Top 50+ Biodiversity and Conservation - Biology Questions and Answers For NEET 2024 Exam Preparation

Q1. Match column -I with column- II and choose the correct option.

Codes:

1. A – IV, B – I, C – II, D – III
2. A – I, B – III, C – II , D – IV
3. A – II, B – I, C – IV, D – III
4. A – II, B – I, C – III, D – IV

Answer: (b)

A - I, B - III, C - II, D - IV

1. Biodiversity term (given by Edward Wilson) is used to describe the variety of plant and animal species in a given particular area.

2. In - situ conservation (also called as on site conservation) protects an endangered plant or animal species in its natural habitat by different methods.

3. Plant pollinator mutualism shows co-extractions (phenomena of the loss or decline of a host species resulting in the loss or endangering of other species that depend on it).

4. Ex-situ conservation (also called as off-site conservation) preserves the components of biological diversity outside their natural habitats.

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Q2. How many hotspots of biodiversity in the world have been identified till date by Norman Myers?

1. 25
2. 34
3. 17
4. 43

Answer: (b)

Biodiversity hotspots are a method to identify those regions of the world where attention is needed to address biodiversity loss and to guide investments in conservation.

The idea was first developed by Norman Myers in 1988 to identify tropical forests hotspots characterised both by exceptional levels of plant endemism and serious habitat loss which he then expanded to a more global scope.

Currently 34 biodiversity hotspots have been identified most of which occur in tropical forests.

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Q3. Assertion: Insects are enormously diversified.

Reason: It is because of the presence of exoskeleton made up of chitin.

1. If both the assertion and reason are true but the reason is not a correct explanation of the assertion .
2. If both the assertion and the reason are true and the reason is a correct explanation of the assertion.
3. If the assertion is true but the reason is false.
4. If both the assertion and reason are false

Answer: (b)

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Q4. Which endangered animal is the source of the world's finest, lightest, warmest and most expensive wool – the shahtoosh ?

1. Cheetal
2. Kashmiri goat
3. Nilgai
4. Chiru

Answer: (d)

Chiru or the Tibetan antelope (Pantholops hodgsoni) is medium-sized bovid which is about 1.2 m in height. Its coat is grey to reddish brown, with a white underside. The Chiru's wool, known as the shahtoosh, is warm, soft and fine.

The wool can only be obtained by killing the animal. It is listed as endangered by the World Conservation Union and the United States Fish and Wildlife Service due to commercial poaching for its wool.

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Q5. If log A = 4, Z = 0.3 and log C = 0.8, find the value of log 'S'?

1. 100
2. 3.76
3. 4.24
4. 2

Answer: (d)

Given, log A = 4, Z = 0.3 and log C = 0.8 Putting these values in equation, log S = log C + Z log A,

i.e. species-area relationship equation, we will get the value of log S. Thus, log S = 0.8 + 0.3 × 4 = 0.8 + 1.2 = 2.0

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Q6. Just as a person moving from Delhi to Shimla to escape the heat for the duration of hot summer, thousands of migratory birds from Siberia and other extremely cold northern regions move to -

1. Meghalaya
2. Western Ghats
3. Corbett National Park
4. Keoladeo National Park

Answer: (d)

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Q7. Which of the followings are the features of a stable community?

1. Does not show much variation in productivity.
2. Resistant or resilient to occasional disturbances (Natural or Anthropogenic).
3. Resistant to invasion by alien species.
4. All the above

Answer: (d)

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Q8. Match the following columns.

Codes A B C D

1. 2 1 4 3
2. 4 2 1 3
3. 2 4 3 1
4. 3 2 1 4

Answer: (a)

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Q9. Which of the following is a reason for the greater biological diversity of tropical regions?

1. Tropical environments are less seasonal, relatively more constant and predictable.
2. Tropical latitudes have remained almost undisturbed for millions of years.
3. More solar energy is available in the tropics resulting in high productivity.
4. All of these.

Answer: (d)

Higher diversity in tropical areas is because

1. Speciation is a function of time. Temperate areas have undergone frequent glaciation in the past. It killed most of the species. No such disturbances occurred in tropics where species continued to flourish and evolve undisturbed for millions of years
2. There are no unfavourable seasons in tropics. Continued favourable environment has helped tropical organisms to gain more niche specialisation and increased diversity.
3. More solar energy is available in tropics. This promotes higher productivity and increased biodiversity.
4. Resource availability is higher in tropics
5. There is reduced competition in tropics due to favourable environment.
6. Rate of extinction is low in tropics.

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Q10. Which of the following is the matching pair of a sanctuary and its main protected wild animal?

1. Gir-Lion
2. Sunderban-Rhino
3. Kaziranga-Musk deer
4. All of these

Answer: (a)

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Q11. How many hot spots biodiversity in the world have been identified till date by Norman Myers?

1. 34
2. 25
3. 43
4. 17

Answer: (a)

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Q12. Modern ex-situ conservation includes

1. cryopreservation techniques
2. in vitro-fertilization
3. propagation of plants by using tissue culture methods

1. Only (iii)
2. (ii) and (iii)
3. Only (i)
4. All of these

Answer: (d)

Ex situ conservation means off-site conservation. It protects an endangered species of plant or animal outside its natural habitat; for example, by removing part of the population from a threatened habitat and placing it in a new location, either a wild area or within the care of humans.

While ex situ conservation comprises some of the oldest and best known conservation methods, it also involves newer methods also like cryopreservation etc..

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Q13. Identify the odd combination of the habitat and the particular animal concerned.

1. Periyar- Elephant
2. Sunderbans- Bengal Tiger
3. Rann of kutch - Wild Ass
4. Dachigam- Snow Leopard. National park

Answer: (d)

Dachigam national park is for conservation of Hangul which is one of India's most scenically beautiful wildlife reserves. It is located only 22 kilometres from Srinagar, the capital city of the northern state of Jammu and Kashmir. It covers an area of 141 square kilometres.

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Q14. Gametes of threatened species can be preserved in viable and fertile condition for long periods using

1. CTAB
2. PCR technique
3. Cryopreservation technique
4. In situ conservation

Answer: (c)

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Q15. Statement 1: A sanctuary is formed for the conservation of animals only.

Statement 2: Restricted human activities are allowed in sanctuaries.

1. Statement -1 is True, Statement -2 is True ; Statement-2 is NOT a correct explanation for Statement – 1
2. Statement- 1 is True, Statement-2 is True, Statement-2 is a correct explanation for Statement -1
3. Statement - 1 is True, Statement- 2 is False
4. Both the Statements are False.

Answer: (b)

A sanctuary is an area which is reserved for the protection of wild animals only. The activities like harvesting of timber, collection of minor forest products and private ownership rights are allowed, however, such activities should not have any adverse effect on animals.

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Q16. Which one of the following areas in India is a hotspot of biodiversity?

1. Gangetic Plain
2. Eastern Ghats
3. Sunderbans
4. Western Ghats

Answer: (c)

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Q17. Why do migratory species present special preservation challenges?

1. Their conservation may require international cooperation when they require habitats in different countries.
2. Because they are endemic, they are especially susceptible to habitat destruction.
3. They are often prone to population number decline during their long migratory journeys.
4. They reside in biodiversity hot spots that are most susceptible to habitat degradation.

Answer: (a)

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Q18. World Summit on Sustainable Development (2002) was held in

1. South Africa
2. Brazil
3. Argentina
4. Sweden.

Answer: (a)

Conservation of biodiversity is a collective responsibility of all nations. The historic Convention on Biological Diversity ('The Earth Summit') held in Rio de Janeiro in 1992, called upon all nations to take appropriate measures for conservation of biodiversity and sustainable utilisation of its benefits.

In a follow-up, the World Summit on Sustainable Development held in 2002 in Johannesburg, South Africa, 190 countries pledged their commitment to achieve by 2010, a significant reduction in the current rate of biodiversity loss at global, regional and local levels.

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Q19. Which one of the following shows maximum genetic diversity in India?

1. Rice
2. Groundnut
3. Maize
4. Mango

Answer: (a)

In India maximum genetic diversity is seen in rice.

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Q20. Ex situ strategies include

1. zoological parks
2. seed/pollen banks
3. gene bank and tissue cultures
4. botanical garden

Choose the correct option.

1. I, II and III
2. II, III and IV
3. I, II and IV
4. I, II, III and IV

Answer: (d)

Ex situ strategy is the conservation of selected threatened plant and animal species in places outside of their natural habitat, where the population is conserved under simulated conditions that closely resemble their natural habitats. It includes botanical gardens, zoological parks, seed / pollen banks, tissue cultures and gene banks, etc.

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Q21. American water plant that has become a troublesome water weed in India is

1. Eichhornia crassipes
2. Cyperus rotundus
3. Trapa latifolia
4. Trapa bispinosa

Answer: (a)

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Q22. The region of biosphere reserve which is legally protected and where no human activity is allowed is known as

1. transition zone
2. restoration zone
3. buffer zone
4. core zone

Answer: (d)

Core zone or Natural zone area of a biosphere reserve is undisturbed and legally protected ecosystem. No human activity is allowed in this zone. Little human activity is allowed in the buffer zone whereas in transition zone, an active cooperation is present between reserve management and local people for activities like settlements, cropping, etc. Restoration region is degraded area which is selected for restoration to near natural form.

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Q23. Cryopreservation of gametes of threatened species in viable and fertile condition can be referred to as:-

1. In situ conservation by sacred groves
2. Advanced ex-situ conservation of biodiversity
3. In situ cryo-conservation of biodiversity
4. In situ conservation of biodiversity

Answer: (b)

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Q24. Which of the following statement is the incorrect explanations about higher diversity in tropical areas in comparison to the temperate areas?

1. Less solar energy is available in tropics
2. There are less seasonal variations in tropics
3. Rate of extinction is low in tropics
4. Resource availability is higher in tropics

Answer: (a)

The incorrect statement explaining about higher diversity in tropical areas in comparison to the temperate areas. It can be corrected as More solar energy is available in tropics. This promotes higher productivity and increased biodiversity. Rest of the statements are correct.

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Q25. Assertion: Species richness is also function of the area of a region.

Reason: The species area relationship is generally a rectangle hyperbolic function.

1. If both the assertion and reason are true but the reason is not a correct explanation of the assertion .
2. If both the assertion and the reason are true and the reason is a correct explanation of the assertion.
3. If the assertion is true but the reason is false.
4. If both the assertion and reason are false

Answer: (a)

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Q26. Exploration of molecular, genetic and species level diversity for novel products of economic importance is known as

1. bioenergetics
2. biopiracy
3. bioremediation
4. bioprospecting

Answer: (d)

Exploration of molecular, genetic and species level diversity for novel products of economic importance is known as bioprospecting. As for the other options,

• Biopiracy refers to the illegal use of bioresources.
• Bioremediation is the use of living organisms to clean up any contamination or pollution from the environment.
• Bioenergetic deals with energy metabolism in living organisms.

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Q27. Vertical distribution of different species occupying different levels in a biotic community is known as

1. Stratification
2. Divergence
3. Zonation
4. Pyramid

Answer: (a)

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Q28. Which one of the following is not a method of in situ conservation of biodiversity ?

1. Biosphere reserve
2. Wildlife sanctuary
3. Sacred grove
4. Botanical garden

Answer: (d)

Botanical garden comes under ex-situ method of conservation of biodiversity.

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Q29. Land mass occupied by forests is about

1. 30%
2. 60%
3. 22%
4. 11%

Answer: (c)

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Q30. Humans have altered ________ of Earth's land surface.

1. about 25%
2. very little
3. about 50%
4. about 80%

Answer: (c)

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Q31. Just as a person moving from Delhi to Shimla to escape the heat for the duration of hot summer, thousands of migratory birds from Siberia and other extremely cold northern regions move to:

1. Meghalaya
2. Western Ghat
3. Corbett National Park
4. Keoladeo National Park

Answer: (d)

The Keoladeo National Park is a famous avifauna sanctuary in India that plays host to thousands of birds especially during the summer season. It is formerly known as the Bharatpur Bird Sanctuary in Bharatpur, Rajasthan.

October to February is the best time, for the migratory birds are there as well as the residents. In August local birds start their nest building and rear their young for the next few months. October/November is when the migrants arrive. Most stay till March including the Siberian Crane.

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Q32. Match the animals given in Column I with their location in Column II.

Codes A B C D

1. 4 3 1 2
2. 1 3 2 4
3. 3 1 2 4
4. 3 1 4 2

Answer: (d)

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Q33. Tropical environments, unlike temperate ones, are

1. Relatively more constant
2. Less seasonal
3. More predictable
4. All of these

Answer: (d)

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Q34. Following arrangement is correct from the point of view of decreasing biodiversity in angiosperms (N), fungi (F), pteridophytes (P) and algae(A)

1. N > F > A > P
2. N > F > P > A
3. F > N > P > A
4. F > N > A > P

Answer: (d)

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Q35. The species diversity of plants (22%) is much less than that of animals (72%), what could be the explanation to how animals achieved greater diversification?

1. Their movement to diverse habitats resulted in more evolutionary changes occurring in animals.
2. Animal are non-motile.
3. Animals use carbohydrate and lipid as a source of energy.
4. Animal DNA is different from plant DNA in terms of type of nitrogen bases.

Answer: (a)

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Q36. Which one of the following is the correctly matched pair of an endangered animal and a national park?

1. Lion : Corbett National Park
2. Rhinoceros : Kaziranga National Park
3. Great Indian bustard : Keoladeo National Park
4. Wild ass : Dudhwa National Park

Answer: (b)

Kaziranga National Park of Assam is known for the conservation of rhinoceros.

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Q37. All of the following are included in 'ex-situ conservation' except

1. sacred groves
2. botanical gardens
3. wildlife safari parks
4. seed banks

Answer: (a)

Sacred groves come under in-situ conservation and represent the pristine forest patches around places of worship which are held in high esteem by tribal communities. Cutting of trees and branches is prohibited due to religious reasons. Wildlife safari parks, botanical gardens and seed banks come under ex-situ conservation.

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Q38. Which group of vertebrates comprises the highest number of endangered species ?

1. Mammals
2. Birds
3. Fishes
4. Reptiles

Answer: (a)

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Q39. Reason of diversity in living being is due to

1. gradual change
2. mutation
3. long term evolutionary change
4. short term evolutionary change

Answer: (c)

Diversity is due to the long term evolutionary changes. Adaptability to continuous changes in environmental conditions is important for natural selection of variants and variations generation after generation leading to emergence of diverser descendants.

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Q40. Which of the following is not done in a wild life sanctuary?

1. Flora is conserved
2. Fauna is conserved
3. Soil and flora is utilised
4. Hunting is prohibited

Answer: (c)

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Q41. Deforestation does not lead to

1. soil erosion
2. quick nutrient cycling
3. alteration of local weather conditions
4. destruction of natural habitat of wild animals

Answer: (b)

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Q42. Which of the following groups exhibits more species diversity?

1. Algae
2. Gymnosperms
3. Bryophytes
4. Fungi

Answer: (d)

Fungi refers to the group of eukaryotic heteromorphic organisms with diverse forms, sizes, physiology and mode of reproduction. They exhibit more species diversity. In terms of species diversity, fungi is followed by algae, bryophytes and then ferns and allies.

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Q43. Since the origin and diversification of life on earth how many episodes of mass extinction of species have occurred till date?

1. 3
2. 2
3. 4
4. 5

Answer: (d)

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Q44. Which endangered animal is the source of the world's finest, lightest, warmest and – most expensive wool – the shahtoosh ?

1. Chiru
2. Kashmiri goat
3. Nilgai
4. Cheetal

Answer: (a)

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Q45. Which of the following statements is false?

1. Communities with more species tend to be more stable than those with less species
2. Species diversity provides stability to the ecosystem
3. Ecosystems with higher biodiversity are more productive than the ecosystems with lower biodiversity
4. Biodiversity is not essential for the maintenance and health of ecosystems

Answer: (d)

This false statement can be corrected as Biodiversity is very essential for the maintenance and health of ecosystems. Rest of the statements are true.

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Q46. Which of the following is considered a hot spot of biodiversity in India ?

1. Eastern Ghats
2. Indo-Gangetic Plain
3. Aravalli Hills
4. Western Ghats

Answer: (d)

Hot spots are those areas which were rich in biodiversity but now are under threat due to direct or indirect interference of human activities. These regions are on the edge to get some of their species extinct due to humans. Western Ghats in India are under threat due to continuous developmental activities and Doon valley is under threat due to continuous mining activities.

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Q47. Find the incorrect statement.

1. Key species are those which derive major ecosystem functions.
2. Constant environment promote niche specialization.
3. Increase in diversity generally increases productivity.
4. Increased steepness in species–area relationship curve decreases species richness in a given area.

Answer: (d)

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Q48. The species confined to a particular region and not found elsewhere is termed as

1. rare
2. keystone
3. endemic
4. alien

Answer: (c)

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Q49. Alexander Von Humbolt described for the first time:

1. Species area relationships
2. Laws of limiting factor
3. Population Growth equation
4. Ecological Biodiversity

Answer: (a)

Alexander Von Humboldt noticed that within a region species richness increases with the increase in area.

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Q50. The value of 'Z' lies in the range of ...... regardless of the taxonomic group or the region. The most appropriate value to fill the blank is

1. 0.3 to 0.7
2. 0.5 to 0.7
3. 0.2 to 0.3
4. 0.1 to 0.2

Answer: (d)

Ecologists have discovered that the value of Z lies in the range of 0.1 to 0.2, regardless of the taxonomic group or the region whether it is the plants in Britain, birds in California or molluscs in New York state, the slopes of the regression line are amazingly similar.

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