Environment & Biodiversity MCQs

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:
The most potent greenhouse gas is water vapour, which causes about 36-70% of the greenhouse effect. Carbon dioxide (9-26%), methane (4- 9%) and Ozone (3-7%) are other major greenhouse gases.

Notes:
Aanaimalai Tiger Reserve was also known as Indira Gandhi Wildlife Sanctuary and National Park is located in the state of Tamil Nadu. The practice of sliding timber logs down the hills from a place located in the northeast corner of the park is named as “Topslip”. It is a famous tourist attraction.

Notes:
Jim Corbett National Park, formerly known as Hailey National Park is the oldest National Park of India. It was established in the year 1936 to protect the endangered Bengal tiger. It was the first to come under the Project Tiger conservation programme which was launched in April 1973.

Notes:
Bioversity International, a non-profit research organization for development, was established in 1974. The motto of the organization is “Agricultural biodiversity nourishes and sustains the planet”. It is headquatered at Rome, Italy.

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Indian Wild Ass Sanctuary is located in the state of Gujarat. The total area of the sanctuary is 4954 sq km. The endangered wild ass sub-species (Indian Wild Ass, Khur) belonging to the Asiatic Wild Ass species Onager can be found here.

Notes:
In the year 2005, the National Tiger Conservation Authority was established. It is a statutory authority with legal backing to ensure tiger conservation. Project Tiger was launched in 1973. It had no statutory status.

Notes:
Panikulangara is a variety of cardamom. The variety is called Panikulangara Green Bold No.1 (PGB-1). It retains its green color and size even after drying.
Panikulangara is one of nine varieties of small cardamom that were trialed by the Indian Institute of Spices Research. Other varieties include Arjun and Wonder Cardamom.

Notes:
Tropical Deserts, such as the Sahara Desert in Africa and the Arabian Desert in the Middle East, experience extreme temperature variations between day and night. These regions have some of the highest day-night temperature differences in the world. During the day, the intense sunlight and lack of cloud cover lead to scorching daytime temperatures, often exceeding 100 degrees Fahrenheit (37.8 degrees Celsius) or more. However, at night, due to the absence of cloud cover, the heat rapidly dissipates, causing temperatures to plummet. Nighttime temperatures can drop significantly, sometimes to near-freezing or even below freezing levels, depending on the specific desert.