Based on the reported estimates of biodiversity in India, select the correct option that represents the decreasing order of total number of species reported in these taxa.
Insects > Angiosperms > Algae > Fishes > Birds > Mammals
Biodiversity Species Order in India
The question asks us to identify the correct decreasing order of the total number of species reported for various taxa in India, based on biodiversity estimates.
Biodiversity estimates for India show a significant variation in the number of species across different groups. Generally, invertebrates, especially insects, represent the largest proportion of known species. Plants, fungi, and other groups follow with varying numbers, and vertebrates (fishes, amphibians, reptiles, birds, mammals) constitute a smaller, though still substantial, number of species.
Based on common biodiversity data for India, the approximate relative abundance of species for the given taxa is as follows:
- Insects: This group accounts for the vast majority of known animal species and has the highest number among the listed taxa in India.
- Angiosperms: Flowering plants form a very large and diverse group, having the second highest number of species among the options provided.
- Algae: Algae also represent a diverse group with a considerable number of reported species in India.
- Fishes: Among the vertebrate groups listed, fishes generally show higher species diversity in India compared to birds and mammals.
- Birds: India has a rich avifauna, but the number of bird species is less than that of fishes.
- Mammals: Mammals have the lowest number of species among the listed taxa in India.
Therefore, arranging these taxa in decreasing order of the total number of species reported in India gives us the sequence:
Insects > Angiosperms > Algae > Fishes > Birds > Mammals
This order reflects the relative species richness of these major groups within the Indian subcontinent as per scientific biodiversity reports.
Important Questions from Diversity of Life Forms
The following table shows common millets (Column X) and their scientific names (Column Y):
Column X
Column Y
A.
Ragi (Finger millet)
i.
Eleusine coracana
B.
Jowar (Great millet)
ii.
Paspalum scrobiculatum
C.
Kodo millet
iii.
Pennisetum typhoides/ glaucum
D.
Bajra (Pearl millet)
iv.
Sorghum bicolor
Which one of the following options represents the correct match between Column X and Column Y?
Which one of the following fossils is no longer considered to be a true vascular plant based on the structure of the secondary thickening of the conducting elements?
Select the correct former name for The International Code of Nomenclature (ICN) which was changed as part of the Melbourne code.
Select the rare or endangered species which also have exceptionally low genetic variability, as documented by multi-locus molecular methods.
Given below are the list of some of the most rare species on our planet (Column X) and the regions of the world where they occur (Column Y).
Column X
Name of the organism
Column Y
Region of occurrence
A.
Saola
i.
Tianshan mountains
B.
Ili Pika
ii.
Vietnam
C.
Greater Bamboo Lemur
iii.
Sahara Desert
D.
Addax
iv.
Madagascar
Which one of the following options represents all correct matches between Column X and Column Y?
