SHORT ANSWER TYPE QUESTION:
Q1. What is biodiversity?
Answer
Biodiversity refers to the varieties of plants, animals and micro-organisms, the genes they contain and the ecosystems they form.
Q2.What are the different levels of biodiversity?
Answer
There are three different levels of biodiversity:
• Genetic diversity: It refers to the variation of genes within species.
• Species diversity: It refers to the variety of species.
• Ecosystem diversity: It refers to the number of ecosystems in a certain area.
Q3. What do you understand by ‘hotspots’?
Answer
The areas rich in species diversity are called hotspots of diversity.
Q4. Discuss briefly the importance of animals to human kind.
Answer
Animals capture and store energy, produce and decompose organic materials, help to cycle water and nutrients throughout the ecosystem, fix atmospheric gases and help regulate the climate.
Q5.What do you understand by ‘exotic species’?
Answer
Species which are not the natural inhabitants of the local habitat but are introduced into the system are called exotic species.
Q6.What are the roles played by biodiversity in the shaping of nature?
Answer
Biodiversity has contributed in many ways to the development of human culture and, in turn, human communities have played a major role in shaping the diversity of nature at the genetic, species and ecological levels. Biodiversity plays the following roles:
• Ecological Role of Biodiversity: Species capture and store energy, produce and decompose organic materials, help to cycle water and nutrients throughout the ecosystem, fix atmospheric gases and help regulate the climate. These functions are important for ecosystem function and human survival.
• Economic Role of Biodiversity: Biodiversity is seen as a reservoir of resources to be drawn upon for the manufacture of food, pharmaceutical, and cosmetic products.
• Scientific Role of Biodiversity: Biodiversity also helps in understanding how life functions and the role of each species in sustaining ecosystems of which we are also a species.
Q7. What are the major factors that are responsible for the loss of biodiversity? What steps are needed to prevent them?
Answer
The major factors that are responsible for the loss of biodiversity are:
• Growth in human population has increased the rate of consumption of natural resources which accelerated the loss of species and habitation in different parts of the world.
• Overexploitation of resources and deforestation.
• Destruction of natural habitats.
• Natural calamities such as earthquakes, floods, volcanic eruptions, forest fires, droughts, etc.
• Pesticides and other pollutants such as hydrocarbons and toxic heavy metals.
The steps which are needed to prevent them are:
• Efforts should be made to preserve the species that are endangered.
• Prevention of extinction requires proper planning and management.
• Varieties of food crops, forage plants, timber trees, livestock, animals and their wild relatives should be preserved.
• Each country should identify habitats of wild relatives and ensure their protection.
• Habitats where species feed, breed, rest and nurse their young should be safeguarded and protected.
• International trade in wild plants and animals be regulated.
Long Answer Type Questions:
Q1.In how many categories has the International Union of Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources (IUCN) classified the threatened species of plants and animals?
Answer:
The International Union of Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources (IUCN) has classified the threatened species of plants and animals into three categories for the purpose of their conservation.
- Endangered species: Endangered species includes those species which are in danger of extinction. The IUCN publishes information about endangered species worldwide as the Red List of threatened species.
- Vulnerable species: Vulnerable species includes the species which are likely to be in danger of extinction in near future if the factors threatening to their extinction continue. Survival of these species is not assured as their population has reduced greatly.
- Rare species: Rare species are those species whose population is very small in the world. They are confined to limited areas or thinly scattered over a wider area.
Q2.How do natural calamities and illegal hunting harm biodiversity?
Answer:
Natural Calamities: Natural calamities such as earthquakes, floods, volcanic eruptions, forest fires, droughts, etc. cause damage to the flora and fauna of the earth, bringing change to the biodiversity of respective affected regions. Pesticides and other pollutants such as hydrocarbons and toxic heavy metals destroy the weak and sensitive species. Species which are not the natural inhabitants of the local habitat but are introduced into the system, are called exotic species. There are many examples when a natural biotic community of the ecosystem suffered extensive damage because of the introduction of exotic species. During the last few decades, some animals like tigers, elephants, rhinoceros, crocodiles, minks and birds were hunted mercilessly by poachers for their horn, tusks, hides, etc. It has resulted in the rendering of certain types of organisms as endangered category. Illegal Hunting: Hunting and habitat destruction contributed to a second wave of extinctions after European settlement, including:
- 16 land birds (nine species and seven subspecies).
- One of three native bat species.
- One fish.
- At least 12 invertebrates, such as snails and insects.
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