Q.(i) What is biodiversity?

Showing the 12 most recent of 39 on this concept.

1. CBSE 2026Set A1 markMCQ
   Q.How many mega-biodiversity countries are there in the world?

   (a) 25

   (b) 34

   (c) 14

   (d) 17

   ›Reveal solutionSolution

   The world has 17 megadiverse countries that together hold most of the Earth's species; India is one of them.

   A small number of countries lying largely within the tropics harbour a very large share of the world's biodiversity. These are termed megadiverse (mega-biodiversity) countries and number 17, including …

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2. CBSE 2026Set A1 markMCQ
   Q.Which region got comparatively shorter span of time for species evolution and diversification due to frequent glaciation?

   (a) temperate region

   (b) tropical region

   (c) polar region

   (d) glaciation occurred in all regions

   ›Reveal solutionSolution

   Tropics stayed relatively undisturbed and had more evolutionary time; temperate regions faced frequent glaciations, giving less time for diversification.

   One explanation for the greater species richness of the tropics is time: tropical latitudes have remained relatively undisturbed for millions of years, providing a long, stable period for species to evolve and diversify. Temperate regions, in contrast, were subj …

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3. CBSE 2026Set ANNUAL1 mark
   Q.Fill in the blank: When a species become extinct, the plant and animal species associated with an obligatory way also become extinct. It is called ______.

   ›Reveal solutionSolution

   The linked extinction of dependent species along with the species they rely on is called co-extinction.

   Many species are so closely dependent on another species (for food, host or partner) that they cannot survive without it. When such a host or partner species becomes extinct, the plants and animals that were obligately associated with it also die out. This linked loss is called co-extinction, for exa …

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4. CBSE 2026Set ANNUAL1 markMCQ
   Q.The possible reason for extinction of Steller's sea cow is due to –

   (a) Alien species invasion

   (b) Over exploitation

   (c) Habitat Loss

   (d) Co-extinction

   ›Reveal solutionSolution

   Steller's sea cow became extinct because humans hunted it excessively — an example of over-exploitation.

   Over-exploitation is one of the major causes of biodiversity loss ("The Evil Quartet"): when a resource is harvested by humans faster than it can replenish, the species declines to extinction. Steller's sea cow (Hydrodamalis gigas) was a large, docile marine mammal that was kill …

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5. CBSE 2025Set F1 markMCQ
   Q.Where are woody lianas / climbers found?

   (a) Taiga

   (b) Deciduous forest

   (c) Tropical rain forest

   (d) Shrub (chaparral)

   ›Reveal solutionSolution

   Woody lianas (large climbers) are typical of tropical rain forests.

   Lianas are thick, woody climbing plants that root in the ground but use tall trees to reach sunlight in the canopy. They flourish in the warm, humid, densely vegetated tropical rain forest, which has the highest biodiversity and vertical stratification of any biome. Taiga (coniferous), temperate deciduous fore …

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6. CBSE 2025Set F1 markMCQ
   Q.Which of the following terms is used for the population found in a particular area?

   (a) Natural

   (b) Endemic

   (c) Alien

   (d) Pandemic

   ›Reveal solutionSolution

   Species/populations confined to a particular area are termed endemic.

   Endemic refers to a species or population whose natural occurrence is restricted to one particular geographic area and is found nowhere else (for example, many species endemic to the Western Ghats). "Alien" species, by contrast, are introduced from outside a region, and "pandemic" refers …

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7. CBSE 2025Set ZOOLOGY1 markMCQ
   Q.Which term is used for the conservation of biodiversity outside the natural habitat?

   (i) In vivo

   (ii) Ex situ

   (iii) In situ

   (iv) In vitro

   ›Reveal solutionSolution

   Ex situ conservation protects biodiversity outside the natural habitat (zoos, botanical gardens, seed/gene banks, etc.).

   Conservation strategies are of two main types:

   • In situ conservation — protecting species within their natural habitat (national parks, sanctuaries, biosphere reserves).
   • Ex situ conservation — protecting species outside their natural habitat, e.g. zoological parks, botanical gardens, wildlife safari parks, seed banks, gene banks, cryopreservation and tissue culture. …

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8. CBSE 2024Set E1 markMCQ
   Q.Biodiversity of India is what percentage of the total global species diversity?

   (a) 2.4%

   (b) 8.1%

   (c) 5%

   (d) 9%

   ›Reveal solutionSolution

   India holds 8.1% of global species diversity on just 2.4% of the world's land area — making it a megadiversity country.

   Despite occupying only about 2.4% of the world's land area, India accounts for 8.1% of the total global species diversity. This makes India one of the 17 mega-diverse countries of the world. The contrast between th …

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9. CBSE 2024Set D1 mark
   Q.Answer in one sentence: What is called 'lungs of the earth'?

   ›Reveal solutionSolution

   The Amazon rain forest is popularly termed the 'lungs of the earth' because of its enormous contribution to global oxygen production and carbon dioxide absorption.

   The Amazon rain forest of South America is the largest tropical rain forest on Earth, harbouring an extraordinarily rich diversity of plant and animal life — estimated to house more species than anywhere else on the planet.

   …

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10. CBSE 2024Set ANNUAL1 markMCQ
    Q.Which of the following statements is not true?

    (a) Species diversity decreases as we move from equator towards the poles

    (b) Species diversity decreases as we move from pole towards equator

    (c) Tropics harbour more species than temperate or polar areas

    (d) Colombia located near the equator has nearly 1400 species of birds

    ›Reveal solutionSolution

    The well-established latitudinal gradient in biodiversity is that species richness is highest near the equator and decreases towards the poles - so a statement claiming diversity decreases going FROM the pole TOWARDS the equator has it backwards.

    Ecologists have long recognised that species diversity shows a clear latitudinal gradient: it is generally richest in the tropics and declines progressively as one moves from the equator towards the poles. Tropical regions (like the Amazonian rainforest in South America, believed to harbour the largest number of plant and animal species of any biome) support far greater species richness than temperate or polar regions, e.g. Colombia, located near the equator, has about 1,400 bird specie …

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11. CBSE 2024Set ANNUAL1 mark
    Q.Where is the highest biodiversity found on earth?

    ›Reveal solutionSolution

    Species richness peaks in tropical regions near the equator, and tropical rainforests, especially the Amazon, are considered the single richest reservoir of biodiversity on Earth.

    Although tropical regions cover less than 7% of the Earth's land surface, they are estimated to hold over 50% of all species. Among these, tropical rainforests - most famously the Amazon rainforest spanning parts of Brazil, Peru, Colombia and neighbouring countries - are thought to harbour the largest concentration of plant and animal species of any biome, t …

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12. CBSE 2024Set ANNUAL1 mark
    Q.Biodiversity is the term popularized by the sociobiologist _____ to describe the combined diversity at all the levels of biological organization

    ›Reveal solutionSolution

    'Biodiversity' was popularised as a term by the American sociobiologist Edward Wilson.

    The term 'biological diversity' was used first by wildlife scientist and conservationist Raymond F. Dasmann, but it was the sociobiologist Edward Wilson (E. O. Wilson) who popularised the now-familiar contracted term 'biodiversity', to describe the combined diversity at …

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