestation, and poor agricultural.

Rainfall variation is a natural phenomenon that occurs globally. Changes in rainfall patterns are influenced by various climatic factors.

23. Which of the following is an act that disturbs the ecological balance? [U.P.R.O./A.R.O. (Pre) 2014]

(a) Lumbering
(b) Social forestry
(c) Vanamahotsav
(d) Afforestation

Correct Answer: (a) Lumbering

Solution:It is lumbering which which disturbs the ecological balance. Lumbering, a primary economic activity involving the felling and processing of trees for timber, is particularly successful in temperate regions like Canada and Northern Europe. This is due to factors like advanced technology, snow facilitating log transportation, and the presence of conifers that grow in homogeneous groups.

24. Which one of the following is not related to ecological balance? [U.P.P.C.S. (Pre) 2005]

(a) Water management
(b) Afforestation
(c) Industrial Management
(d) Wildlife protection

Correct Answer: (c) Industrial Management

Solution:Water management, afforestation and wildlife protection is associated with Ecological balance while industrial management is not associated with ecological balance. Industrial management involves the planning, organizing, coordinating, and controlling of industrial operations to optimize production, efficiency, and profitability. It integrates various resources like human capital, technology, materials, and finances to achieve organizational goals.

25. The number of organisms that can be supported by the environment in a given area is known as: [Uttarakhand P.C.S. (Pre) 2012]

(a) Population
(b) Carrying Capacity
(c) Pyramid of number or biomass
(d) None of the above

Correct Answer: (b) Carrying Capacity

Solution:The maximum population size that can ecosystem can support is called carrying capacity. It is the number of organisms that an environment can sustainably support. Hence option (b) is correct. It can fluctuate depending on environmental conditions, resource availability, and other factors like disease or competition. Understanding carrying capacity helps us predict how populations will grow, what factors might limit their size, and how to manage ecosystems sustainably. When a population exceeds its carrying capacity, resources become scarce, competition increases, and the ecosystem can be negatively impacted, potentially leading to population crashes.

26. Which one of the following terms describes not only the physical space occupied by an organism but also its function role in the community of organisms? [I.A.S. (Pre) 2013]

(a) Ecotone
(b) Ecological niche
(c) Habitat
(d) Home range

Correct Answer: (b) Ecological niche

Solution:An ecological niche refers to a species' specific role or position within its ecosystem. It includes the conditions created by both living (biotic) and non-living (abiotic) elements of the ecosystem that affect the species' ability to reproduce and obtain essential resources like food, water, and shelter. Additionally, a niche encompasses the impact the species has on its ecosystem.

An ecological niche is the role and position of a species in its environment, describing how it interacts with resources and competitors and how it affects these factors. It includes how a species grows when resources are abundant and threats are minimal and how it competes for resources, serves as prey, and hunts for food.

A species' niche depends on biotic factors like food and predators and abiotic factors such as temperature, soil nutrients, and light. For example, dung beetles eat dung and store it for their larvae, which helps recycle nutrients and aerate the soil.

27. The correct order in the food chain of the various components of a terrestrial grass ecosystem is- [U.P.P.S.C. (GIC) 2010]

(a) Grass, Grasshopper, Frog, Snake
(b) Grass, Grasshopper, Snake, Frog
(c) Grasshopper, Frog, Grass, Snake
(d) Grasshopper, Snake, Frog, Grass

Correct Answer: (a) Grass, Grasshopper, Frog, Snake

Solution:Any substance consumed to provide nutritional support for an organism is called food. Plants are self-feeding and make for their own food whereas animals depend on plants for food. Food chain depicts the flow of energy through different organisms in an ecosystem. Notably, this flow is unidirectional. The correct order of different components in the above food chain is as follows:

Grass → Grasshopper → Frog → Snake

↓ ↓ ↓ ↓

(Producer) (Primary Consumer) (Secondary Consumer) (Tertiary Consumer)

28. Which of the following constitute a food chain? [Chhattisgarh P.C.S. (Pre) 2015, 2016]

(a) Grass, wheat and mango
(b) Grass, goat and human
(c) Goat< cow and elephant
(d) Grass, fish and goat
(e) None of the above

Correct Answer: (b) Grass, goat and human

Solution:Grass, goat and humans form a food chain -

Grass → Goat → Humans

↓ ↓ ↓

(Autotroph) (Herbivorous consumer) (Omnivorous consumer)

29. Which of the following is not a biotic component of an ecosystem ? [R.A.S./R.T.S. (Pre) 2013]

(a) Air
(b) Plant
(c) Bacteria
(d) Animals

Correct Answer: (a) Air

Solution:A biotic component refers to a living organism within an ecosystem. Air is a non-living component, classified as abiotic.

Plants are living organisms and are part of the biotic component of an ecosystem. They are producers, capable of photosynthesis.

Bacteria are single-celled microorganisms that are also alive and considered biotic components. They play important roles in decomposition and nutrient cycling.

Animals are multicellular organisms that are considered biotic components. They consume other organisms for energy.

30. Concerning food chains in ecosystems, consider the following statements (a) [I.A.S (Pre) 2013 ]

A food chain illustrates the order in which a chain of organisms feeds upon each other.
Food chains are found within the population of a species.
A food chain illustrates the number of organism, which is eaten by other.

Which of the statements given above is /are correct?

(a) Only 1
(b) 1 and 2
(c) 1, 2 and 3
(d) None of these

Correct Answer: (a) Only 1

Solution:Now most obvious aspect of nature is that energy must pass from one living organism to another. When herbivorous animals feed on plants, energy is transferred from plants to animals. In an ecosystem, some of the animals feed on other living organisms while some feed on dead organic matter. The latter form the detritus food chain. Each chain usually has only four to five such links. Food chains are not found within the population of a species. Because this would mean a human being eating another human being (human being are single species)

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