Read the passage carefully and give the answers to the next five questions: Does the number of species in a community really matter to the functioning of the ecosystem? This is a question for which ecologists have not been able to give a definitive answer. For many decades, ecologists believed that communities with more species, generally, tend to be more stable than those with less species. According to the International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources (IUCN) (2004), the total number of plant and animal species described so far is more than 1.5 million.
Which of the following is not a characteristic of a stable biological community?
All the species are equally important in a stable community, and absence of any one leads to its instability.
In a stable biological community, not all species are equally important, as some species (keystone species) play a more critical role in maintaining the ecosystem. The other options describe true characteristics of a stable community: resistance to invasions, consistent productivity, and resilience to disturbances.
The process of mineralisation by microorganisms helps in the release of:
In which ecosystem is the biomass of primary consumers greater than producers?
Choose the correct statements with respect to decomposition from the following:
(A) Decomposition is an anaerobic process.
(B) Decomposition rate of detritus depends upon the chemical nature of it.
(C) Water-soluble organic nutrients go into the soil and get precipitated in the process of leaching.
(D) Humification follows mineralisation.
Match List-I with List-II:
List-I (Concepts)
List-II (Explanation)
| List-I | List-II |
|---|---|
| (A) Standing state | (I) Available biomass for the consumption of heterotrophs |
| (B) Secondary productivity | (II) Rate of formation of organic matter by consumers |
| (C) Standing crop | (III) Mass of living matter in a trophic level at a given time |
| (D) Net primary productivity | (IV) Amount of mineral nutrients in the soil at a given time |
Choose the correct answer from the options given below:
There are 50 lotus plants in a pond. 20 new plants were added through reproduction. The birth rate of lotus in a year is:
Which of the following options is correct for amensalism?
Forest, grassland, and desert are examples of:
Secondary productivity is:
If the solar energy available to a particular ecosystem is 1,000,000 J, what will be the energy available at the 2nd trophic level in the food chain?