UNIT:- ECOLOGY

DPP AND PYQS

1. The process of growth is maximum during 7. Large woody vines are more commonly found in:
(a) Lag phase (a) Temperate forest
(b) Senescence (b) Mangroves
(c) Dormancy (c) tropical rainforests
(d) Log phase (d) Alpine forests

2. Which one of these animals is not a 8. Consider the following four conditions (i) (iv) and
homeotherm? select the correct pair of them as adaptation to
(a) Macropus environment in desert lizards. The conditions:
(b) Chelone
(c) Psittacula (i) Burrowing in soil to escape high temperature
(d) Camelus (ii) Losing heat rapidly from the body during
high temperature
(iii) Bask in sun when temperature is low
3. Presence of plants arranged into well defined
(iv) Insulating body due to thick fatty dermis
vertical layers depending on their height can
be seen best in:
(a) (iii), (iv)
(a) Tropical Rain Forest
(b) (i) and (iii)
(b) Grassland
(c) (ii), (iv)
(c) Temperate Forest
(d) (i), (ii)
(d) Tropical Savannah
9. Which one of the following statements is
4. Most animals are tree dwellers in a:
correct for secondary succession?
(a) Thorn woodland (a) It begins on a bare rock.
(b) Temperate deciduous forest (b) It occurs on a deforested site.
(c) Tropical rainforest (c) It follows primary succession.
(d) Coniferous forest (d) It is similar to primary succession except that it
has a relatively fast pace.
5. Benthic organisms are affected most by
(a) Water-holding capacity of soil 10. The logistic population growth is expressed by
(b) Light reaching the forest floor the equation:
(c) Surface turbulence of water (a) Dt/dN = Nr (K-N/K)
(d) Sediment characteristics of aquatic (b) dN/dT = rN(K-N/K )
ecosystems (c) dN/dT = rN
(d) None of these
6. Which one of the following is not a
parasitic adaptation? 11. Viviparity is characteristic feature of :
(a) Loss of unnecessary sense organs (a) Mesophytes
(b) Development of adhesive organs (b) Xerophytes
(c) Loss of digestive organs (c) Hydrophytes
(d) Loss of reproductive capacity (d) Halophytes
12. Consider the following four statements (a-d)
about certain desert animals such as kangaroo rat. 16. In which one of the following habitats does the
(a) They have dark colour and high rate of diurnal temperature of soil surface vary most?
reproduction and excrete solid urine (a) Shrub land
(b) They do not drink water, breathe at a slow rate (b) Forest
to conserve water and have their body covered (c) Desert
with thick hairs (d) Grassland
(c) They feed on dry seeds and do not require
drinking water 17. Diffuse porous woods are characteristic of
(d) They excrete very concentrated urine and do plants growing in :
not use water to regulate body temperature (a) Tropics
(b) Alpine region
Which two of the above statements for such (c) cold winter regions
animals are true? (d) Temperate climate
(a) 3 and 4
(b) 2 and 3 18. In which one of the following is nitrogen not
(c) 3 and 1 a constituent :
(d) 1 and 2 (a) Pepsin
(b) Idioblast
13. Which one of the following pairs is (c) Bacteriochlorophyll
mismatched ? (d) Invertase
(a) Tundra – permafrost
(b) Savanna – acacia trees 19. Cause of mimicry is
(c) Prairie – epiphytes (a) Concealment
(d) Coniferous forest – evergreen trees (b) Attack (offence)
(c) protection (defence)
14. All of the following statements concerning the (d) both (b) and (c)
Actinomycetes filamentous soil bacterium Frankia
are correct except that Frankia: 20. Which part of the world has a high density of
(a) Can induce root nodules on many plant species organisms?
(b) Cannot fix nitrogen in the free-living state. (a) Grasslands
(c) Forms specialized vesicles in which the (b) Savannahs
nitrogenase is protected from oxygen by a (c) Deciduous forests
chemical barrier involving triterpene hopanoids (d) Tropical rain forests
(d) Like Rhizobium, it usually infects its host plant
through root hair deformation and stimulates 21. Plants such as Prosopis, Acacia and Capparis
cell proliferation in the host’s cortex represent examples of tropical
(a) Thorn forests
15. What is a keystone species? (b) Deciduous forests
(a) A species which makes up only a small (c) evergreen forests
proportion of the total biomass of a community, (d) Grasslands
yet has a huge impact on the community’s
organization and survival 22. Which of the following communities is more
(b) A common species that has plenty of biomass, vulnerable to invasion by outside animals and plants?
yet has a fairly low impact on the community’s (a) Tropical evergreen forest
organization (b) Oceanic island communities
(c) A rare species that has minimal impact on the (c) Mangroves
biomass and on other species in the community (d) Temperate forests
(d) A dominant species that constitutes a large
proportion of the biomass and which affects many
other species.
23. Species occurring in different geographical 30. Tropical forests occur in India :
areas are called as (a) Jammu and Kashmir
(a) Siblings (b) Rajasthan
(b) Sympatric (c) Kerala and Assam
(c) Allopatric (d) The forests do not occur in India
(d) Neopatric
31. Soil best suited for plant growth is
24. Keystone species in an ecosystem are those : (a) Clay
(a) Present in maximum number (b) Loam
(b) That are most frequent (c) sandy
(c) Attaining a large biomass (d) Gravel
(d) Contributing to ecosystem properties
32. A fertile agricultural soil appears deep
25. The high boiling point of water is advantageous coloured at the surface as compared to soil one
to living organisms because : metre down. The reason for colour of top soil is
(a) The environment seldom reaches the boiling (a) More moisture
point of water (b) Rich in organic matter
(b) Organisms can easily boil off enough water to (c) Rich in iron, calcium and magnesium
keep themselves cool (d) Recent formation
(c) it allows organisms to spread heat evenly
throughout their bodies 33. Soil particles determine its
(d) Organisms can absorb a great deal of heat (a) Texture
before they reach the boiling point from (b) Field capacity
organisms and population (c) water holding capacity
(d) Soil flora
26. Which of the following pairs is correctly
matched ? 34. Homeostasis is :
(a) Uricotelism – aquatic habitat (a) Tendency of biological systems to change
(b) Parasitism intra-specific relationship with change in environment
(c) excessive perspiration – xeric adaptation (b) Tendency of biological systems to resist change
(d) Stream lined body – aquatic adaptation (c) disturbance of self regulatory system and
natural controls
27. Desert plants are generally : (d) Biotic materials used in homeopathic medicines.
(a) Viviparous
(b) Succulent 35. Deep black soil is productive due to high
(c) herbaceous proportion of :
(d) Heterophyllus (a) Sand and zinc
(b) Gravel and calcium
28. Xeric environment is characterised by : (c) clay and humus
(a) Precipitation (d) Silt and earthworm
(b) Low atmospheric humidity
(c) extremes of temperature 36. Secondary metabolites such as nicotine,
(d) High rate of vaporisation strychnine and caffeine are produced by
plants for their :
29. Animals that can tolerate a narrow range (a) Growth response
of salinity are (b) Defence action
(a) Stenohaline (c) Effect on reproduction
(b) Euryhaline (d) Nutritive value
(c) anadromous
(d) Catadromous
37. Which of the following is not an attribute of 43) Which one of the following population
a population? interactions is widely used in medical science for
(a) Natality the production of antibiotics?
(b) Mortality (a) Commensalism
(c) Species interaction (b) Mutualism
(d) Sex ratio (c) Amensalism
(d) Parasitism
38. Between which among the following, the
relationship is not an example of commensalism? 44) Which one of the following plants shows a very
(a) Female wasp and fig species close relationship with a species of moth, where
(b) Orchid and the tree on which it grows none of the two can complete its life cycle without
(c) Cattle egret and grazing cattle the other?
(d) Sea anemone and clown fish A. Hydrilla
B. Yucca
39. Which of the following shows whorled C. Viola
phyllotaxy? D. Banana
(a) Calotropis
(b) Mustard 45. World Ozone Day is celebrated on :
(c) China rose A. 5th June
(d) Alstonia B. 21st April
C. 22nd April
40. Carnivorous animals lions and leopards, occupy D. 16th September
the same niche but lions predate mostly larger
animals and leopards take smaller ones. This 46. Asymptote in a logistic growth curve is
mechanism of competition is referred to as- obtained when :
(a) Competitive exclusion A. K=N
(b) Character displacement B. K>N
(c) Altruism C. K<N
(d) Resource partitioning D. The value of ‘r’ approaches zero

41. Two plants can be conclusively said to belong 47. Mycorrhizae are the example of:
to the same species if they : (a) Amensalism
(a) have more than 90 per cent similar genes (b) Antibiosis
(b) look similar and possess identical secondary (c) Mutualism
metabolites (d) Fungistasis
(c) have same number of chromosomes
(d) can reproduce freely with each other and 48. Gause’s principle of competitive exclusion
form seeds. states that:
A. More abundant species will exclude the less
42. In a growing population of a country : abundant species through competition.
(a) Pre-reproductive individuals are more than the B. Competition for the same resources excludes
reproductive individuals. species having different food preferences.
(b) Reproductive individuals are less than the C. no two species can occupy the same niche
post-reproductive individuals. indefinitely for the same limiting resources.
(c) pre-reproductive individuals are less than the D. Larger organisms exclude smaller ones
reproductive individuals. through competition.
(d) Reproductive and pre-reproductive individuals
are equal in number.
49. When does the growth rate of a population 55. Vertical distribution of different species
following the logistic model equal zero ? occupying different levels in a biotic community is
The logistic model is given as dN/dt = rN(1-N/K) known as:
(a) When N/K is exactly one. (a) Stratification
(b) When N nears the carrying capacity of the (b) Zonation
habitat. (c) Pyramid
(c) when N/K equals zero. (d) Divergence
(d) When death rate is greater than birth rate.
56. The mass of living material at a trophic level at a
50. In which of the following interactions both particular time is called:
partners are adversely affected? (a) Standing state
(a) Predation (b) Net primary productivity
(b) Parasitism (c) Standing crop
(c) Mutualism (d) Gross primary productivity
(d) Competition
57. In an ecosystem the rate of production of organic
51. In relation to Gross primary productivity and matter during photosynthesis is termed as:
Net primary productivity of an ecosystem, which (a) Gross primary productivity
one of the following statements is correct? (b) Secondary productivity
(a) Gross primary productivity is always more than (c) Net productivity
net primary productivity (d) Net primary productivity
(b) Gross primary productivity and Net primary
productivity are one and same 58. Which one of the following processes during
(c) There is no relationship between Gross primary decomposition is correctly described?
productivity and Net primary productivity (a) Humification-Leads to the accumulation of a
(d) Gross primary productivity is always less than dark coloured substance humus which undergoes
net primary productivity microbial action at every fast rate
(b) Catabolism-Last step decomposition under fully
52. Niche is anaerobic condition
(a) All the biological factors in the organism’s (c) Leaching-Water soluble inorganic nutrients rise
environment to the top layers of soil
(b) The physical space where an organism lives (d) Fragmentation-Carried out by organisms such as
(c) the functional role played by the organism earthworm
where it lives
(d) The range of temperature that the organism 59. Secondary productivity is rate of formation of
needs to live new organic matter by :
(a) Parasite
53. The term ecosystem was coined by (b) Consumer
(a) E.P. Odum (c) Decomposer
(b) A.G. Tansley (d) Producer
(c) E.Haeckel
(d) E. Warming 60. The rate of formation of new organic matter by
rabbit in a grassland, is called :
54. Most animals that live in deep oceanic (a) Net productivity
waters are: (b) Secondary productivity
(a) Secondary consumers (c) net primary productivity
(b) Tertiary consumers (d) Gross primary productivity
(c) detritivores
(d) Primary consumers
 68. Pneumatophores are characteristic of plants
growing in
61. The breakdown of detritus into smaller particles (a) Saline soils
by earthworm is a process called (b) Sandy soils
(a) Humification (c) marshy places and salt lakes
(b) Fragmentation (d) Dryland regions
(c) mineralisation
(d) Catabolism 69. The greatest biomass of autotrophs in the
62. Of the total incident proportion of PAR is oceans is that of
(a) About 70% (a) Sea grasses and slime moulds
(b) About 60% (b) Free floating microalgae, cyanobacteria and
(c) less than 50% nanoplankton
(d) More than 80% (c) benthic brown algae, coastal red algae and
daphnids
63. The biomass available for consumption by the (d) Benthic diatoms and marine viruses
herbivores and the decomposers is called:
(a) Net primary productivity 70. . The rate at which light energy is converted to
(b) Secondary productivity the chemical energy of organic molecules is the
(c) Standing crop ecosystem’s
(d) Gross primary productivity (a) Net primary productivity
(b) Gross primary productivity
64. About 70% of total global carbon is found in (c) net secondary productivity
(a) Grasslands (d) Gross secondary productivity
(b) Agro ecosystems
(c) oceans 71. Which of the following ecosystems has highest
(d) Forests rate of gross primary production?
a. Grasslands
65. The slow rate of decomposition of fallen logs in b. Mangroves
nature is due to their c. Coral reefs
(a) Low moisture content d. Equatorial rain forest
(b) Poor nitrogen content
(c) anaerobic environment around them 72. Niche of a species in an ecosystem refers to its
(d) Low cellulose content (a) Function at its place of occurrence
(b) Place of its occurrence
66. Which one of the following ecosystem types has (c) competitive ability
the highest annual net primary productivity? (d) Centre of origin
(a) Tropical deciduous
(b) Temperate evergreen forest 73. Which of the following does not have stomata?
(c) Temperate deciduous forest (a) Hydrophytes
(d) Tropical rain forest. (b) Mesophytes
(c) xerophytes
67. Which of the following is expected to have the (d) Submerged hydrophytes
highest value (gm/m³/yr) in a grassland ecosystem?
(a) Secondary Production 74 . If we completely remove the decomposers from
(b) Tertiary Production an ecosystem, its functioning will be adversely
(c) Gross Production (GP) affected, because
(d) Net Production (NP) (a) Energy flow will be blocked
(b) Herbivores will not receive solar energy
(c) mineral movement will be blocked
(d) Rate of decomposition will be very high
75. Which of the following is the most stable 82. According to Robert May, the global species
ecosystem? diversity is about
(a) Forest (a) 20 million
(b) Desert (b) 50 million
(c) Mountain (c) 7 million
(d) Ocean (d) 1.5 million

76. In a biotic community, the most important 83. Decline in the population of Indian native fishes
factor for survival of an animal is : due to introduction of Clarias gariepinus in river
(a) Day length Yamuna can be categorised as :
(b) Soil moisture A. Alien species invasion
(c) green food B. Co-extinction
(d) Predators C. Habitat loss and fragmentation
D. Over exploitation
77. Bulk CO2, fixation occurs in
(a) Crop plants 84. Alexander Von Humboldt described for the
(b) Oceans first time:
(c) Tropical rain forests A. Laws of limiting factor
(d) Temperature forests B. Species-Area relationships
C. Population Growth equation
78. Decomposers are organisms that D. Ecological Biodiversity
(a) Elaborate chemical substances, causing
death of tissues 85. Which of the following is the most important
(b) Operate in living body and simplifying cause of animals and plants being driven to
organic substances of cells step by step extinction?
(c) attack and kill plants as well as animals A. Over exploitation
(d) Operate in relay terms, simplifying step by B. Alien species invasion
step the organic constituents of dead body C. Habitat loss and fragmentation
D. Co-extinctions
79. Study of inter-relationships between
organisms and their environment is : 86. The species confined to a particular region and
(a) Ecology not found elsewhere is termed as:
(b) Ecosystem a. Alien
(c) Phytogeography b. Endemic
(d) Ethology c. Rare
d. Keystone
80. Pedology is science of
(a) Earth 87. A species facing extremely high risk of
(b) Soil extinction in the immediate future is called:
(c) Diseases a. Vulnerable
(d) Pollution b. Endemic
c. Critically endangered
81. Greatest producers of organic matter are d. Extinct
(a) crop plants
(b) forests
(c) plants of land area
(d) Phytoplankton of oceans
88. The organization which publishes the Red List
of species is:
a. ICFRE
b. IUCN
c. UNEP
d. WWF

89. Soil conservation is :

a. Conversion of sterile soil into fertile one
b. Aeration of soil
c. Erosion of soil
d. Protection against loss

90. Which of the following represent maximum

number of species among global biodiversity?
a. Lichens
b. Fungi
c. Mosses and Ferns
d. Algae
1. D 26. D 51. A 76. C
2. B 27. B 52. C 77. B
3. A 28. B 53. B 78. D
4. C 29. A 54. C 79. A
5. D 30. C 55. A 80. B
6. D 31. B 56. C 81. D
7. C 32. B 57. A 82. C
8. B 33. A 58. D 83. A
9. B 34. B 59. B 84. B
10. B 35. C 60. B 85. C
11. D 36. B 61. B 86. B
12. A 37. C 62. C 87. C
13. C 38. A 63. A 88. B
14. B 39. D 64. C 89. D
15. A 40. D 65. A 90. B
16. C 41. D 66. D
17. A 42. A 67. C
18. B 43. C 68. C
19. A 44. B 69. B
20. D 45. D 70. B
21. A 46. A 71. D
22. B 47. C 72. A
23. C 48. C 73. D
24. D 49. A 74. C
25. B 50. D 75. D