[Mission 2023] STATIC QUIZ, 25 October 2022 – Environment

Solution: c)

Phytoplankton are the foundation of the aquatic food web as the primary producers.

Zooplankton feed on phytoplankton and play a vital role in food web of the food chain, nutrient recycling, and in transfer of organic matter from primary producers to secondary consumers like fishes.

Solution: d)

Coral Reefs are Important in Following Ways –

(i) Coral reefs provide shelter to the world’s most colourful fishes. These support fish productions up to 2.5 lakh tonnes per year.

(ii) Coral reefs control the concentration of carbon dioxide in the lower atmosphere and in the sea water.

(iii) Coral reefs provide different types of raw materials for industries.

(iv) Coral reefs check sea waves against going towards sea coasts by reducing their speed.

(v) Coral reefs are helpful in controlling Green House Effect as they absorb carbon dioxide.

(vi) Corals are used as medicines by human communities living along coasts.

(vii) Coral reefs form important ecosystems. They also provide food to different types of sea animals like star fish.

Solution: b)

Temperate deciduous or temperate broad-leaf forests are a variety of temperate forest ‘dominated’ by trees that lose their leaves each year. They are found in areas with warm moist summers and cool winters. Soils of temperate forests are podozolic and fairly deep.

The trees shed their leaves in the cold season. This is an adaptation for protecting themselves against the winter snow and frost.

Solution: d)

Tropical Deciduous Forests:

These are the most widespread forests in India. They are also called the monsoon forests. They spread over regions which receive rainfall between 70-200 cm. On the basis of the availability of water, these forests are further divided into moist and dry deciduous.

The Moist deciduous forests are more pronounced in the regions which record rainfall between 100-200 cm. These forests are found in the north-eastern states along the foothills of Himalayas, eastern slopes of the Western Ghats and Odisha.

Solution: b)

Coniferous forest (boreal forest):

• Cold regions with high rainfall, strong seasonal climates with long winters and short summers are characterized by boreal coniferous forest.

This is characterized by evergreen plant species such as Spruce, fir and pine trees, etc. and by animals such as the lynx, wolf, bear, red fox, porcupine, squirrel, and amphibians like Hyla, Rana, etc

• Boreal forest soils are characterized by thin podzols and are rather poor. Both because, the weathering of rocks proceeds slowly in cold environments and because the litter derived from conifer needle (leaf) is decomposed very slowly and is not rich in nutrients.
• These soils are acidic and are mineral deficient. This is due to movement of large amount of water through the soil, without a significant counter-upward movement of evaporation, essential soluble nutrients like calcium, nitrogen and potassium which are leached sometimes beyond the reach of roots. This process

leaves no alkaline oriented cations to encounter the organic acids of the accumulating litter.

• The productivity and community stability of a boreal forest are lower than those of any other forest ecosystem.