Issues on Environment, Biodiversity & Climate Change (Part-II)

Total Questions: 50

21. Which of the following have coral reefs? [2014-1]

1. Andaman and Nicobar Islands

2. Gulf of Kachchh

3. Gulf of Mannar

4. Sunderbans

Select the correct answer using the code given below.

Correct Answer: (a) 1, 2 and 3 only
Solution:Coral reefs are diverse underwater ecosystems held together by calcium carbonate structures secreted by corals. Andaman and Nicobar, Gulf of Kachchh and Gulf of Mannar have coral reefs. However Sunderbans do not have coral reef.
Coral Reef Formation Conditions
  • Coral reefs require precise environmental conditions to flourish, including warm water temperatures between 23°C and 29°C, shallow depths for sunlight penetration, and stable salinity levels. Clear water and hard substrates are crucial for coral attachment and growth, ensuring a thriving ecosystem.
  • Temperature: Optimal water temperatures vary from 23°C to 29°C because they have a restricted temperature tolerance.
  • Depth: They normally thrive at depths of less than 50 meters, where sunlight penetration is enough for photosynthesis in algae.
  • Salinity: Coral reefs thrive in salty water with stable salinity.
  • Water Clarity: Clear waterways allow sunlight to reach the symbiotic algae for photosynthesis.
  • Substrate: Hard substrates, such as volcanic rocks, provide the base for coral larvae to attach and grow.

22. In India, the problem of soil erosion is associated with which of the following? [2014-1]

1. Terrace cultivation

2. Deforestation

3. Tropical climate

Select the correct answer using the code given below.

Correct Answer: (b) 2 only
Solution:In India, the problem of soil erosion is associated with deforestation. Terrace cultivation helps in less erosion of soil.
The major effects of soil erosion include:
Loss of Arable Land
 Soil erosion removes the top fertile layer of the soil. This layer is rich in the essential nutrients required by the plants and the soil. The degraded soil does not support crop production and leads to low crop productivity.
Clogging of Waterways
The agricultural soil contains pesticides, insecticides, fertilizers, and several other chemicals. This pollutes the water bodies where the soil flows. The sediments accumulate in the water and raise the water levels resulting in flooding.
Air Pollution
The dust particles merge in the air, resulting in air pollution. Some of the toxic substances such as pesticides and petroleum can be extremely hazardous when inhaled. The dust plumes from the arid and semi-arid regions cause widespread pollution when the winds move.
Desertification
 Soil erosion is a major factor for desertification. It transforms the habitable regions into deserts. Deforestation and destructive use of land worsens the situation. This also leads to loss of biodiversity, degradation of the soil, and alteration in the ecosystem.
Destruction of Infrastructure
The accumulation of soil sediments in dams and along the banks can reduce their efficiency. Thus, it affects infrastructural projects such as dams, embankments, and drainage.

23. The most important strategy for the conservation of biodiversity together with traditional human life is the establishment of : [2014-1]

Correct Answer: (a) biosphere reserves
Solution:Biosphere reserves are established under UNESCO's Man and Biosphere (MAB) Programme. Biosphere Reserves Combine Protected areas with zones where sustainable development is nurtured by native dwellers.
Biosphere Reserves Designation Criteria
  • The core area should represent a typical bio-geographical unit and be large enough to sustain viable populations across all trophic levels.
  • It must include an effectively protected and minimally disturbed core zone with significant value for nature conservation.
  • The site should have potential for preserving traditional tribal or rural lifestyles that reflect harmonious use of the environment.
  • The management authority must involve and cooperate with local communities to integrate biodiversity conservation with socio-economic development.
  • Efforts should focus on managing and containing conflicts while using community knowledge and experience for sustainable outcomes.

24. The scientific view is that the increase in global temperature should not exceed 2 °C above pre-industrial level. If the global temperature increases beyond 3 °C above the pre-industrial level, what can be its possible impact/impacts on the world? [2014-1]

1. Terrestrial biosphere tends toward a net carbon source.

2. Widespread coral mortality will occur.

3. All the global wetlands will permanently disappear.

4. Cultivation of cereals will not be possible anywhere in the world.

Select the correct answer using the code given below.

Correct Answer: (b) 1 and 2 only
Solution:Rise in temperature by 3°C to that of pre-industrial level will led as per choice 1 and 2.

At 3 degrees of warming, however, hundreds of millions of people would be displaced from their homes due to sea level rise. Already, governments are planning to relocate coastal cities at extraordinary expense. Without this kind of planned retreat, sea level rise will greatly exacerbate inequality.

25. Lichens, which are capable of initiating ecological succession even on a bare rock, are actually a symbiotic association of: [2014-1]

Correct Answer: (b) algae and fungi
Solution:In organisms called lichens, a chlorophy II-containing partner, which is an alga, and a fungus live together. fungus provides shelter, water and minerals to the alga and, in return, the alga provides food which it prepares by photosynthesis.
About Lichen
  • A lichen is a symbiosis between different organisms — a fungus and an algae or cyanobacterium.
  • The basis of their relationship is the mutual benefit that they provide each other.
  • The photosynthetic algae or cyanobacteria form simple carbohydrates that, when excreted, are absorbed by fungi cells and transformed into a different carbohydrate.
  • They also produce vitamins that the fungi need.
  • Fungi contribute to the symbiosis by absorbing water vapour from the air and by providing much-needed shade for the light-sensitive algae beneath.
  • The composite body of a lichen is called a thallus (plural thalli); the body is anchored to its substrate by hairlike growths called rhizines.
  • Lichens are found worldwide and occur in a variety of environmental conditions.
  • A diverse group of organisms, they can colonize a wide range of surfaces and are frequently found on tree bark, exposed rock, and as a part of biological soil crust.

26. Which of the following are some important pollutants released by steel industry in India? [2014-1]

1. Oxides of sulphur

2. Oxides of nitrogen

3. Carbon monoxide

4. Carbon dioxide

Select the correct answer using the code given below:

Correct Answer: (d) 1, 2, 3 and 4
Solution:

Steel is among the 17 most polluting industrial sectors identified by the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB). Their contribution to air and water pollution was glaringly high, and their track record in solid waste management was abysmally poor.
The steel industry releases large amounts of pollutants into the air during all its processes—be it while handling raw material, producing iron and steel, or disposing of solid waste.
Blast furnaces, by-product coke ovens, and sinter plants cause heavy pollution, but the heaviest is from coal-based sponge iron plants. The main pollutants are particulate matter, oxides of sulphur, nitrogen, carbon monoxide & carbon dioxide. Steel Industry also emits Suspended solids, iron cyanide, thiocyanate, sulphides, oxides of copper, chromium, cadmium, and mercury. So, points 1, 2, 3 and 4 are correct.
Steel Industry

  • Steel is 'iron with most of the carbon removed', Steel is primarily sourced from iron ore, and 98% of mined iron ore goes into manufacturing steel.
  • Iron constitutes about five per cent of the Earth's crust and is the fourth most abundant element in the crust.
  • Steel is an essential commodity since it facilitates many other industries including construction, automobile, machinery, electrical equipment, and a variety of products ranging from cookware to furniture.
  • India is the second-largest steel producer in the world.
  • The main pollutants are particulate matter, oxides of sulphur and nitrogen, and carbon monoxide along with high emissions of carbon dioxide.
  • Coke (mostly carbon), reacts with the blast air to produce carbon monoxide, which, in turn, reacts with the iron oxide to produce carbon dioxide and metallic iron.

27. Every year, a monthlong ecologically important campaign/festival is held during which certain communities/tribes plant saplings of fruit-bearing trees. Which of the following are such communities/tribes? [2014-1]

Correct Answer: (b) Gond and Korku
Solution:

Gond and Korku are the tribes of Madhya Pradesh. These tribes celebrate a month-long festival of greenery, during which the tribes plant saplings of fruit-bearing trees. The festival is known as Hari Jiroti.
Bhutia and Lepcha are the indigenous tribes of Sikkim
Irula and Toda tribes are indigenous to the western ghats region of Nilgiris.
Saharia and Agariya tribes are indigenous to Madhya Pradesh.

28. In India, cluster bean (Guar) is traditionally used as a vegetable or animal feed, but recently the cultivation of this has assumed significance. Which one of the following statements is correct in this context? [2014-1]

Correct Answer: (b) The gum made from its seeds is used in the extraction of shale gas
Solution:
  • Cluster bean (Guar) is native to India and is widely grown in dry, warm, and arid regions.
  • The guar or cluster bean is an annual legume and the source of Guar gum. Guar gum is derived from guar seeds, a legume crop that grows in semi-arid regions of Rajasthan, Gujarat and Haryana.
  • The gum made from its seeds is used in the extraction of shale gas.
  • Guar gum is used as a stabilizing, thickening and suspending agent in drilling fluids.
  • It is traditionally used as a vegetable or animal feed.
  • This legume is a valuable plant in a crop rotation cycle, as it lives in symbiosis with nitrogen-fixing bacteria.
  • India is the world’s largest producer of guar.

29. Which one of the following National Parks has a climate that varies from tropical to subtropical, temperate and arctic? [2015-1]

Correct Answer: (d) Namdapha National Park
Solution:
  • Namdapha, a national park and tiger reserve, lies on the international border between India and Myanmar within Changlang District in the state of Arunachal Pradesh.
  • It covers an area of 1985.23 sq.km.
  • It is located at the junction of the Indian subcontinent and Indo-China biogeographic Regions.
  • It is nestled between the Dapha Bum ridge of the Mishmi Hills of the northeastern Himalayas and the Patkai Ranges.
  • It has a common boundary with Kamlang Wildlife Sanctuary (Arunachal Pradesh).
  • River: The Namdapha River (a tributary of Noa-Dihing River) flows right across in a north-south direction of this reserve, and hence the name Namdapha has been given.
  • Vegetation: It consists of Northern Tropical Evergreen Forest, North Indian Tropical Moist Deciduous Forests, East Himalayan Moist Temperate Forests, Moist Alpine Scrub Forests.
  • Flora: -It consists of species like Pinus Merkusi and Abies Delavavi being exclusive to the park. -It is home to the Blue Vanda, which is a rare and endangered orchard. -It also consists of medicinal plants like Mishimi Teeta (Copti teeta), which is used by the local tribes to treat different types of diseases.
  • Fauna: -Elephants, Himalayan Black Bear, Himalayan Sun Bear, Hoolock Gibbon (only ape in India), Slow Loris, etc. -It is the only park in the world to have the four feline species of big cats, namely the Tiger (Panthera Tigris), Leopard (Panthera Pardus), Snow Leopard (Panthera Uncia), and Clouded Leopard (Neofelis Nebulosa) and numbers of Lesser cats.

30. 'Bio Carbon Fund Initiative for Sustainable Forest Landscapes' is managed by the: [2015-1]

Correct Answer: (d) World Bank
Solution:Housed within the Carbon Finance Unit of the World Bank, the Bio Carbon Fund is a public-private sector initiative mobilizing finance to help for development of projects that sequester or conserve carbon in forest and agro-ecosystems. It was created in 2004.
Impact of Biocarbon Fund
  • The BioCarbon Fund has supported projects that transform landscapes and directly benefit rural communities and families since its inception in 2004 as the first carbon fund devoted to land use.
  • The BioCarbon Fund has engaged national entities, private firms, and non-governmental organisations in its charge to restore degraded lands, reduce deforestation, plant trees, and help increase yields across more than 20 projects in 16 countries.
  • In their first 20 years, these projects have sequestered 15 million tonnes of CO2 and avoided the release of 5 million tonnes of CO2.