Biodiversity and Conservation: MCQ Test

1. Which of the following statistics regarding species diversity is **incorrect**?

• More than 20,000 species of ants
• 3,00,000 species of beetles
• 28,000 species of fishes
• Nearly 20,000 species of lilies

2. The term 'Biodiversity' was popularised by which sociobiologist to describe combined diversity at all levels of biological organisation?

• Robert May
• David Tilman
• Edward Wilson
• Alexander von Humboldt

3. Which of the following is an example of **genetic diversity** as described in the sources?

• The greater amphibian species diversity in the Western Ghats compared to the Eastern Ghats.
• India's variety of deserts, rain forests, and coral reefs.
• The variation in potency and concentration of reserpine in *Rauwolfia vomitoria* from different Himalayan ranges.
• The difference in bird species count between Colombia and Greenland.

4. India is considered one of the 12 mega diversity countries globally due to its impressive share of global species diversity. What percentage of the world's land area does India cover, and what is its share of global species diversity, respectively?

• 2.4% land area, 8.1% global species diversity
• 8.1% land area, 2.4% global species diversity
• 6% land area, 14% global species diversity
• 14% land area, 6% global species diversity

5. According to the International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources (IUCN) (2004), approximately how many plant and animal species have been described so far?

• About 7 million
• Slightly more than 1.5 million
• 20 to 50 million
• Over 1,00,000

6. Which estimate for global species diversity is considered more conservative and scientifically sound by Robert May?

• 1.5 million
• 20 million
• 50 million
• About 7 million

7. Based on currently available species inventories, what proportion of all recorded species are animals, and what proportion are plants (including algae, fungi, bryophytes, gymnosperms, and angiosperms)?

• Animals: >70%, Plants: 22%
• Animals: 22%, Plants: >70%
• Animals: 50%, Plants: 50%
• Animals: 70%, Plants: 30%

8. Among animals, which taxonomic group is the most species-rich, making up more than 70 percent of the total animal species?

• Vertebrates
• Molluscs
• Insects
• Crustaceans

9. Which statement accurately compares the number of fungi species to other major taxa?

• The number of fungi species is less than the combined total of fishes, amphibians, reptiles, and mammals.
• The number of fungi species is approximately equal to the combined total of fishes, amphibians, reptiles, and mammals.
• The number of fungi species is more than the combined total of fishes, amphibians, reptiles, and mammals.
• The number of fungi species is more than the total number of insects.

10. Why are conventional taxonomic methods unsuitable for identifying many prokaryotic species?

• Prokaryotes are too small to be observed.
• They do not have unique genetic material.
• Many prokaryotic species are simply not culturable under laboratory conditions.
• Prokaryotes do not form distinct species.

11. If Robert May’s global estimates are accepted, what percentage of total species have been recorded so far, globally and for India respectively?

• Globally: 78%; India: 78%
• Globally: 22%; India: 22%
• Globally: 50%; India: 50%
• Globally: 7%; India: 8.1%

12. Which of the following statements about latitudinal gradients in biodiversity is correct?

• Species diversity increases as we move away from the equator towards the poles.
• Temperate regions harbour more species than tropical areas.
• Tropics (latitudinal range of 23.5° N to 23.5° S) harbour more species than temperate or polar areas.
• Colombia, near the equator, has fewer bird species than New York.

13. The Amazonian rain forest, located in South America, is considered to have the greatest biodiversity on Earth. Which of the following animal groups is estimated to have at least two million species waiting to be discovered and named in these rain forests?

• Fishes
• Birds
• Mammals
• Insects

14. Which of the following is **not** one of the important hypotheses proposed by ecologists and evolutionary biologists to account for the greater biological diversity in the tropics?

• Tropical latitudes have remained relatively undisturbed for millions of years, allowing more evolutionary time for species diversification.
• Tropical environments are less seasonal, more constant, and predictable, promoting niche specialisation.
• There is less solar energy available in the tropics, leading to lower productivity and thus less competition.
• Higher productivity in the tropics contributes indirectly to greater diversity.

15. What is the name of the German naturalist and geographer who observed that within a region, species richness increased with increasing explored area, but only up to a limit, leading to the species-area relationship?

• Edward Wilson
• Robert May
• David Tilman
• Alexander von Humboldt

16. For a wide variety of taxa, the relationship between species richness (S) and area (A) on a logarithmic scale is described by the equation log S = log C + Z log A. What does 'Z' represent in this equation?

• Species richness
• Area
• Slope of the line (regression coefficient)
• Y-intercept

17. When analyzing species-area relationships among very large areas like entire continents, what is the typical range of 'Z' values (slope of the line) observed?

• 0.1 to 0.2
• 0.6 to 1.2
• 1.15 only
• Less than 0.1

18. According to David Tilman's long-term ecosystem experiments using outdoor plots, what was observed about the relationship between species diversity and ecosystem functioning?

• Plots with fewer species showed less year-to-year variation in total biomass.
• Increased diversity contributed to lower productivity.
• Plots with more species showed less year-to-year variation in total biomass and higher productivity.
• Species diversity had no significant impact on ecosystem stability.

19. The 'rivet popper hypothesis' was used by Stanford ecologist Paul Ehrlich to explain the importance of species diversity to the ecosystem. In this analogy, what do the 'rivets' represent?

• Ecosystems
• Human activities
• Species
• Ecological functions

20. According to the IUCN Red List (2004), how many species were documented as extinct in the last 500 years, and how many of those were vertebrates, invertebrates, and plants, respectively?

• 784 species (338 vertebrates, 359 invertebrates, 87 plants)
• 2,000 species (mostly birds)
• 15,500 species (facing threat of extinction)
• 27 species (in the last 20 years)