NEET Biology Biodiversity and Conservation Important Questions Set 02

These Class 12 NEET Biology important questions on Biodiversity and Conservation give 23 questions with step-by-step answers, arranged as very short, short and long answer types, taken from a model test paper. They help NEET aspirants revise the definitions, structures, differences and key terms of the chapter.

Very Short Answer Type Questions

Question 1. Expand IUCN.
Answer: International Union of Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources

Question 2. Write down the name of two alien terrestrial plant species in India.
Answer: (i) Parthenium (carrot grass)
(ii) Lantana

Question 3. What is global species diversity of beetles?
Answer: 3,00,000

Question 4. Among animals, which is the most species rich taxonomic group?
Answer: Insects

Question 5. How many hotspots cover our country's exceptionally high biodiversity regions?
Answer: Three

Question 6. Name the sacred groves of Madhya Pradesh.
Answer: Sarguja, Chanda and Bastar areas

Question 7. How many national parks are there in India?
Answer: 90

Question 8. Which evil quartet leads to the extinction of passenger pigeon?
Answer: Over-exploitation

Short Answer Type Questions

Question 9. In the pie chart drawn below to show the global plant diversity, what does A & B represent?
B A
Answer: (A) Lichens (B) Algae

Question 10. Compare the genetic diversity of mango and rice in India.
Answer: India has 1000 varieties of mango while more than 50,000 genetically different strains of rice.

Question 11. Why Colombia represents very high diversity of birds?
Answer: Because it is located near the equator, therefore it has high diversity of birds (1400 species).

Question 12. Write down the name of recent extinctions of animals from Africa and Australia.
Answer: (i) Quagga (Africa)
(ii) Thylacine (Australia)

Question 13. Mention the name of taxa that badly affected by habitat fragmentation.
Answer: (i) Mammals and birds
(ii) Animals with migratory habits

Question 14. What does mean by bio-prospecting?
Answer: Exploring molecular, genetic and species level diversity for products of economic importance.

Question 15. Write down any two methods of advanced Ex-situ conservation.
Answer: (i) Cryopreservation
(ii) Seed banks

Short Answer Type Questions

Question 16. Represent diagrammatically the different groups of vertebrates.

Answer:

Fishes Mammals

Birds

Reptiles

Amphibians

Question 17. What is the difference between the ecological diversity and species diversity? Explain with examples.
Answer: (i) Ecological diversity is represented at the ecosystem level. For example, India with its deserts, rain forests, mangroves, coral reefs, wetlands, estuaries and alpine meadows has a greater ecosystem diversity than a Scandinavian country like Norway.
(ii) Species diversity is represented at the species level. For example, the Western Ghats have a greater amphibian diversity than Eastern Ghats.

Question 18. Loss of one species may lead to the extinction of another. Explain it.
Answer: When a species become extinct, the plant and animal species associated with it in an obligatory way also become extinct e.g. when a host fish species become extinct, its unique assemblage of parasites also meets the same fate.

Question 19. Why diversity of vascular plants is high in Equador than Midwest forest?
Answer: Equador is a forest of tropical region while Midwest forest is a part of temperate climate, therefore Equador has up to 10 times as many species of vascular plants as a forest of equal area in a temperate region (a Midwest).

Question 20. Explain how invasion by an exotic species reduces the species diversity of an area.
Answer: When exotic (alien) species are introduced unintentionally or deliberately for whatever purpose, some of them turn invasive, and cause decline or extinction of indigenous species. For example, Nile Perch introduced into lake Victoria in east Africa lead eventually to the extinction of an ecologically unique assemblage of more than 200 species of cichlid fish in the lake.

Question 21. (i) Write down the species diversity of different taxa in amazonian rain forest.
(ii) How solar energy contributes in species diversity?
Answer: (i) (a) More than 40,000 species of plants.
(b) 3,000 of fishes.
(c) 1,300 of birds.
(d) 427 of mammals.
(e) 427 of amphibians.
(f) 378 of reptiles
(g) > 1,25,000 invertebrates
(ii) More solar energy contributes to higher productivity, this in turn might contribute indirectly to greater diversity.

Long Answer Type Questions

Question 22. The following graph depicts the species-area relationship. Answer the following questions.
(i) richness (ii) Species Area
(a) Name the German naturalist and geographer who studied the species-area relationship of South American jungles.
(b) Give equation for the curve (i) & (ii)
(c) What does 'Z' stand for? In which ranges does the value of 'Z' lies?
(d) What is the value of 'Z' for fruit eating birds in tropical forest?
Answer: (a) Alexander Von Humboldt
(b) (i) S = CAz
(ii) log S = log C + Z log A
(c) Z represents slope of the line (regression coefficient). Z lies in range of 0.1 to 0.2.
(d) 1.15

Question 23. (a) How is the "Sixth episode of extinction" of species on earth, now currently in progress and is different from the five earlier episodes?
(b) What is its reason?
(c) Mention the various causes of biodiversity losses.
(d) Amongst the 'Evil Quartet', which is the most important?

Answer:

(a) It is estimated to be 100-1000 times faster than in prehuman times.
(b) Human activities are responsible for the faster rates.
(c) (i) Habitat loss and fragmentation.
(ii) Over-exploitation.
(iii) Alien species invasions.
(iv) Co-extinctions.
(d) Habitat loss and fragmentation.