Given below are two statements: Statement I: The Western Ghats have a greater amphibian species diversity than the Eastern Ghats. Statement II: India has about 2.4 per cent of the world's land area and about 8.1 per cent of its species diversity. Choose the correct answer.

Both Statement I and Statement II are correct

Statement I is incorrect but Statement II is correct

Both Statement I and Statement II are incorrect

Statement I is correct but Statement II is incorrect

Biodiversity and Conservation

15 NEET-UG practice questions on Biodiversity and Conservation, part of Botany. The first 15 are below; the first 5 with answers and explanations (tap Show answer after you have chosen), the rest in Learn with a free account.

Question 1 · Medium
Arrange these places in decreasing order of the number of bird species. A. New York B. Colombia C. Greenland D. India
1. AB, D, C, A
2. BD, B, A, C
3. CB, D, A, C
4. DB, A, D, C
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Answer: C · B, D, A, C
Colombia has nearly 1400 bird species, India more than 1200, New York 105 and Greenland 56. Diversity falls as one moves from the equator to the poles.
- A: New York exceeds Greenland, which lies further north.
- B: Colombia, near the equator, exceeds India.
- D: India is far richer than New York.
Remember this
Latitudinal gradient: species diversity decreases from the equator towards the poles.
Question 2 · Easy
Which region is NOT a biodiversity hotspot?
1. AHimalaya
2. BWestern Ghats-Sri Lanka
3. CIndo-Burma
4. DThar Desert
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Answer: D · Thar Desert
India's very rich regions are covered by three of the world's 34 hotspots: Western Ghats-Sri Lanka, Indo-Burma and Himalaya.
- A: The Himalaya is a hotspot.
- B: Western Ghats-Sri Lanka is a hotspot.
- C: Indo-Burma is a hotspot.
Remember this
Three of the 34 world hotspots cover India: Western Ghats-Sri Lanka, Indo-Burma, Himalaya.
Question 3 · Easy
The Khasi and Jaintia Hills, known for their sacred groves, lie in which state?
1. AMadhya Pradesh
2. BRajasthan
3. CMeghalaya
4. DKarnataka
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Answer: C · Meghalaya
Sacred groves occur in the Khasi and Jaintia Hills of Meghalaya. Others occur in the Aravalli Hills of Rajasthan, the Western Ghats of Karnataka and Maharashtra, and the Sarguja, Chanda and Bastar areas of Madhya Pradesh.
- A: Madhya Pradesh's groves are in Sarguja, Chanda and Bastar.
- B: Rajasthan's groves are in the Aravalli Hills.
- D: Karnataka's groves are in the Western Ghats.
Remember this
Sacred groves: Khasi and Jaintia Hills in Meghalaya, Aravalli in Rajasthan, Western Ghats, and Sarguja, Chanda and Bastar.
Question 4 · Easy
Which of these is an ex situ method of conservation?
1. ANational park
2. BBiosphere reserve
3. CSacred grove
4. DCryopreservation of gametes
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Answer: D · Cryopreservation of gametes
Ex situ conservation protects organisms outside their natural habitat, as in cryopreservation, seed banks, zoological parks and botanical gardens.
- A: A national park protects species in their own habitat.
- B: A biosphere reserve is in situ.
- C: A sacred grove is a protected natural habitat.
Remember this
In situ means within the habitat; ex situ means outside it, including zoos, botanical gardens and seed banks.
Question 5 · Medium
Given below are two statements: Statement I: The Western Ghats have a greater amphibian species diversity than the Eastern Ghats. Statement II: India has about 2.4 per cent of the world's land area and about 8.1 per cent of its species diversity. Choose the correct answer.
1. AStatement I is incorrect but Statement II is correct
2. BBoth Statement I and Statement II are incorrect
3. CBoth Statement I and Statement II are correct
4. DStatement I is correct but Statement II is incorrect
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Answer: C · Both Statement I and Statement II are correct
Both are stated by NCERT. Species diversity is not uniform even within India, and India is one of the 12 mega diversity countries of the world.
- A: The Western Ghats comparison is correct.
- B: Both statements are correct.
- D: India's land and species shares are as stated.
Remember this
India is mega-diverse: 2.4% of land, 8.1% of global species diversity.
Question 6 · Medium
What does the rivet popper hypothesis of Paul Ehrlich teach about species loss?
1. AEcosystems fail only after every species is lost
2. BLosing key species that drive major ecosystem functions is more dangerous than losing others
3. CRivets of the seats stand for the key species of an ecosystem
4. DLosing any species has exactly the same effect on an ecosystem
Answer and explanation in LearnFree account
Question 7 · Hard
Species-area plots are made on log scales. Plot P covers small regions within a country and plot Q covers entire continents. How do they compare?
1. AP is steeper, with Z of about 0.6 to 1.2, against 0.1 to 0.2 for Q
2. BBoth have the same Z of about 0.6 to 1.2 at all scales
3. CBoth have the same Z of about 0.1 to 0.2 at all scales
4. DQ is steeper, with Z of about 0.6 to 1.2, against 0.1 to 0.2 for P
Answer and explanation in LearnFree account
Question 8 · Medium
Assertion A: Biodiversity hotspots have very high levels of species richness and endemism. Reason R: The Himalaya is one of the hotspots that cover India's very rich regions. Choose the correct answer.
1. ABoth A and R are correct and R is the correct explanation of A
2. BA is not correct but R is correct
3. CBoth A and R are correct but R is not the correct explanation of A
4. DA is correct but R is not correct
Answer and explanation in LearnFree account
Question 9 · Hard
Which of these statements about conservation are correct? A. A botanical garden is an in situ method of conservation. B. Strict protection of hotspots could reduce ongoing mass extinctions by almost 30 per cent. C. Sacred groves are an ex situ method of conservation. D. Seed banks store seeds of commercially important plants for long periods.
1. AA, B and D only
2. BB and D only
3. CA and C only
4. DB, C and D only
Answer and explanation in LearnFree account
Question 10 · Medium
Match List-I with List-II. List-I (case) A. Steller's sea cow and passenger pigeon B. Nile perch in Lake Victoria C. Amazon forest cleared for soya beans D. A plant and its sole pollinator lost together List-II (cause) I. Habitat loss II. Co-extinction III. Over-exploitation IV. Alien species invasion
1. AA-I, B-IV, C-III, D-II
2. BA-III, B-IV, C-I, D-II
3. CA-IV, B-III, C-I, D-II
4. DA-III, B-IV, C-II, D-I
Answer and explanation in LearnFree account
Question 11 · Easy
Who popularised the term 'biodiversity'?
1. APaul Ehrlich
2. BDavid Tilman
3. CAlexander von Humboldt
4. DEdward Wilson
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Question 12 · Medium
Species richness is plotted against area on logarithmic scales for both axes. What shape does the relationship take?
1. AA J-shaped curve
2. BA bell-shaped curve
3. CA rectangular hyperbola
4. DA straight line
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Question 13 · Hard
Which of these statements about biodiversity loss are correct? A. Tropical rain forests once covered 14 per cent of the earth's land and now cover no more than 6 per cent. B. Parts of the Amazon forest are cleared to grow soya beans or to make grasslands for cattle. C. Dodo, quagga and thylacine are among recent extinctions. D. Current extinction rates are about 100 to 1000 times those of pre-human times.
1. AB and C only
2. BA and D only
3. CA, B, C and D
4. DA, B and D only
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Question 14 · Medium
In David Tilman's long-term outdoor plots, what was seen in plots with more species?
1. AMore year-to-year variation in total biomass
2. BLess year-to-year variation in total biomass
3. CLower productivity in every year
4. DNo change in biomass at all from year to year
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Question 15 · Medium
Match List-I with List-II. List-I (protected unit) A. Biosphere reserves in India B. National parks in India C. Wildlife sanctuaries in India D. Biodiversity hotspots in the world List-II (number given by NCERT) I. 448 II. 34 III. 14 IV. 90
1. AA-III, B-IV, C-I, D-II
2. BA-III, B-I, C-IV, D-II
3. CA-IV, B-III, C-I, D-II
4. DA-II, B-IV, C-I, D-III
Answer and explanation in LearnFree account

Biodiversity and Conservation

Arrange these places in decreasing order of the number of bird species. A. New York B. Colombia C. Greenland D. India

Which region is NOT a biodiversity hotspot?

The Khasi and Jaintia Hills, known for their sacred groves, lie in which state?

Which of these is an ex situ method of conservation?

Given below are two statements: Statement I: The Western Ghats have a greater amphibian species diversity than the Eastern Ghats. Statement II: India has about 2.4 per cent of the world's land area and about 8.1 per cent of its species diversity. Choose the correct answer.

What does the rivet popper hypothesis of Paul Ehrlich teach about species loss?

Species-area plots are made on log scales. Plot P covers small regions within a country and plot Q covers entire continents. How do they compare?

Assertion A: Biodiversity hotspots have very high levels of species richness and endemism. Reason R: The Himalaya is one of the hotspots that cover India's very rich regions. Choose the correct answer.

Who popularised the term 'biodiversity'?

Species richness is plotted against area on logarithmic scales for both axes. What shape does the relationship take?

In David Tilman's long-term outdoor plots, what was seen in plots with more species?

Match List-I with List-II. List-I (protected unit) A. Biosphere reserves in India B. National parks in India C. Wildlife sanctuaries in India D. Biodiversity hotspots in the world List-II (number given by NCERT) I. 448 II. 34 III. 14 IV. 90