Gross primary productivity of an ecosystem is the rate of production of organic matter during photosynthesis. A considerable amount of GPP is utilised by plants in respiration. Gross primary productivity minus respiration losses (R), is the net primary productivity (NPP). GPP – R = NPP Answer : (d)

Habitat loss and fragmentation is the most important cause driving animals and plants to extinction. Answer : (a)

In an aquatic ecosystem, the pyramid of biomass is generally inverted. Answer : (a)

Primary poducer biomass is less than primary consumer which is further less than secondary consumer. Thus pyramid of biomass is inverted. Answer : (c)

Answer : (d)

First trophic level (producer)	grass
Second trophic level (primary consumer)	Rabbit
Third trophic level (secondary consumer)	crow
Fourth trophic level (tertiary consumer)	Vulture

Answer : (c)

The four most general reasons that lead to destruction of wildlife include overkill, habitat destruction and fragmentation, impact of introduced species and chains of extinction. Answer : (c)

Biomass of primary producers is larger and abudant. If people follow vegetarian food lifestyle along with milk, it can support the population Answer : (c)

A food web is the natural interconnection of food chains and a graphical representation of what-eats-what in an ecological community. Kite is a carnivorous bird, it eats on fishes, rabbits, snakes, rate and so on. In a food web, it occupies a specific position because it controls the population of lower carnivores and herbivores. Reason is false. Answer : (c)

Dominant plants of cold desert are low stature shrubs and herbaceous plants. The plants found in cold desert are algae, grasses, plants with spiny thin leaves. Spiny leaves reduce the rate of evaporation in cold desert. Answer : (b)

Plants are producers i.e., they produce food from carbon dioxide and water using sunlight. All the animal rely on plants for food as they cannot produce food and are called consumers. Answer : (a)

The amount of energy decreases at successive trophic levels. Pyramid of energy is always upright, can never be inverted, because when energy flows from a particular trophic level to the next trophic level, some energy is always lost as heat at each step. Answer : (a)

The Sundarbans mangrove forest, a world heritage site, is one of the largest single chunks of mangrove forests in the world (140,000 ha). Answer : (b)

A reserved forest (also called a reserve forest) and protected forest in India are forests accorded a certain degree of protection. Biosphere reserves They are multipurpose protected areas which are meant for preserving genetic diversity in representative ecosystems. Core or Natural zone: No human activity is allowed. The area is undisturbed and legally protected ecosystem. An orchard is an intentional plantation of trees or shrubs that is maintained for food production. Orchards comprise fruit- or nut-producing trees which are generally grown for commercial production. These are not a protected forests. Answer : (d)

Pyramid of numbers in a grassland ecosystem. Only three top-carnivores are supported in an ecosystem based on production of nearly 6 millions plants. Answer : (d)

Starting from the plants (or producers) food chains or rather webs are formed such that an animal feeds on a plant or on another animal and in turn is food for another. The chain or web is formed because of this interdependency. No energy that is trapped into an organism remains in it for ever. The energy trapped by the producer, hence, is either passed on to a consumer or the organism dies. Death of organism is the beginning of the detritus food chain/web Answer : (b)

The pyramid of biomass in sea is generally inverted because the biomass of fishes far exceeds that of phytoplankton biomass of primary producers is less as ocean's primary producers are tiny phytoplankton that grow and reproduce rapidly, so a small mass can have a fast rate of primary production. In contrast, terrestrial primary producers grow and reproduce slowly. Answer : (a)

The limnetic zone is the open and well-lit area of a freestanding body of freshwater, such as a lake or pond. Unlike the profundal zone, the limnetic zone is the layer that receives sufficient sunlight, allowing for photosynthesis. For this reason, it is often simply referred to as the photic zone. Phytoplankton live in the photic zone of the ocean, where photosynthesis is possible. During photosynthesis, they assimilate carbon dioxide and release oxygen. Answer : (a)

Quinine is a medication used to treat malaria and babesiosis. This includes the treatment of malaria due to Plasmodium falciparum that is resistant to chloroquine when artesunate is not available. Quinine was first isolated in 1820 from the bark of a cinchona tree, which is native to Peru. Answer : (a)

Tropical forests are forested landscapes in tropical regions: i.e. land areas approximately bounded by the tropic of Cancer and Capricorn. They are never leafless. Answer : (b)

Producer is first level, primary consumer is second and secondary consumer is third level. After passing through these three level, organism have to be tertiary consumer. Answer : (d)

Ecological efficiency describes the efficiency with which energy is transferred from one trophic level to the next. [Ecological efficiency is defined as the energy supply available to trophic level N + 1, divided by the energy consumed by trophic level N] * 100 Answer : (d)

Answer : (c)

Forests cover almost 4 thousand million ha in the world in 2015, which correspond to 31% of the terrestrial land of the earth. Answer : (c)

The nitrification process requires the mediation of two distinct groups: bacteria that convert ammonia to nitrites (Nitrosomonas, Nitrosospira, Nitrosococcus, and Nitrosolobus) and bacteria that convert nitrites (toxic to plants) to nitrates (Nitrobacter, Nitrospina, and Nitrococcus). Answer : (a)

If we were to count the number of insects feeding on a big tree, then that justify plant as Primary producer (PP) and insects as Primary consumers (PC). The third trophic level indicates the secondary consumers, that is small insectivorous birds that feed on insects. The top level indicates the tertiary consumers which feed on insectivorous birds, that is big birds. Answer : (d)

Decomposers break down complex organic matter into inorganic substances like carbon dioxide, water and nutrients and the process is called decomposition. Decomposers are heterotrophic organisms, mainly fungi and bacteria and other microscopic organism such as flagellates. Answer : (c)

Soil fertility is the ability of a soil to sustain plant growth by providing essential plant nutrients and favorable chemical, physical, and biological characteristics as a habitat for plant growth. It is also ability to sustain earthworm, microorganism, etc with the availability of adequate resources. Answer : (d)

Air contains 78.08% nitrogen, 20.95% oxygen, 0.93% argon, 0.04% carbon dioxide, and small amounts of other gases. Answer : (b)

Jhoom ciltivation (Shifting cultivation) is an agricultural system in which plots of land are cultivated temporarily, then abandoned while post-disturbance fallow vegetation is allowed to freely grow while the cultivator moves on to another plot. Shifting cultivation or jhum, predominantly practised in the tribal areas of northeastern states of India. Answer : (c)