CLASS XII

BIOLOGY

By:DR. VIKRAM SINGH TANUSHREE SINGH

YEAR OF PUBLICATION-2010
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SAVANT INSTITUTE

Biology

Ecosystem

ECOSYSTEM
Slide 4 ECOSYSTEM An ecosystem is a functional unit of nature where biotic and abiotic compon interact with each other. Examples: pond, forest, sea. The global ecosystem the biosphere is classified into the following types:

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Terrestrial : e.g. forest, grassland and desert. Aquatic: e.g. pond, lake, wetland, river and estuary. Terrestrial: e.g. crop fields and garden Aquatic: e.g. aquarium

_____________________ Slide 6 ______________________ ECOSYSTEM STRUCTURE _____________________ Slide 2 ______________________ WHOS WHO? The term Ecosystem was coined by Arthur G. Tansley. Odum defined the ecosystem as the basic functional unit of ecology in which both biotic communities and abiotic environment influence each other. The biotic and abiotic components of an ecosystem constitute its structure. These include the living organisms and air, water and other elements. They interact with each other and contribute to the ecosystems functions.

_____________________ Slide 7 ______________________ Functions of Ecosystem

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Slide 8 Community Stratification

Ecosystem
Slide 12 Functions of the Pond Ecosystem

Biology

Vertical distribution of different species occupying different levels is called stratification. For example, in a forest ecosystem, trees occupy top vertical strata or layer of a forest, shrubs the second and herbs and grasses occupy the bottom layers. Stratification increases the number of habitats and decreases interspecific competition.

_____________________ Slide 9 ______________________ Pond Ecosystem A self-sustainable unit, a pond is a shallow water body. It shows all the four basic components of an ecosystem well. The abiotic components include: water, dissolved inorganic and organic substances and the soil deposit at the bottom of the pond. Further the abiotic components like solar input, the cycle of temperature, day-length and other climatic conditions regulate the rate of function of the entire pond.

The pond ecosystem performs the following functions: There is unidirectional movement of energy towards the higher tropic levels and its dissipation and loss as heat to the environment at every trophic levels. Conversion of inorganic into organic material using solar energy by the autotrophs Consumption of the autotrophs by heterotrophs Decomposition of the dead matter to release minerals back into the ecosystem for reuse by the autotrophs. _____________________ Slide 13 _____________________ Functions of Ecosystem The rate of biomass production is called productivity. It is expressed in terms of g2 yr 1 or (kcal m2) yr1 to compare the productivity of different ecosystems. Primary production is defined as the amount of biomass or organic matter produced per unit area over a time period by plants during photosynthesis. It is expressed in terms of weight (g2) or energy (kcal m 2).

_____________________ Slide 10 _____________________ The biotic components include the producers and consumers. The producers include autotrophic phytoplankton, some algae and the floating, submerged and marginal plants found at the edges. The consumers are represented by the zooplankton, the free swimming and bottom dwelling forms. The decomposers are the fungi, bacteria and flagellates especially abundant in the bottom of the pond. _____________________ Slide 11 _____________________

_____________________ Slide 14 _____________________ Types of Productivity Primary productivity refers to the productivity at the producer level. Gross Primary Productivity (GPP) of an ecosystem is the rate of production of organic matter during photosynthesis. Net primary productivity (NPP) of an ecosystem is the Gross Primary Productivity minus respiration losses (R) GPP R = NPP Net primary productivity is the available biomass for the consumption to heterotrophs (herbivores and decomposers). _____________________ Slide 15 _____________________ Secondary productivity refers to the productivity at the consumer level. It also depends on a variety of environmental factors, availability of nutrients and photosynthetic capacity of plants. Therefore, it varies in different types of ecosystems. Gross Secondary Productivity refers to the amount of food material absorbed from the alimentary canal and is calculated as total ingested food minus the egested material. Net Secondary Productivity refers to the rate of storage at the consumer level.

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Biology
Slide 16 Community Productivity

Ecosystem
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The rate of net synthesis of organic matter by a community per unit time and area. Biosphere Productivity The annual net primary productivity of the whole biosphere is approximately 170 billion tons (dry weight) of organic matter. Of this, the oceans account for only about 70 per cent of the surface, which is a productivity of only 55 billion tons.

_____________________ Slide 17 _____________________ Factors Affecting Productivity Environmental factors: Light Temperature Wind Atmospheric humidity Water Soil Nutrient availability like CO2, O2, H2 O and minerals. Photosynthetic capacity of the producers. Topography of the area.

The first three steps that take place simultaneously are as follows: Fragmentation: Detritivores like earthworm break down detritus into smaller particles. This process is called fragmentation. Leaching: When the water soluble inorganic nutrients go down into the soil horizon and get precipitated as unavailable salts, this is called leaching. Catabolism: The degradation of detritus into simpler inorganic substances by bacterial and fungal enzymes is called as catabolism. _____________________ Slide 21 _____________________ The last two steps, humification and mineralisation occur after the detritus is broken down. Humification is the formation of a dark coloured amorphous substance called humus that is highly resistant to microbial action and undergoes decomposition at an extremely slow rate. Being colloidal in nature it serves as a reservoir of nutrients. Mineralisation is the release of inorganic nutrients by some microbes in the soil. _____________________ Slide 22 _____________________

_____________________ Slide 18 _____________________ Decomposition Breaking down complex organic matter into inorganic substances like carbon dioxide, water and nutrients is called decomposition. Dead plant remains such as leaves, bark, flowers and dead remains of animals, including fecal matter, constitute detritus, which is the raw material for decomposition.

_____________________ Slide 19 _____________________ Important steps in the process of decomposition

Diagrammatic representation of decomposition cycle in a terrestrial ecosystem _____________________ Slide 23 _____________________ Factors Affecting Degradation Oxygen availability: decomposition is largely an oxygenrequiring process. The rate of decomposition is controlled by chemical composition of detritus and climatic factors.

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Ecosystem
Slide 28

Biology

Chemical composition: Decomposition rate is slower if detritus is rich in lignin and chitin, and quicker, if detritus is rich in nitrogen and water-soluble substances like sugars.

_____________________ Slide 24 _____________________ Climatic factors: Warm and moist environment favour decomposition whereas low temperature and anaerobiosis inhibit decomposition resulting in build up of organic materials. Energy Flow Sun is the final source of energy for all ecosystems on Earth. All organisms are dependent for their food on producers, either directly or indirectly. Of the incident solar radiation less than 50 per cent of it is Photosynthetically Active Radiation (PAR).

The amount of energy decreases at successive trophic levels. Energy demands of organisms at each trophic level are met by those at the lower trophic level.

_____________________ Slide 29 _____________________ The number of trophic levels in the grazing food chain is restricted as the transfer of energy follows 10 per cent law only 10 per cent of the energy is transferred to each trophic level from the lower trophic level. In nature, it is possible to have so many levels producer, herbivore, primary carnivore, secondary carnivore in the grazing food chain.

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_____________________ Slide 25 _____________________ The autotrophs fix only 2- 10 percent of PAR to make food from simple inorganic materials. This sustains the entire living world. All ecosystems need a constant supply of energy to synthesize the molecules they require, to counteract the universal tendency toward increasing disorderliness.

_____________________ Slide 31 _____________________ Grazing Food-chain Producers: All animals depend on plants directly or indirectly for their food needs. The plants are called as autotrophs. Consumers: The animals are called consumers or heterotrophs. Primary consumers: The herbivores, that feed on the producers, the plants, they are called primary consumers. Secondary consumers: Carnivores that eat other animals which in turn eat the plants (or their produce) are called secondary consumers.

_____________________ Slide 26 _____________________ Food Chain The chain depicting the interdependencies of organisms on each other in an ecosystem is called a food chain or a food web. There is unidirectional flow of energy from the sun to producers and then to consumers in an ecosystem. The energy trapped by the producer, hence, is either passed on to a consumer or the organism dies. The natural interconnection of food chains make it a food web.

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_____________________ Slide 27 _____________________ Trophic Levels In a food chain the producers, primary consumers, secondary consumers and the tertiary consumers are each said to occupy a particular trophic level. The trophic level is based on the source of their nutrition or food, for the organism. Producers belong to the first trophic level Herbivores (primary consumer) to the second level Carnivores (secondary consumer) to the third level SAVANT EDUCATION GROUP E-17, East of Kailash, New Delhi 110065. Ph.: +91-11-26224417 www.savantgroup.org

Biology
Slide 33

Ecosystem
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_____________________ Slide 34 _____________________ Detritus food chain Death of organism is the beginning of the detritus food chain/web. The food chain includes decomposers like fungi and bacteria. These are also known as saprotrophs. Decomposers secrete digestive enzymes that breakdown dead and waste materials into simple, inorganic materials, which are subsequently absorbed by them. The decomposers meet their energy and nutrient requirements by degrading dead organic matter or detritus.

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_____________________ Slide 35 _____________________ The grazing food chain is the major conduit for energy flow in an aquatic food chain. The detritus food chain is the major conduit of energy flow in a terrestrial ecosystem. A detritus food chain may be connected with the grazing food chain at some levels. Some of the organisms of DFC are prey to the GFC animals, and in a natural ecosystem. _____________________ Slide 38 _____________________

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Slide 39

Ecosystem
Slide 42

Biology

Standing crop: Each trophic level has a certain mass of living material at a particular time called as the standing crop. The standing crop is measured as the mass of living organisms (biomass) or the number in a unit area. The biomass of a species is expressed in terms of fresh or dry weight.

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_____________________ Slide 43 _____________________ Ecological Pyramids The food, energy and biomass transfer across different trophic levels can be expressed as a pyramid known as ecological pyramids.

Energy flow through different trophic levels _____________________ Slide 41 _____________________

_____________________ Slide 44 _____________________ Types of Ecological Pyramids

_____________________ Slide 45 _____________________ The base of each pyramid represents the producers or the first trophic level while the apex represents tertiary or top level consumer. Each bar in the energy pyramid indicates the amount of energy present at each trophic level in a given time or annually per unit area.

_____________________ Slide 46 _____________________

Pyramid of numbers in a grassland ecosystem SAVANT EDUCATION GROUP E-17, East of Kailash, New Delhi 110065. Ph.: +91-11-26224417 www.savantgroup.org

Biology
Slide 47

Ecosystem
Slide 51 Significance of upright pyramids

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Pyramid of biomass INA grass-land ecosystem _____________________ Slide 48 _____________________

In most ecosystems, all the pyramids are upright. In the pyramid of numbers, producers are more in number and herbivores are more in number than carnivores. In the pyramid of biomass producers have more biomass than the herbivores, while herbivores have more biomass than the carnivores. In the pyramid of energy, the energy at a lower trophic level is always more than at a higher level.

_____________________ Slide 52 _____________________ Significance of inverted pyramids A pyramid of numbers in a tree would be inverted because the number of insects feeding on the leaves or fruits is much more than number of the tree the producer. The insects are devoured by small birds which are in turn preyed upon by larger birds eating the smaller.

Inverted pyramid of biomass - oceans _____________________ Slide 49 _____________________

_____________________ Slide 53 _____________________ The pyramid of biomass in sea is also generally inverted because the biomass of fishes far exceeds that of phytoplankton. Pyramid of energy is always upright, can never be inverted, because when energy flows from a particular trophic level to the next trophic level, some energy is always lost as heat at each step.

_____________________ Slide 54 _____________________ Limitations of a pyramid Pyramid of energy _____________________ Slide 50 _____________________ Rules for ecological pyramids All organisms at each trophic level must be included. Generalizations based on only a few individuals give an erroneous depiction. The fact that a given organism may occupy more than one trophic level simultaneously should be considered. For example, a sparrow is a primary consumer when it eats seeds, fruits, peas, and a secondary consumer when it eats insects and worms. A trophic level represents a functional level, not a species as such. An ecological pyramid does not take into account the same species belonging to two or more trophic levels. It assumes a simple food chain, something that almost never exists in nature; it does not accommodate a food web. Saprophytes are not given any place in ecological pyramids even though they play a vital role in the ecosystem.

_____________________ Slide 55 _____________________ Ecological succession An important characteristic of all communities is that composition and structure constantly change in response to the changing environmental conditions. This change is orderly and sequential, parallel with the changes in the physical environment. The gradual and fairly predictable change in the species composition of a given area is called ecological succession.

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Slide 56

Ecosystem
Slide 61 Steps in primary xerarch succession

Biology

These changes lead finally to a community that is in near equilibrium with the environment and that is called a climax community. Ecological succession involves changes in vegetation, types of animals and decomposers. Human intervention can retract a particular seral stage or change the profile of a particular seral stage. During succession some species colonize an area and their populations become more numerous, whereas populations of other species decline and even disappear.

Pioneer species are the species that invade a bare area. In primary succession on rocks these are usually lichens which are able to secrete acids to dissolve rock, helping in weathering and soil formation. These later pave way to some very small plants like bryophytes, which are able to take hold in the small amount of soil.

_____________________ Slide 57 _____________________ Sere: The entire sequence of communities that successively change in a given area are called sere(s). Seral stage: The individual transitional communities are termed seral stages or seral communities. There is an increase in biomass and number of species with each successive seral stage.

_____________________ Slide 62 _____________________ They are, with time, succeeded by bigger plants, and after several more stages, ultimately a stable climax forest community is formed. The climax community remains stable as long as the environment remains unchanged.

_____________________ Slide 63 _____________________ Steps in primary hydrarch succession In primary succession in water, the pioneers are the small phytoplanktons. This is followed by free-floating angiosperms in the course of time. This is then replaced by rooted hydrophytes, sedges, grasses and finally the trees. The climax community is a forest.

_____________________ Slide 58 _____________________ Primary succession: A process of colonization of organisms that starts where there are no living organisms for example, a bare rock. It is usually slow. Depending mostly on the climate, it takes natural processes several hundred to several thousand years to produce fertile soil on bare rock. Before a biotic community of diverse organisms can become established, there must be soil. Examples of areas where primary succession occurs are newly cooled lava, bare rock, newly created pond or reservoir.

_____________________ Slide 64 _____________________

_____________________ Slide 59 _____________________ Secondary succession: A process of colonization that starts where all the previously existing organisms died out. It begins in areas where natural biotic communities have been destroyed. For example in abandoned farm lands, burned or cut forests, lands that have been flooded. Since some soil or sediment is present, succession is faster than prim ary succession.

_____________________ Slide 60 _____________________ Succession of plants Hydrarch succession takes place in wetter areas and the successional series progress from hydric to the mesic conditions. Xerarch succession takes place in dry areas and the series progress from xeric to mesic conditions. Hence, both hydrarch and xerach successions lead to medium water conditions (mesic) neither too dry (xeric) nor too wet (hydric). SAVANT EDUCATION GROUP E-17, East of Kailash, New Delhi 110065. Ph.: +91-11-26224417 www.savantgroup.org

Biology
Slide 65

Ecosystem
Slide 69

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Diagramatic representation of primary succession _____________________ Slide 66 _____________________ Nutrient cycling The movement of nutrient elements through the various components of an ecosystem is called nutrient cycling. Nutrients are never lost from the ecosystems, they are recycled time and again indefinitely. The amount of nutrients, such as carbon, nitrogen, phosphorus, calcium, etc., present in the soil at any given time, is referred to as the standing state. _____________________ Slide 67 _____________________ It varies in different kinds of ecosystems and also on a seasonal basis. Another name of nutrient cycling is biogeochemical cycles (bio: living organism, geo: rocks, air, water). Nutrient cycles are of two types: (a) gaseous and (b) sedimentary. The reservoir for gaseous type of nutrient cycle (e.g., nitrogen, carbon cycle) exists in the atmosphere and for the sedimentary cycle (e.g., sulphur and phosphorus cycle), the reservoir is located in Earths crust. _____________________ Slide 68 _____________________ Environmental factors, e.g., soil, moisture, pH, temperature etc., regulate the rate of release of nutrients into the atmosphere. The function of the reservoir is to meet with the deficit which occurs due to imbalance in the rate of influx and efflux. Phosphorus cycle CARBON CYCLE - Schematic _____________________ Slide 71 _____________________ Carbon cycle _____________________ Slide 70 _____________________

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Slide 72

Ecosystem

Biology CURRICULUM BASED WORKSHEET

Worksheet - I
1. Why is the length of a food chain in an ecosystem generally limited to 3-4 trophic levels? Explain with an example. Name the four functional aspects of an ecosystem. Differentiate between primary and secondary productivity. Give two examples each of: (i) Terrestrial ecosystem (ii) Aquatic ecosystem (iii) Man-made ecosystem Represent schematically the decomposition cycle in a terrestrial ecosystem. What is meant by saying that the energy flow in an ecosystem is unidirectional? What is net primary productivity? Why is dry weight chosen for expressing the biomass of a species?

2. 3. 4.

5. PHOSPHORUS CYCLE - Schematic _____________________ Slide 73 _____________________ 6. 7. 8.

Worksheet - II
1. 2. Define standing state. List the three parameters used for constructing ecological pyramids. Describe any one instance where the pyramid may look inverted. Differentiate between gaseous and sedimentary type of nutrients cycle. Distinguish between pioneer community and climax community. Give three differences between serial stages and climax community during succession. What is meant by nutrient cycling and What is another name for this cycle? Name any two factors on which the type of pioneer species if plant depend in secondary succession. What are the limitations of ecological pyramids

3. 4. 5. A simplified model of phosphorus cycling in a terrestrial ecosystem _____________________ Slide 74 _____________________ Ecosystem services The products of ecosystem processes are named as ecosystem services, for example, a healthy forest ecosystem purifies air and water, mitigates droughts and floods, cycle nutrients, generate fertile soils, provide wildlife habitat, maintain biodiversity, pollinate crops, provide storage site for carbon and also provide aesthetic, cultural and spiritual values. 6. 7. 8.

CURRICULUM BASED CHAPTER ASSIGNMENT

1 Mark Questions
1. Name the dominant producers in a deep aquatic ecosystem. What other name could you give to a primary consumer? List two factors that determine the vegetation and soil type of an ecosystem. What are the starting points of a grazing food chain and detritus food chain respectively? Define ecosystem.

_____________________ Slide 75 _____________________ A price tag of US $ 33 trillion a year has been put on these fundamental ecosystems services. Out of the total cost of various ecosystem services, the soil formation accounts for about 50 per cent, and contributions of other services like recreation and nutrient cycling, are less than 10 per cent each. The cost of climate regulation and habitat for wildlife are about 6 per cent each.

2. 3. 4.

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Biology
5. 6. 7. 8. 9. 10. 11. 12. 13. 14.

Ecosystem

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What is meant by species composition in an ecosystem? Name the basic requirement of any ecosystem to function and sustain. Define secondary productivity. What is detritus? Who coined the term ecosystem? What is primary productivity? In What units could you express primary productivity? What is ecological succession? Name the two forms of reservoir of carbon, that regulate the ecosystem carbon cycle. Define climax immunity. Mention one similarity between hydrarch and xerarch succession.

28. Differentiate between grazing food chain and detritus food chain. 29. Explain the differences between primary succession and secondary succession.

5 Marks Questions
30. Describe the pond as an ecosystem. 31. What are ecosystem services? Enumerate the ecosystem services of a forest. 32. What are ecological pyramids? List the various types of pyramids giving their characteristics.

QUESTION BANK FOR COMPETITIONS

1. In a comparative study of Grassland ecosystem and Pond ecosystem, it may be observed that : (a) Primary and secondary consumers are similar (b) Both biotic and abiotic components are different (c) Biotic components are almost similar (d) Abiotic components are almost similar Which one of the following is an example of biological control of pests? (a) Use of transgenic plants resistant to pests (b) Control of aphids by lady bird beetles (c) Use of sex attractants to control pests (d) Control of screw worms by release of sterile males. If we completely remove the decomposers from an ecosystem, the ecosystem functioning will be adversely affected because : (a) Energy flow will be blocked. (b) Rate of decomposition of other components will be very high. (c) Herbivores will not receive solar energy (d) Mineral movement will be blocked An ecosystem which can be easily damaged but can recover after some time if damaging effect stops will be having: (a) Low stability and low resilience (b) High stability and high resilience (c) Low stability and high resilience (d) High stability and low resilience Which of the following is expected to have the highest value (gm/m2/year in a grassland ecosystem? (a) Gross production (GP) (b) Net production (NP) (c) Secondary production (d) Tertiary production If by radiation all nitrogenase enzymes are inactivated, then there will be no : (a) Conversion from nitrate to nitrite in the legumes (b) Conversion from ammonium to nitrate in soil (c) Fixation of nitrogen in the legumes (d) Fixation of atmospheric nitrogen

2 Marks Questions
15. What does secondary productivity in an ecosystem indicate? List any two factors by which productivity is limited in aquatic ecosystems. 16. What would happen to the successive trophic levels in the pyramid of energy, if the rate of reproduction of phytoplankton was slowed down? Suggest two factors which could cause such a reduction in phytoplankton reproduction. 17. Name the kinds of organisms which constitute the pioneer community of xerarch and hydrarch succession respectively. 18. Due to uncontrolled excessive hunting, the population of tigers in a forest becomes zero. Discuss the long term effects of this situation in the population of deer in that forest. 19. Explain with the help of two examples, how the pyramid of numbers and the pyramid of biomass can look inverted? 20. Explain What is meant by stratification. 21. Define gross primary productivity (GPP) and net primary productivity (NPP). 22. List few factors, which make the nutrient cycles unbalanced, and the ecosystem unstable.

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3 Marks Questions
23. Show that energy flow in an ecosystem follows laws of thermodynamics. 24. Represent diagrammatically the trophic levels in an ecosystem. 25. Represent schematically the phosphorus cycle in an ecosystem 26. Describe the major components of ecosystem. 27. What do you mean by structure and function of an ecosystem? Explain briefly.

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Ecosystem

Biology

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Biological equilibrium is an equilibrium among the : (a) Producers (b) Producers and consumers (c) Producers and decomposers (d) Producers, consumers and decomposers Pyramid of biomass in a pond ecosystem is : (a) Inverted (b) Always upright (c) Producers and decomposers (d) Upright and sometimes inverted The minimum number of components required for an ecosystem to survive are : (a) Producers &decomposers (b) Producers & primary consumers (c) Producers & secondary consumers (d) Primary consumers & decomposers A sedimentary type of biogeochemical cycle is : (a) Carbon (b) Hydrologic (c) Nitrogen (d) Sulphur Which one of the following pairs is mismatched? (a) Prairies epiphytes (b) Tundra - Permafrost (c) Savanna Acacia trees (d) Coniferous forests Evergreen trees Which one of the following pairs is mismatched? (a) Biomass burning Release of CO2 (b) Fossil fuel burning Release of CO2 (c) Nuclear power Radioactive wastes (d) Solar energy Greenhouse effect Animals have innate ability to escape from predation. Examples for the some are given below. Select the incorrect example. (a) Enlargement of body size by swallowing air in Puffer fish (b) Melanism in moth (c) Poison fangs in snakes (d) Colour change in chamelon Morethan 70% of worlds freshwater is contained in : (a) Antarctica (b) Glaciers and mountains (c) Greenland (d) Polar ice At which latitude, heat gain through insulation approximately equals heat loss through terrestrial radiation? (a) 66 North and South (b) 221/2 North and South (c) 40 North and South (d) 421/2 North and South The presence of diversity at the junction of territories of two different habitats is known as : (a) Bottle neck effect (b) Edge effect (c) Junction effect (d) Pasteur effect Approximately what amount of energy is available to one trophic level from one trophic level lower to it? (a) 1% (b) 10% (c) 20% (d) 30%

18. Inverted pyramid is found in : (a) Energy pyramid of grassland (b) Biomass pyramid of grassland (c) Biomass pyramid of aquatic system (d) Pyramid of number of aquatic system 19. The largest ecosystem is : (a) Forest ecosystem (b) Marine ecosystem (c) Pond ecosystem (d) Grassland ecosystem 20. The flow of energy in an ecosystem can be explained with the help of : (a) Hardy-Weinberg law (b) Law of thermodynamics (c) Law of conservation of energy (d) Blackmans law of limiting factors 21. The pyramid of energy is always upright for any ecosystem. This indicates the fact that : (a) Producers have lowest energy conservation efficiency. (b) Carnivores have better energy conservation efficiency than herbivores (c) Energy conservation efficiency is same in all trophic levels (d) Hervivores have better energy conservation efficiency than carnivores 22. Soil conservation is a practice in which : (a) Soil is well aerated (b) Soil erosion is allowed (c) Soil fertility is enhanced (d) Soil is protected from being carried away by wind and water 23. Ecosystem is : (a) Open (b) Close (c) Both open and close (d) Neither open nor closed 24. Shola forests are found in : (a) Eastern coast of Orissa (b) North East Himalayas (c) Western Ghats (Kerala) (d) Deccan Plateau 25. The transitional species between two types of overlapping communities is called : (a) Ecotone (b) Ecological niche (c) Ecosystem (d) Territory 26. Best type of pyramid which is always true is : (a) Pyramid of energy (b) Pyramid of biomass (c) Pyramid of number (d) Both (a) & (c) 27. The species of plants which play a vital role in controlling the relative abundance of other species are: (a) Edge species (b) Link species (c) Keystone species (d) Pioneer species

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28. Which of the following is wrongly matched? (a) Temperate zone-20-40 latitude (b) Hypolimnion-Thermal stratification in lakes (c) Ozone layer-Stratosphere (d) Profundal zone-Dark zone (e) Ectotherms-Cold blooded animals 29. An ecosystem having highest primary productivity is : (a) Tropical rain forest (b) Temperate forest (c) Coniferous forest (d) Shruby thorn forest 30. Praying mantis is a good example of : (a) Mullerian mimicry (b) Warning colouration (c) Social insects (d) Camouflage 31. Which one of the following is not used for construction of ecological pyramids? (a) Dry weight (b) Number of individuals (c) Rate of energy flow (d) Fresh weight 32. Decomposers are : (a) Autoptrophs (b) Autoheterotrophs (c) Organotrophs (d) Heterotrophs 33. Which crop utilizes solar energy most efficiently? (a) Potato (b) Sugarcane (c) Wheat (d) Rice 34. What is the main cause of extinction of some species in tropical forests? (a) Deforestation (b) Afforestation (c) Pollution (d) Soil erosion 35. Ecology deals with : (a) The earth and planets (b) The relationship between organisms and their environments (c) Economical growth of poor people (d) The life under sea 36. Keystone species deserve protection because these : (a) Are capable of surviving in harsh environmental conditions (b) Indicate presence of certain minerals in the soil (c) Have become rare due to overexploitation (d) Play an important role in supporting other species 37. Functional aspect of a species with reference to the place of occurrence is called : (a) Ecology (b) Ecological niche (c) Species (d) Environment 38. Which of the following equipments is used to study thermal behavior of water? (a) MALDI-TOF (b) Real time PCR (c) Differential scanning calorimeter (d) SEM 39. Primary succession occurs in : (a) Previously unoccupied area (b) Previously occupied area (c) Both of the above (d) None of the above

40. Choose the correct combination of labeling of the zones in water in a lake :

(a) A-Limnetic zone, b-Profundal zone, c -Littoral zone, Benthic zone (b) A-Littoral zone, b-Benthic zone, c -Profundal zone, Limnetic zone (c) A-Limnetic zone, b-Littoral zone, c-Benthic zone, Profundal zone (d) A-Littoral zone, b-Profundal zone, c -Benthic zone, Limnetic zone

dddd-

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