Each trophic level has a certain mass of living material at a particular time called as the standing crop. Answer : (b)

Bees consumes nectar from flowers. They are primary consumers. Deers consumes plants. They are also primary consumers Therefore, bees and deer belong to same trophic level. Answer : (d)

Phytoplankton are the autotrophic components of the plankton community. Phytoplankton are microscopic marine algae, are similar to terrestrial plants in that they contain chlorophyll and require sunlight in order to live and grow. Answer : (c)

Detritivores are organisms that feed on the organic waste of dead plants and animals. Example earthworm. Answer : (b)

Solar energy captured by plants flows through different organisms of an ecosystem. All organisms are dependent for their food on producers, either directly or indirectly. Therefore, energy and nutrients is derived from producers. Answer : (a)

Answer : (d)

Temperate Evergreen forests are found in Eastern and Western Himalayas less than 3500 m. Answer : (b)

Pongamia is a genus of legume in the Fabaceae family Pongamia oil made from the seeds, known as pongamia oil, has been used as lamp oil, in soap making, and as a lubricant for centuries. The oil has a high content of triglycerides, and its disagreeable taste and odor are due to bitter flavonoid constituents including karanjin, pongamol, tannin and karanjachromene. The seed, leaves, oil and residue of the plant are toxic and will induce nausea and vomiting if ingested. Answer : (c)

A deciduous forest is a biome dominated by deciduous trees which lose their leaves seasonally. The Earth has temperate deciduous forests, and tropical and subtropical deciduous forests, also known as dry forests. Another name for these forests is broad-leaf forests because of the wide, flat leaves on the trees. Answer : (b)

Social forestry is the management and protection of forests and afforestation of barren and deforested lands with the purpose of helping environmental, social and rural development. The Indian government attempted to expand forest areas which were close to human settlements and which had degraded due to human activities. Trees were planted along railway lines, roadsides, rivers and canal banks, in village common land, government wasteland, and panchayat land, and were to be planted in and around agricultural fields. Answer : (b)

Vertical distribution of different species occupying different levels is called stratification. Stratification: It is formation of vertical layers where vegetation is dense, eg., 5-7 strata is seen in tropical rain forest. Stratification is rarely seen in deserts or tundra. Answer : (c)

Therophyte: Any plant which survives unfavourable seasons in the form of seeds only. Answer : (a)

Reservoir for gaseous type of nutrient cycle (e.g., nitrogen cycle) exists in the atmosphere and for the sedimentary cycle (e.g.,phosphorus cycle), the reservoir is located in Earth’s crust. Answer : (d)

Detritivores (e.g., earthworm) break down detritus into smaller particles. This process is called fragmentation. Answer : (b)

The number of trophic levels in the grazing food chain is restricted as the transfer of energy follows 10 per cent law – only 10 per cent of the energy is transferred to each trophic level from the lower trophic level. In nature, it is possible to have so many levels – producer, herbivore, primary carnivore, secondary carnivore in the grazing food chain. Statement (c) is correct. Removal of carnivores will result in increase of herbivores like deer. Statement (b) is correct. Answer : (c)

A food chain is a linear network of links in a food web starting from producer organisms and ending at an apex predator species, detritivores, or decomposer species. The sequence of living organisms in a community in which one organism consumes another organism to transfer food energy is called a food chain. Answer : (c)

Reservoir of carbon and nitrogen cycle exists in gaseous biogeochemical cycle. Sulphur exits as gaseous ans sedimentary biogeochemical cycle. Reservoir of phosphorus is located in earth's crust and hence it is sedimentary biogeochemical cycle. Answer : (b)

The movement of nutrient elements through the various components of an ecosystem is called nutrient cycling. Another name of nutrient cycling is biogeochemical cycles. Answer : (d)

Fresh water is a renewable resource. Answer : (c)

71 per cent carbon is found dissolved in oceans. This oceanic reservoir regulates the amount of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere. The productivity of the ocean ecosystem is very high, here phytoplankton, e.g. diatoms are the greatest producers. Answer : (b)

The principal aim of National Forest Policy, 1988 is to ensure environmental stability and maintenance of ecological balance including atmospheric equilibrium which are vital for sustenance of all life forms, human, animal and plant. The end of 20th century saw the forest cover reduced to 19.4%. Roughly 2.5 billion people – 30 percent of the world's population – live in the dry areas, which cover more than 40 percent of the world's land surface. The average annual production of dry grass or hay in India is about 250 million tons. Answer : (c)

coniferous forest, vegetation composed primarily of cone-bearing needle-leaved or scale-leaved evergreen trees, found in areas that have long winters and moderate to high annual precipitation. Answer : (b)

A crocodile has eaten a herbivore lamb. Lamb is primary consumer. This makes crocodile secondary consumer. Since hawk attacks a secondary consumers, this makes hawk a tertiary consumer. Answer : (d)

Food or energy relationship between organisms is expressed in terms of number, biomass or energy. The base of each pyramid represents the producers or the first trophic level while the apex represents tertiary or top level consumer. The three types of ecological pyramids that are usually studied are (a) pyramid of number; (b) pyramid of biomass and (c) pyramid of energy. Answer : (d)

Tropical evergreen forests are dense, multi-layered, and harbour many types of plants and animals. These forests are found in the areas receiving heavy rainfall (more than 200 cm annual rainfall). They are very dense. Even the sunlight does not reach the ground. Maximum rainfall is absorbed by this biome. Answer : (b)

In the absence of an external source of water, the kangaroo rat in North American deserts is capable of meeting all its water requirements through its internal fat oxidation (in which water is a by product). Answer : (b)

The important steps in the process of decomposition are fragmentation, leaching, catabolism, humification and mineralisation. Answer : (d)

Guano (Spanish from Quechua: wanu) is the accumulated excrement of seabirds and bats. As a manure, guano is a highly effective fertilizer due to its exceptionally high content of nitrogen, phosphate, and potassium: key nutrients essential for plant growth. Answer : (a)

Nonrenewable energy resources include coal, natural gas, oil, and nuclear energy. Answer : (b)

A pyramid of numbers is a graphical representation that shows the number of organisms at each trophic level. Answer : (c)