In an ecosystem, vertical distribution of different species occupying different levels is called ______.
- A.levelling
- B.grouping
- C.ramification
- D.stratification
Correct answer
Explanation
The correct answer is D, stratification. It means the layering of an ecosystem from top to bottom, with each layer holding its own set of species. The NCERT example is a forest: tall trees form the top layer, shrubs the second, and herbs and grasses the bottom layer, and each layer gets a different amount of light, heat and moisture. A tropical rainforest shows the most layers, with emergent trees, the canopy, the understorey and the forest floor, and animals such as birds, monkeys and insects also live at particular heights. Lakes are stratified too, into a warm upper layer and a cold bottom layer. Stratification lets many species share the same patch of land without competing directly. A is wrong because levelling is not a term used in ecology for vertical layers. B is wrong because grouping simply means putting things together and says nothing about height. C is wrong because ramification means branching and describes how a plant spreads, not layers of species. Exam tip: vertical layering in an ecosystem is stratification; trees, shrubs, herbs from top to bottom.
Practice Questions
View allWhich one of the following is not included in the National Air Quality Index?
- A.Sulphur
- B.Nitrogen dioxide
- C.Lead
- D.Methane
Show answer
Methane is not one of the pollutants used to calculate India's National Air Quality Index. The National Air Quality Index was launched in 2014 under the Swachh Bharat Abhiyan and is run by the Central Pollution Control Board.
Read the full explanation →Which one of the following statements about the National Green Tribunal is not correct?
- A.It was set up in the year 2010.
- B.It is involved in effective and expeditious disposal of cases relating to environmental protection and conservation of forests.
- C.It may consider giving relief and compensation for damages to persons and property.
- D.It is bound by the procedures laid down under the Code of Civil Procedure, 1908.
Show answer
The National Green Tribunal is not bound by the Code of Civil Procedure; it is guided by the principles of natural justice.
Read the full explanation →Consider the following statements about National Wildlife Action Plan (NWAP) of India for 2017-2031:
1. This is the Third National Wildlife Action Plan.
2. The NWAP is unique as this is the first time India has recognized the concerns relating to climate change impact on wildlife.
3. The NWAP has ten components.
Which of the statements given above is/are correct?
- A.1 only
- B.1 and 2 only
- C.2 and 3 only
- D.1, 2 and 3
Show answer
The plan for 2017-2031 is India's third National Wildlife Action Plan and the first to deal with the impact of climate change on wildlife, but it has five components, not ten.
Read the full explanation →Which one of the following methods is not suitable for urban rainwater harvesting?
- A.Rooftop recharge pit
- B.Recharge wells
- C.Gully plug
- D.Recharge trench
Show answer
A gully plug is a small check structure built across a natural gully or stream channel in hilly and rural land, so it has no place in a city.
Read the full explanation →The city of Cartagena, which is famous for Protocol on Biosafety, is located in
- A.Colombia
- B.Venezuela
- C.Brazil
- D.Guyana
Show answer
Cartagena is a port city on Colombia's Caribbean coast, where talks on the biosafety protocol were held in 1999. The Cartagena Protocol on Biosafety is a supplementary agreement to the Convention on Biological Diversity of 1992.
Read the full explanation →