Test-Biology | Unit V (Ecology) | Class XII

SECTION-A

1. Ecotone is
(a) A polluted area (b) The bottom of a lake
(c) A zone of transition between two communities (d) A zone of developing community
2. Ecological niche is
(a) The surface area of the ocean (b) An ecologically adapted zone
(c) The physical position and functional role of a species within the community
(d) Formed of all plants and animals living at the bottom of a lake.
3. According to Allen’s Rule, the mammals from colder climates have
(a) Shorter ears and longer limbs (b) Longer ears and shorter limbs
(c) Longer ears and longer limbs (d) Shorter ears and shorter limbs
4. Who gave the following sentence “Two closely related species competing for the same resources cannot co-exist
indefinitely and the competitively inferior will be eliminated eventually”?
a) Gause’s competitive exclusion principle b) Mutation Theory
c) Theory of Special Creation d) Theory of Organic Evolution
5. Which type of interaction does a mycorrhiza show?
a) Predation b) Parasitism
c) Mutualism d) Commensalism
6. Vertical distribution of different species occupying different levels represents:
a) Standing state b) Stratification
c) Standing crop d) Standing quality
7. Rate of production of organic matter by producers per unit time and area is:
a) GPP b) NPP
c) NPP-R d) More than one option is correct
8. For which of the following ecosystem pyramid of number can be both spindle shape and inverted?
a) Grassland b) Pond
c) Tree d) More than one option is correct
9. Humification results in the formation of ___________ substance
a) Colloidal, basic b) Acidic, Dark coloured
c) Amorphous, Light coloured d) Light coloured, Colloidal
10. What percentages of PAR can be captured by plants?
a) 1-5% b) 2-10%
c) 20% d) 50%
11. What is the correct full form of IUCN?
a) International Union for Conservation of Nuts
b) International Union for Conservation of Nature
c) International Union for Conservation of Natural habitat
d) International Union for Conservation of Numbers
12. The worst dangerous threat to wild life is by
a) Habitat destruction b) Hunting
c) Overgrazing d) Exotic species

Question No. 13 to 16 consist of two statements – Assertion (A) and Reason (R). Answer these questions selecting
the appropriate option given below:
A. Both A and R are true and R is the correct explanation of A.
B. Both A and R are true and R is not the correct explanation of A.
C. A is true but R is false.
 D. Both A and R are false.

13. Assertion: Rotation of our earth around the sun and the tilt of its axis cause annual variations.
Reason: Regional and localvariations within each biological home lead to the formation of a wide variety of
habitat.
14. Assertion: Predators acting as conduits for energy transfer across trophic levels.
15. Reason: Predators also keep prey population under control (ecological balance).
16. Assertion: Primary productivity is the feature of consumers of the ecosystem.
Reason: Secondary productivity is shown by producers of an ecosystem.

SECTION-B

17. In a pond, there were 200 fishes. 40 more were born in a year. Calculate the birth rate of the population.
18. a. Name the type of biodiversity represented by estuaries and alpine meadows in India?
b.What is the unit used for measuring ozone thickness?

19. Mention two objectives of setting up GEAC by our government.

20. Study the three age pyramids, for human population given below and answer the questions.

a). write the names given to each of these age pyramids?

b). mention the one which is ideal for human population.

21. Name the scientist who gave Rivett poppet hypothesis. Also explain this hypothesis.

SECTION-C

22. a. The following graph shows the species area relationship. Answer the following questions as directed.

(i) Name the naturalist who studied the kind of relationship shown in the graph.
Write the observations made by him.
(ii) Write the situations as discovered by the ecologists when the value of Z (slope
of the line) lies between (a) 0.1 and 0.2 (b) 0.6 and 1.2. What does Z stand for?
(iii) When would the slope of the line B’ become steeper?

b. species diversity of plants (22%) is much less than that of animals (72%). Analyze the response for greater
diversity of animals as compared to plants.

23. a. Construct a grazing food chain and detritus food chain using following with 5 links each:

Earthworm, bird, snake, vulture, grass, grasshopper, frog, decaying plant matter.

b. Explain VerhulstPeral Logistic Growth of a population.

24. a). How are productivity, gross productivity, net productivity and secondary productivity interrelated?
 b). why all primary productivity is not available to a herbivore?

25. a. What are the four evil quartet?

b. Write any two methods of ex situ conservation.

26.With the help of suitable examples explain the three types of biodiversity.

Or

Explain any three instances where exotic or alien species becomes threat to indigenous species.

27. What is decomposition? Explain its different steps.

Or

How does monarch butterfly defend itself from predators? Explain.

28. Name the type of interaction seen in each of the following examples:
(i) Ascaris worm living in the intestine of human.
(ii) Wasp pollinating fig’s inflorescence.
(iii) Interaction that exists between Cuscuta and shoe-flower plant.
(iv) Mycorrhizae living on the roots of higher plants.
(v) Orchid growing on a branch of mango tree.
(vi) Disappearance of smaller barnacles when Balanus dominated in the coast of Scotland.

SECTION-D
29.
a). which of the above represents the increase or decrease of

population?

b). If N is the population density at time t, then what would be its

density at time (t+1)? Give the formula.

c). In a barn there were 30 rats. 5 more rats enter the barn and 6

out of the total rats were eaten by the cats. If 8 rats were born

during the time period under consideration and 7 rats left the barn,

find out the resultant population at time (t+1).

d). If a new habitat is just being colonized, out of the four factors affecting the population growth which factor contributes
the most?

30. a. (i) What is primary productivity? Why does it vary in different types of ecosystems?
(ii) State the relation between gross and net primary productivity.

b. State what does a standing crop of a trophic level represents.

Or

a). In a botanical garden of a city there is a huge banyan tree growing on which hundreds of birds and thousands of insects
live. Draw the pyramids of numbers and also biomass represented by this community. Comment giving reasons on the
two different pyramids drawn.
b). Differentiate between in situ and ex situ approaches of conservation of biodiversity.

31. (i) What is a trophic level in an ecosystem ? What is ‘standing crop’ with reference to it?
(ii) Explain the role of the ‘first trophic level’ in an ecosystem.
(iii) How is the detritus food chain connected with the grazing food chain in a natural ecosystem?

Or

a. Explain by giving example, how co-extinction is one of the causes of loss of biodiversity.
b. Why Western Ghats in India have been declared as biological hotspot?
c. What is cryopreservation?

SECTION-E
32. Ecosystem consists of biotic and abiotic components which are interacting with each other to maintain stability
in ecosystem. They are interacting with each other through food chain which consists of linear arrangement of
different species involving transfer of food energy from plants called producers to consumer levels. There are
various trophic levels in food chain depicting functional role of the species.
i. Define trophic level.
ii. Write the direction of flow of energy in a food chain?
iii. Which law describes the flow of energy to successive trophic level and what states that?
Or
iii. Why are there usually 4 or 5 trophic levels in the food chain? Explain.

33. Herbivores are the predators for plants. Nearly 25% of insects are phytophagus (feeding on the plant sap and
other parts of the plants). The problem of predation is particularly severe for plants because unlike animals, they
cannot run away from their predators. Plants therefore have evolved variety of chemical and morphological
defences against herbivores. Thorns are the most common morphological means of defence (as in Acacia and
various Cacti). Many plants produce and store chemicals that make the herbivore sick when they are eaten, inhibit
feeding or digestion, disrupt its reproduction or even causes death. The plant Calotropis provides an example, it
produces a highly poisonous cardiac glycosides and that is why you never see any cattle and goats browsing on this
plant. A wide variety of chemicals that we extract from plants on a commercial scale (e.g., alkaloids like nicotine,
caffeine, quinine, opium, strychnine, etc.) are produced by them actually acts as a defence against grazers and
browsers.
(i) For plants, herbivores are predators and for herbivores plants are
(ii) What defence mechanism is shown by Acacia and cactus?
OR
(ii) Why cattle and goats never browsing on Calotropis?

(iii) Egrets are often seen along with grazing cattle. How do you refer to this interaction? Give a reason for this
association.