Test: General Science (Ecology & Environment) - Software Development MCQ

Biosphere reserves are areas of terrestrial and coastal ecosystems that promote the conservation of biodiversity with its sustainable use. 

• They are internationally recognized within the framework of UNESCO’s Man and Biosphere (MAB) program and nominated by national governments.
• There are over 500 biosphere reserves in over 100 countries around the world.
• There are 18 notified Biosphere reserves in India.
• Out of them, 11 Biosphere Reserves are in UNESCO’s MAB World Network. 

Important Points
Biosphere Reserves and their respective years of including in the MAB network are as follows:

• ​Nilgiri (2000)
• Gulf of Mannar (2001)
• Sunderban (2001)
• Nanda Devi(2004)
• Nokrek (2009)
• Pachmarhi(2009)
• Similipal (2009)
• Achanakmar-Amarkantak Biosphere Reserve (2012)
• Great Nicobar Biosphere Reserve (2013)
• Agasthyamala Biosphere Reserve (2016)
• Khangchendzonga Biosphere Reserve(2018)

From the above, we can conclude that Nilgiri Biosphere Reserve is the first Biosphere reserve in India.

Additional Information​ 
Nilgiri Biosphere reserve:-

• ​The Nilgiri Biosphere Reserve was the first and Oldest biosphere reserve in India established in the year 1986.
• It is located in the Western Ghats and includes 2 of the 10 biogeographical provinces of India.
• The Nilgiri Biosphere Reserve falls under the biogeographic region of the Malabar rain forest.
• The Mudumalai Wildlife Sanctuary, Wayanad Wildlife Sanctuary Bandipur National Park, Nagarhole National Park, Mukurthi National Park, and Silent Valley are the protected areas present within this reserve.

• ​Is a substance that contains living microorganisms.
• These, when applied to seeds, plant surfaces, or soil, colonize the rhizosphere or the interior of the plant and promotes growth by increasing the supply or availability of primary nutrients to the host plant. 
• Biofertilizers add nutrients through the natural processes of Nitrogen fixation.
• Examples: Rhizobium, Azotobacter, Blue-green algae, Azospirilium.

Key PointsBlue green algae:

• Blue-green algae (BGA) is a photoautotrophic, prokaryotic algae.
• They are free-living creatures and also known as Cyanobacteria.
• It fixes the atmospheric nitrogen in moist soils.
• So BGA has been recommended as a biofertilizer.
• The algae include unicellular as well as filamentous species.
• Some of the filamentous forms have specialized cells known as heterocysts.​

Important Points

Biofertilizers:

Thus, the manure also considered as bio-fertilizer is Blue green algae.

Additional Information

Compost: 

• Composting is a process in which both aerobic and anaerobic micro-organisms decompose organic matter.
• Farm compost is a mass of rotted organic matter made from farm waste like sugarcane trash, paddy straw, weeds and other plants.
• While town compost is a mass of rotted organic matter made from town refuses like night soil, street sweepings and dustbin refuse.

​Green Manure:

• Green manures are the crops that are grown primarily for building and maintaining soil fertility and structure.
• Green manure crops should be such that they can be grown quickly.
• Green manure crops include legumes such as vetch, clover, beans and peas; grasses such as annual ryegrass, oats, rapeseed, winter wheat and winter rye and buckwheat.
• Green manure crops provide nitrogen as the major nutrient.

Farmyard Manure:

• It is the decomposed mixture of dung and urine of farm animals.
• It also contains litter and leftover materials from roughages or fodder fed to cattle.

The correct answer is Sulphur Cycle

Key Points

• The sulphur reservoir is in the soil and sediments where it is locked in organic (coal, oil and peat) and inorganic deposits (pyrite rock and sulphur rock) in the form of sulphates, sulphides and organic sulphur.
• It is released by weathering of rocks, erosional runoff and decomposition of organic matter and is carried to terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems in a salt solution.
• The sulphur cycle is mostly sedimentary except two of its compounds, hydrogen sulphide (H₂S) and sulphur dioxide (SO₂), which add a gaseous component.
• Sulphur enters the atmosphere from several sources like volcanic eruptions, combustion of fossil fuels (coal, diesel etc.), from the surface of the ocean and gases released by decomposition.
• Atmospheric sulphur dioxide is carried back to the earth after being dissolved in rainwater as weak sulphuric acid (acid rain).
• Sulphur bound in a living organism is carried back to the soil, to the bottom of ponds and lakes and seas through excretion and decomposition of dead organic material.

Image of Sulphur Cycle

India has three distinct crop seasons in the northern and interior parts of the country, namely Kharif, Rabi, and Zaid.

Important Points

Lets' look at the cropping season of India:

• The Kharif season (June-September) largely coincides with Southwest Monsoon under which the cultivation of tropical crops are possible.
  • Major Crops- Rice, Cotton, Jute, Jowar, Bajra, and Tur.
• The Rabi season (October-March) has low-temperature conditions which help in the cultivation of temperate and subtropical crops.
  • Major Crops- Wheat, Gram, and Mustard.
• The Zaid season (April-June) is a short duration summer cropping season beginning after harvesting Rabi crops.
  • Major Crops- Watermelons, Cucumbers, Vegetables, and Fodder Crops.

From the above, we can conclude that Wheat is not a Kharif crop as it is grown in the Rabi season.

The correct answer is Nitrification.

Key Points

• The process of conversion of ammonia into nitrate nitrogen is called nitrification.
• It is done in two steps- Nitrite formation, Nitrate formation.
• Nitrite formation- Ammonia are oxidized to nitrites by Nitrococcus, Nitrosomonas.

Additional Information

• The nitrogen cycle has four steps-
  • Nitrogen Fixation- Conversion of molecular nitrogen into the inorganic nitrogenous compound.
  • Ammonification- Conversion of the dead organic nitrogenous compound into ammonia.
  • Nitrification- Oxidation of ammonia into nitrates.
  • Denitrification- Nitrites or nitrates converts back into molecular nitrogen.

Key Points 

• The biosphere reserves are the areas meant for the conservation of biodiversity.
• These are large areas of protected land for the conservation of wildlife, plant and animal resources and traditional life of the tribals living in the area.
• The biosphere reserves help to maintain the biodiversity and culture of that area.
• A biosphere reserve may also contain other protected areas.
• The Pachmarhi Biosphere Reserve consists of one national park named Satpura and two wildlife sanctuaries named Bori and Pachmarhi

Additional Information

• There are18 biosphere reserves in India:-
  • Cold Desert, Himachal Pradesh
  • Nanda Devi, Uttrakhand
  • Khangchendzonga, Sikkim
  • Dehang-Debang, Arunachal Pradesh
  • Manas, Assam
  • Dibru-Saikhowa, Assam
  • Nokrek, Meghalaya
  • Panna, Madhya Pradesh
  • Pachmarhi, Madhya Pradesh
  • Achanakmar-Amarkantak, Madhya Pradesh-Chhattisgarh
  • Kachchh, Gujarat
  • Similipal, Odisha
  • Sundarban, West Bengal
  • Seshachalam, Andhra Pradesh
  • Agasthyamala, Karnataka-Tamil Nadu-Kerala
  • Nilgiri, Tamil Nadu-Kerala 
  • Gulf of Mannar, Tamil Nadu
  • Great Nicobar, Andaman & Nicobar Island

Key-Points

Water Pollution:

• Water pollution occurs when harmful substances often chemicals or microorganisms contaminate a stream, river, lake, ocean, aquifer, or other body of water, degrading water quality and rendering it toxic to humans or the environment.
• Water pollution is a major environmental issue in India.
• The largest source of water pollution in India is untreated sewage.
• Other sources of pollution include agricultural runoff and unregulated small-scale industry.
• Most rivers, lakes, and surface water in India are polluted due to industries, untreated sewage, and solid wastes.

Hence, option 1 is the correct answer. 

Important Points
​Untreated Sewage:

• A 2007 study found that the discharge of untreated sewage is the single most important source of pollution of surface and groundwater in India.
• There is a large gap between the generation and treatment of domestic wastewater in India.
• The problem is not only that India lacks sufficient treatment capacity but also that the sewage treatment plants that exist do not operate and are not maintained.

Additional Information

1. Agriculture run-off: Farms discharge large quantities of agrochemicals, organic matter, drug residues, sediments, and saline drainage into water bodies. Nevertheless, agricultural pollution, aggravated by increased sediment runoff and groundwater salinization, is also becoming an issue.
2. Unregulated small-scale industries and religious practices comparatively have less contribution to water pollution in major rivers of India.

Key Points

Thus, the correct match is A (III), B (II), C (IV), D (I)

Key PointsBiogas:

• Biogas is an emerging renewable, non-conventional energy source that is obtained through the degradation of organic matter by bacteria under anaerobic conditions.
• The major constituent of biogas is Methane.
• Biogas is usually made up of around 50-70% methane (CH4) and 25-45% carbon dioxide (CO2), with other gases such as hydrogen (H2), hydrogen sulphide (H2S), watervapour (H2O), Nitrogen (N2), oxygen (O2), ammonia (NH3) making up the rest.
• It is released when Cow, Buffalo, and Pig manure is processed anaerobically i.e. in the absence of Oxygen.
• Biogas can be used for Space Heating, Generation of Electricity, Fuel for Cooking, etc.

Important Points

Advantages of Biogas - 

• ​Biogas burns without smoke; hence no harmful gas such as CO₂, CO, NO₂, and SO₂ are evolved.
• The slurry produced after the production of biogas is used as manure in fields.
• The method of disposal is safe and efficient and hence no space is wasted in the form of landfills.
• Biogas plants require very little installation costs and become self-sufficient in a span of 3-4 months.
• Work opportunity for thousands of people is created, especially in rural areas.

Thus, Biogas is a non-conventional type of natural resource.

Additional Information

There are basically two sources of energy:

The correct answer is option 4, i.e. Ocean, snow and rain, underground water.

• Water resources available on earth are :
  • Freshwater: Glaciers, ice caps, and snow
  • Groundwater
  • Oceans, seas, streams, rivers, lakes, ponds
  • Wetlands- lagoons, swamps, and marshes
  • Precipitation- Rain, snow, and dew

Hence, from the above points, we can clearly infer that the resources of water on the earth are ocean, snow and rain, underground water.