Environment & Biodiversity MCQs

Notes:
A greenhouse gas is a gas in an atmosphere that absorbs and emits radiation within the thermal infrared range. The primary greenhouse gases in Earth’s atmosphere are water vapour, carbon dioxide, methane, nitrous oxide, and ozone. Nitrogen oxides (NOx) act as indirect greenhouse gases by producing the tropospheric greenhouse gas ‘ozone’ via photochemical reactions in the atmosphere.

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 Trishna Wildlife Sanctuary (TWS) is located in South Tripura District of Tripura and covers an area of about 163.08 square kilometres. It has a number of perennial water rivulets, water bodies and grass land. In this sanctuary, there are patches of virgin forests which are rich in rare vegetation. Indian Gaur (Bison) is an attraction of this sanctuary. Apart from it, there are varieties of Birds, Deers, Hollock Gibbon, Golden Langur, Capped Langur, Pheasant and many other animals and reptiles.

Notes:
The Jambughoda Wildlife Sanctuary (JWS) is located in Jambughoda Tehsil, in the South-Central part of Gujarat and covers an area of 542.08 square kilometres. It is a forest of teak, bamboo and other miscellaneous species. Flora here includes Sag, sadad, shisham, khair, mahuda, bamboos, timru, bor, dhav, bili and dudhalo. It is home to Indian leopard, hyena, wolf, jackal, four horned antelope, Blue bull, wild boar, etc.

Notes:
The Environment (Protection) Act of India was enacted in 1986 with the objective of providing for the protection and improvement of the environment. The act was enacted by Parliament of India under Article 253 of the Indian Constitution. The act empowers the Central Government to establish authorities with the mandate of preventing environmental pollution in all its forms.

Notes:
Despite constituting only 2.4% of the global land area, India accounts for approximately 7-8% of the world’s recorded species. As per the Botanical Survey of India and the Zoological Survey of India, the country boasts of more than 46,000 species of plants and over 81,000 species of animals. Additionally, India is recognized as a hub of crop diversity, housing many wild relatives and breeds of domestic animals. This rich biodiversity showcases India’s ecological significance and critically supports its ecological sustainability.

Notes:
Black soil is known for its ability to hold moisture. This soil can retain moisture for a long time, which can help crops during dry seasons. Black soil is sticky when wet, so it’s difficult to work with. It’s usually tilled after the first shower or during the pre-monsoon period.
The ability of soil to retain water is related to the size of its particles. Clay soil has small, fine particles, so it retains the most water. Sand has larger particles and retains the least water. Silt and loam have medium-size particles and retain a moderate amount of water.

Notes:
Methane is a ozone depleting substance. Ozone is present in the stratosphere. Methane has along shelf life and can damage the ozone.

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.

Notes:
Carbon Dioxide is associated with the Ocean Acidification and is emitted from combustion, factories and respiration of living organisms. When CO2 dissolved in the Ocean water, it creates Carbonic Acid (H2CO3) and increases the Hydrogen Ion (H+) concentration in the ocean.