Environment & Biodiversity MCQs

Notes:
Lawachara National Park (LNP) is located at Kamalganj Upazila, Maulvi Bazar District of Bangladesh and covers an area of 12.5 km2. It is a major national park and nature reserve in Bangladesh. There are 460 species, of which 167 species are plants, 4 amphibian species, 6 reptile species, 246 bird species, 20 mammal species, and 17 insect species. The park is considered of critical importance because the last viable population of critically endangered Western Hoolock Gibbons survive here.

Notes:
The Sitanadi Wildlife Sanctuary (SWS) is located in Dhamtari District, Chhattisgarh and covers an area of 556 square kilometers. It is a famous tourist attraction which is frequented by wildlife enthusiasts throughout the year. It is named after Sitanadi River which originates from this sanctuary and joins Mahanadi River near Deokhut. Sitanadi Wildlife Sanctuary is known for its lush green flora and rich and unique and diverse fauna and has great potential to emerge as one of the finest wildlife destinations in Central India.

Notes:
The Gautala Autramghat Sanctuary (GAS) is a protected area of Aurangabad District and Jalgaon District of Maharashtra and covers an area of 26,061.19 hectares. It houses a variety of wildlife including chinkara, nilgai, sloth bears, jungle cat, wanderoo, leopard cat, etc.

Notes:
The Nameri National Park (NNP) is located in the foothills of the eastern Himalayas in the Sonitpur District of Assam and covers an area of 200 km2. This forest has over 600 species. Some notable species are Gmelina arborea, Michelia champaca, Amari and Bonjolokia. The park is an ideal habitat for a host of other animals including the tiger, leopard, sambar, dhole (the Asiatic wild dog), pygmy hog and Indian wild bison. It is home for orchids like Dendrobium, Cymbidiumand Cypripedioideae.

Notes:
The Chandoli National Park (CNP) is a natural World Heritage Site and is spread over Satara, Kolhapur and Sangli Districts of Maharashtra. It covers an area of 317.67 square kilometres. The historical places of the park include the 17th century Shivaji’s Forts, Prachitgad and Bhairavgad, of the Maratha kings Shivaji and his son Sambhaji. It is home to Bengal tigers, Indian leopards, Indian bison, leopard cats, sloth bears, etc.

Notes:
The Amchang Wildlife Sanctuary (AWS) is situated at Kamrup district in Guwahati, Assam and is spread over an area of 78.64 square kilometers. It consists of Amchang Reserve Forest, South Amchang Reserve Forest and Khanapara Reserve Forest. The sanctuary represents one of the rich and ecologically diverse habitat for the wide variety of animals and plant species. Hollockgibbon, Chinese pangolin, Flying squirrel, Assamese Macaque, Capped languor, Slow loris, Leopard, Elephant, Sambar, Barking Deer, Gaur etc., are the principal animals found in the wildlife sanctuary.

Notes:
Transfer of food from the plants (producers) through a series of organisms with repeated eating and being eaten is called a food chain. A food chain consists of

1. Producers or Autotrophs
2. Primary consumers or Herbivores
3. Secondary consumers or Carnivores
4. Decomposers

Decomposers make up the final trophic level in a food chain. Decomposers are the organisms that feed on dead organic matter called detritus of all the trophic levels and help in recycling the nutrients. Examples of decomposers are bacteria, fungi, mites, millipedes, earthworms, nematodes, slugs, crabs and molluscs.

Notes:
Lichens are very sensitive to air pollution and water pollution. Areas with healthy lichen populations are lower in air pollution and water pollution. Lichens can thus be used as reliable biological indicators of pollution.

Notes:
Primary pollutants are directly emitted from the sources. Examples of primary pollutants are carbon monoxide, carbon dioxide, sulphur dioxide and benzene etc. Secondary pollutants are not emitted directly. They are formed from the combination of primary pollutants with some other compound. Examples of secondary pollutants are Ozone, Formaldehyde, PAN (peroxy acetyl nitrate) and Smog etc.

Notes:
In situ conservation means the conservation of ecosystems and natural habitats and the maintenance and recovery of viable populations of species in their natural surroundings and, in the case of domesticated or cultivated species, in the surroundings where they have developed their distinctive properties.
Ex situ conservation means the conservation of components of biological diversity outside their natural habitats.
Examples of In situ Conservation: National Parks, Wild Life sanctuaries, Biosphere Reserves, Gene Sanctuaries
Examples of Ex situ Conservation: Captive Breeding, Gene Banks, Seed Banks, Zoos, Aquaria, In vitro fertilization, Cryopreservation, Tissue Culture