12.

ECOSYSTEM
■ The prickly pear cactus became unusually abundant
12.1 Ecosystem-Structure and
after its introduction in Australia, because it–
Function Has no coevolved herbivores
Vertical distribution of different species occupying ■ Formation of tropical forests needs mean annual
different levels in dense vegetation is called– temperature and mean annual precipitation as–
Stratification 18-25ºC and 150-400 cm
Self-regulated, Self-sustained, Segment of Man-made ecosystem is– Agro-ecosystem
environment is a – Ecosystem The basic components of the ecosystem are–
Ecosystem is not a functional component of– biotic and abiotic components (Productivity and
Stratification decomposition, Nutrient cycling, Energy flow)
Physical structure, that is characteristic of each type For an ecosystem to work, first primary need is–
of ecosystem, is formed due to the– Constant input of solar energy
Interaction of biotic and abiotic components Sun is the source of energy in ecosystems except–
■ _______ represents exotic species– Deep sea hydrothermal ecosystem
Eichhornia crassipes Physical structure, that is characteristic for each type
■ David Tilman's long term ecosystem experiments of ecosystem, is formed due to–
using outdoor plots explained that– Increased
Interaction of biotic & abiotic components
diversity contributed to higher productivity
All ecosystems have no boundary because–
■ Ecosystem is most productive in terms of net primary
production is– Tropical rainforests They cannot occur in isolation
■ Climax community in is a state of– Equilibrium An ecosystem which can be easily damaged but can
■ Different communities of plants, animals and recover after some time if damaging effect stops will
microbes together with their physico-chemical be having– Low stability & high resilience
environment– Ecosystem 12.2 Productivity
■ Organisms which acquire energy and nutrients by
Accelerate phosphorus cycle is–
digesting the organic molecules of living organisms
are– Consumers Weathering of rocks
■ The environmental factors regulate the rate of release In the equation, GPP – R = NPP R represents–
of nutrients into the atmosphere– Soil, Moisture, Respiration losses
pH, Temperature The primary producers of the deep-sea
■ A group of interconnected food chains is– Food web hydrothermal vent ecosystem are– Chemosynthetic
■ In a terrestrial ecosystem the large fraction of energy bacteria
flows through– Detritus food chain The net primary productivity of a terrestrial
■ The last organisms of the food chain, generally– ecosystem is eaten and digested by herbivores–10%
Top cornivores The rate of conversion of light energy into chemical
■ Primary producers are larger than primary consumers energy of organic molecules in an ecosystem is–
in an population of- Ecosystem Gross primary productivity
■ The important defence mechanism in plants against
The biomass made available by producer for
herbivory– Spines and Toxic chemical
consumption by herbivores and the decomposers is
■ Organisms living at the bottom of a sea, called–
called– Net primary productivity
Benthic
............. is the rate of production of organic matter
■ Interaction between biotic and abiotic components
by consumers– Secondary productivity
leads to formation of a– Ecosystem
■ ________ is an attribute of the organism Primary productivity depends upon–
(morphological, phsiological, behavioural) to survive Light and temperature, Water and nutrients,
and reproduce in its habitat– Adaptation Photosynthetic capacity of producers
433
 The annual net primary productivity of the whole The process of decomposition would be the fastest
biosphere is approximately– 170 billion tons is– Tropical rainforest
Exhibits least productivity is– Decomposers like fungi and bacteria are–
Open oceans, desert ecosystem Heterotrophs, Saprotrophs
The most productive ecosystem is– During the process of decomposition–
Tropical rainforest
O2 is consumed and CO2 is released
Productivity at the second trophic level is always–
Rate of decomposition depends upon–
Less than the productivity at the first trophic
level Soil moisture, Chemical composition of detritus,
■ Mass of living matter at a trophic level in an area at Temperature
anytime is called– Standing crop ■ Rate of decomposition is slower– If detritus rich in
■ The parameter decreases as succession proceeds– lignin and chitin
Net community productivity ■ In hydrosere, marsh meadow stage replaces–
■ Freshly fallen dead organic matter is called– Detritus Reed swamp stage
■ The rate at which new tissues are formed in ■ Conversion of ammonia and nitrates to gaseous
consumers in the ecosystem– Net secondary nitrogen– Denitrification
productivity
Detritus is formed by–
■ Death of organism is the beginning of energy and
nutrient requirement is meet by degrading organic Decomposition of Raw matter
matter is known as - Detritus Food Chain Water-soluble inorganic nutrients go down into soil
■ Secondary consumer level is– Birds, fishes, wolf horizon and get precipitated an unavailable salts by
■ Seral stage exhibit maximum stability– the process of– Leaching
Climax community Mineralisation ensures the availability of nutrients
■ During the process of ecological succession, the
for– Autotrophs
changes that take place in communities are–
Orderly and sequential Organic detritus is degraded to inorganic substances
■ The gross primary production minus respiration during– Catabolism
losses by plants in an ecosystem is– Extremely slow rate of decomposition can be
Net primary production observed in– Humus
■ The primary consumers in a pond ecosystem is– Inorganic nutrients are released from humus by the
Zooplankton microbial action during– Mineralisation
■ The amount of living matter present in a component
If we completely remove decomposers from an
population of a particular trophic level is called–
Standing crop ecosystem, the ecosystem functioning will be
■ The rate at which total biomass or organic matter adversely affected because–
produced by primary producers in an area per unit Mineral movement will be blocked
time is– Gross primary productivity The bacteria which attack the dead animals are–
■ When we are in a hot room, we sweat profusely. It is At the end of the food chain
a ______ means of maintaining homeostasis–
and are decomposers
Physiological
■ J-shaped growth curve depicts– Exponential Humus is an example of– Organic collodis
growth when conditions are unlimited 12.4 Energy Flow
Productivity can be expressed in terms of energy as–
The amount of nutrients, such as carbon, nitrogen,
Kcal/m2
phosphorus and calcium present in the soil at any
NPP is the available biomass for the consumption
of– Herbiviores, Decomposers, Producers given time, is referred as– Standing state
In terms of dry weight of organic matter, is related to The ultimate energy source of all ecosystems is–
the annual net primary productivity of whole Solar radiation
biosphere– Availability of nutrients Percentage of photosynthetically active radiation
12.3 Decomposition (PAR) in the incident solar radiation is–
Most animals that live in deep oceanic waters are– Less than 50%
Detritivores Percentage of photosynthetically active radiation
Detritivores breakdown detritus into smaller (PAR) that is captured by plants in synthesis of
particles. This process is called– Fragmentation organic matter is– 2 - 10%

434
 The unidirectional flow of energy from Sun to Food chain refers to– The transfer of food energy
producers and then to consumers is keeping with from producers to consumers
the– First laws of thermodynamics Ascending trophic level in grazing (grass land) food
The food chain in which microbes split energy-rich chain pyramid represents– Gradual decrease
compounds of the producer community is– in biomass from producers to
Detritus food chain the tertiary consumer
In an aquatic ecosystem, the organism present at the
trophic level equivalent to cows in grasslands is– 12.5 Ecological Pyramids
Zooplanktons Both hydrarch and xerarch successions lead to–
The movement of energy from lower to higher Medium water conditions
trophic level is– Always unidirectional If 20 J of energy is trapped at producer level, then
If 10 joules of energy is available at the producer how much energy will be available to peacock as
level, then amount of energy present at the level of food in the chain– Plant→Mice→Snake→Peacock–
secondary consumers is– 0.1 J 0.02 J
The energy and biomass relationship between the ■ Pyramid of number in a grassland ecosystem is–
organisms at different trophic levels can better Upright
expressed by– Ecological pyramids ■ The pyramid of biomass in sea is generally– Inverted
The animals that may occupy more than one trophic ■ Rate of increase in biomass by heterotrophs or
levels in the same ecosystem at the same time– consumers per unit time and area is–
Sparrow Secondary productivity
Organisms which are associated with first as well as ■ Inverted ecological pyramid– Pyramid of biomass
third trophic level are– Insectivorous plants in sea
Pyramid of biomass for a grazing food chain ■ The pyramid of biomass in a pond ecosystem is–
represents– Gradual decrease in biomass from Inverted
producers to the tertiary consumers ■ In a pyramid of numbers representing an ecosystem
■ Productivity, Decomposition, Energy flow and of a large freshwater pond the number of primary
Nutrient cycling are– Functions of ecosystem consumers is– Less than the producers
■ ______ have high value of biotic potential and short ■ The age distribution is plotted for a population, the
generation time– Pioneer species resulting structure is called– Age pyramid
■ Bacterial and fungal enzyme degrade detritus into ■ Number of female on 1000 males - Sex ratio
simpler inorganic substances– Process of catabolism ■ Age pyramid reflects a stable population growth–
■ Capacity to overcome forces, which tend to disturb Bell shaped
the balance– Resilience ■ Polygonal pyramid indicates moderate percentage of
■ Total incident light is used in the production process young individuals - Bell - shaped
by plants is– 1 to 5% Primary carnivores belong to– T3
■ Energy flow in ecosystem is– Unidirectional
In a single tree ecosystem, if P, Q, R and S
Organism occupy a specific place in food chain are
represents the smaller birds, tree, insects and larger
called– Tropic level
birds respectively, then which will be second most
Vertical distribution of a different species,
occupying a different level are called– abundant in number– P
Stratification In an aquatic ecosystem, a mollusc typically belongs
In terrestrial, food chain major amount of energy to– T2
flow occurs through– DFC (Detritus Food Chain) Secondary carnivores feed on the members of– T2
than GFC (Grazing Food Chain) Omnivores feed upon the members belonging to–
In an ecosystem, the function of the producers is to– T1 and T2 both
Trap solar energy and convert it into Pyramid of numbers deals with number of–
chemical energy
Individuals in a trophic level
In aquatic food chain, major amount of energy flows
Pyramid of number is– Either upright or inverted
through– GFC
When peacock eats snake which eats insects depends The food energy passes from one trophic level to
on green plants, the peacock is– another trophic level mostly from–
The apex of the food pyramid Lower to higher trophic levels

435
 ............. food chain is directly dependent upon solar Succession in a 6 metre deep pond exhibits a
radiations– Grazing, Detritus sequence of– Submerged Plants →
In a pyramid of numbers representing an ecosystem Floating Plants → Reeds →
of a large freshwater pond, the number of primary Herbs → Shrubs → Trees
consumers are– Less than the producers The name given to the medium water conditions in
Construction of ecological pyramids is not used for– succession of plants is– Mesic
Fresh weight Take hold in small amount of soil is– Bryophytes
12.6 Ecological Succession In a primary succession, initially–
The stable community during an ecological No soil was there
succession that would be near equilibrium with the Present day communities in world are the result of
environment is called– Climax community succession that has occurred since– Millions of
Primary succession occurs on– years since life has started on earth
Newly formed river delta Primary succession is observed in–
As the succession proceeds number and types of Newly cooled lava
............... change– In an ecological succession, saprophytes belong to–
Vegetation, animals & decomposers Either T2 or T3
The rate of secondary succession is faster than Number of seral communities are more in primary
primary succession because– succession in comparison to–
Soil or sediment is already present secondary succession
Pioneer community in xerarch is– Lichens Any disturbance during succession–
The correct sequence of stages of succession on a Encourage the growth of some species,
bare rock is– Make some species extinct
Lichens→Moses→Grasses→Shrubs→Trees In a pond, autotrophic component include–
In xerach succession, lichens make the conditions Phytoplanktons, algae and marginal plants
favourable for the growth of– Mosses Meant by the term 'hydrarch' is–
The successional series in hydrarch succession Succession in a wet area
progresses from– Hydric to mesic conditions If hydric conditions are P, xeric condition are Q and
An ecosystem which can be easily damaged but can mesic condition are R, then xerarch succession can
recover after some time if damaging effect stops, be represented as– Q→R
will be having– Low stability and high resilience Succession in water ultimately results in–
All type of successions leads to– Mesic conditions
Mesic climax community Climax community in xerarch succession comprises
The gradual and fairy predictable change in the of– Shrubs and trees
species composition of a given area is called–
12.7 Nutrient Cycling
Ecological succession
The pairs of sedimentary biogeochemical cycles–
■ Ecological succession usually focuses on–
Change Vegetation Phosphorus cycle, Sulphur cycle
■ The serial changes in previously sterile or total barren The function of reservoir pool is to meet with the
area is called– Primary succession deficit of nutrient that occurs due to–
■ It occurs on a deforested site are - Imbalance in rate of efflux and influx of
Secondary succession nutrients
■ Lichen is pioneer in succession of– Xerosere About 71% of total global carbon is found in–
■ Primary succession is development of communities Oceans
on– Previously unoccupied sites Percentage of total global carbon is atmospheric
The change leads finally to a community that is near carbon– 1%
equilibrium with the environment is known as– Major source of sulphur is– Rocks
Climax community The processes that does not contribute to the CO2
The entire sequence of communities that pool in the atmosphere–
successively change in given area are called– Sere Photosynthesis by producers

436
■ Sedimentary biogeochemical cycle is– Pollination of crop, Maintenance of biodiversity,
Phosphorous and sulphur Spiritual, cultural & aesthetic values include–
■ Out of the total cost of various ecosystem services the The ecosystem services
soil formation accounts for about– 50% Out of the total proposed cost of various ecosystem
■ Nutrients are never lost from the ecosystem because– services, cost of climate regulations and habitat for
They are recycled again and again wildlife are about ............ each– 6%
■ Atmospheric phase plays no role in biogeochemical ■ Rise in the temperature and air humidity observed
cycling of– Phosphorus from poles to equator region during -
■ The process of mineralisation by microorganisms Latitudinal transition
helps in the release of– Inorganic nutrients from ■ _____ is the most important ecologically relevant
humus environment factor– Temperature
■ The function of reservoir pool is to meet with the Who put the price tag on natural life support
deficit of nutrient that occurs due to– Imbalance in services– Robert Constanza
rate of efflux and influx of nutrients The amount of average price tag on nature's life
■ The phosphorous cycle differs from those of carbon support services determined by Robert constanza
and nitrogen as well as those of oxygen and hydrogen
and his colleagues– US $ 33 trillion a year
cycle in that it lacks– Gaseous phase
■ A sedimentary cycle is– Phosphorous 12.9 Miscellaneous
■ The major reservoir of phosphorous cycle is– Decomposers like fungi and bacteria are–
Pollution Heterotrophs, Saprotrophs
■ The characteristics of the soil that determine the The process of mineralization by microorganisms
percolation and water holding capacity of the soil– helps in the release of–
Soil composition, grain size and aggregation Inorganic nutrients from humus
Additional sources for releasing carbon dioxide in Productivity is the rate of production of biomass
the atmosphere are– Burning of wood, expressed in terms of– g–2 yr–1 , (kcal m–2) yr–1
Volcanic activity, Combustion of fossil fuels It is not a producer– Agaricus
Gaseous biochemical cycle in ecosystem is not a– Primary productivity of a terrestrial ecosystem is
Phosphorus cycle eaten and digested by herbivores– 10%
Biogeochemical cycling means– Among the following biogeochemical cycles which
Cycling of nutrients in an ecosystem one does not have losses due to respiration–
Carbon cycling can occur through– Phosphorus, Nitrogen, Sulphur
Ocean, Dead organisms, Atmosphere The sequence of communities of primary succession
The natural reservoir of phosphorus is– Rock in water is– Phytoplankton, free-
12.8 Ecosystem Services floating hydrophytes, rooted hydrophytes,
sedges, grasses and trees
Characteristic feature of cropland ecosystem is–
The reservoir for the gaseous type of biogeochemical
Least genetic diversity
cycle exists in– Atmosphere
The reservoir for the gaseous type of
biogeochemical cycle exists in– If the carbon atoms fixed by producers already have
Atmosphere passed through three species, the trophic level of the
If the carbon atoms fixed by producers already have last species would be–
passed through three species, the trophic level of the Tetiary consumer
last species would be– An ecosystem service provided by a natural
Tertiary consumer ecosystem is–
The types that ecosystem is expected in an area Cycling of nutrients, Prevention of soil erosion
where evaporation exceeds precipitation, and mean Accelerate phosphorus cycle will–
annual rainfall is below 100 mm– Desert Weathering of rocks
The zone at the edge of a lake or ocean which is The amount of nutrients, such as carbon nitrogen,
alternatively exposed to air and immersed in water phosphorus and calcium present in the soil at any
is called– Littoral zone given time is referred as– Standing state
Edaphic factor refers to– Ecological pyramids is generally inverted–
Soil Pyramid of biomass in a sea
437
 EXAM POINT
Ecosystem and its structure
The temperature of water in epilimnion of a thermally stratified lake in summer AP EAPCET-11.05.2023,
in temperate is– 21ºC - 25ºC Shift-II
In a lake ecosystem, Dytiscus comes under– Nekton AP EAPCET-11.05.2023,
Shift-II
Limiting nutrient for both natural and agricultural ecosystems is– Nitrogen AP EAPCET-11.05.2023,
Shift-II
Unit of land containing different ecosystems surrounded by natural boundaries is AP EAPCET-11.05.2023,
called– Landscape Shift-I
In 'rivet popper hypothesis', Paul Ehrlich compared the rivets in an airplane to– RE-NEET (UG)-06.06.2023
Species within a genus (Manipur)
The purpose of crop rotation is– To increase the fertility of soil Uttarakhand PMT-2008 /
BHU PMT-2004,
UP CPMT-2003
Vertical distribution of different species occupying different levels in a biotic AIPMT-2015
community is known as– Stratification
Number of wild life is continuously decreasing. The main reason of this– AIPMT-2002
Destruction of habitat
Eutrophication is caused due to– Accumulation of minerals JIPMER-2019
Keystone species is a– A species which makes up only a AIIMS-2008
small proportional of the total biomass of a community, yet has a
huge impact on the community's organization and survival
The Great Barrier Reef along the east coast of Australia can be categorised as– AIIMS-2004
Ecosystem
Amazon Rain Forest is known as– Lungs of our Planet AP EAMCET-24.09.2020
Shift-I
Ecosystem is the symbol of structure and function of nature. It proposed by– AP EAMCET-24.09.2020
Tansley Shift-I,
UPCPMT-2002
The species, though insignificant in number, determine the existence of many Karnataka CET-2010
other species in a given ecosystem. Such species is known as–
Keystone species
Benthic organisms are found in– Bottom of sea JIPMER-2014
Overlapping region between two ecosystems is called– Ecotone JIPMER-2014,
Rajasthan PMT-2009
Supports a dense population of plankton and littoral vegetation– Eutrophic JIPMER-2014
Stability of ecosystem depends upon– JIPMER-2014
Interchange between producers and consumers
The organisms that belong to the benthos of lake ecosystem– AP EAMCET-2013
Chironomid larvae and red annelids
Terracing is done in– Hilly areas UPCPMT-2002
Aquatic photodiffraction is– Euphotic, disphotic and aphotic UPCPMT-2002
The reason for highest biomass in aquatic ecosystem is– AIPMT-2000
Benthic and brown algae
The animals may occupy more than one trophic levels in the same ecosystem at AIPMT (Mains)-2011
the same time is– Sparrow

438
The primary consumer in maize field ecosystem is– Grasshopper NEET (Karnataka)-2013
Biotic and abiotic components form– Community AIPMT-1999
World Summit on Sustainable Development (2002) was held in– AIPMT-2008
South Africa

Productivity
In a population, when the growth rate reached to its maximum it is called– JCECE-2015 / AIPMT-2002
Biotic potential
The expected to have the highest value (gm/m2/yr) in a ecosystem is– CMC Ludhiana-2009 / AFMC-
Gross Production (GP) 2008 / AIPMT-2004
The amount of biomass or organic matter produced per unit area over a time NEET (Re-Exam)-04.09.2022 /,
period by plants during photosynthesis is called– Primary production TS EAMCET-09.05.2019
Shift-I
In an ecosystem the rate of production of organic matter during photosynthesis is NEET-2020 Phase-I,
termed as– Gross primary productivity AIPMT-2015
The mass of living material at a trophic level at a particular time is called– AIPMT-2015
Standing crop
In a growing population of a country– Pre-reproductive individuals are NEET-2018
more than the reproductive individuals
Secondary productivity is Rate of formation of new organic matter by– AP EAMCET-07.09.2021
Consumer Shift-I,
NEET-2013
The ecosystem has the maximum biomass is– Forest ecosystem NEET-2017
The rate of formation of new organic matter by rabbit in a grassland, is called– AIPMT (Mains)-2012
Secondary productivity
The energy which is present in the biomass of plant is known as– GUJCET-2017
Net primary productivity
The biomass available for consumption by the herbivores and the decomposers is AIPMT (Screening)-2010,
called – Net primary productivity 2007
The ecosystem has the highest annual net primary productivity is– Karnataka CET-2019
Tropical rain forest

Decomposition and Flow of Energy

Increase in toxic concentration from one trophic level to another trophic level is Haryana PMT-2005 /
called– Biomagnification JIPMER-2005,
BHU PMT-2003
Fungi in a forest ecosystem is– Decomposer DUMET-2005 / UP CPMT-
2003
Energy enters in a food chain through– Producers AP EAMCET-24.09.2020
Shift-II / Punjab
MET-2009,
CMC Vellore-2009 / Rajasthan
PMT-2009,
UP CPMT-2003, 2001 /
DUMET-2005,2001
A lake with nutrients is called– Eutrophic JIPMER-2008 / BHU PMT
(Screening)-2007
Energy transferred from one trophic level to another is– 10% VMMC-2012 / UP CPMT-
2012, 2008,
Manipal-2010,2001 / CG PMT-
2008,
Rajasthan PMT-2008 / BHU
PMT (Main)-2007

439
Decomposers are– Heterotrophs VMMC-2012 / BHU PMT
(Mains)-2008,
UP CPMT-2008 / JCECE-
2005,
BHU PMT-2001 / Manipal-
2000
If decomposers are removed what will happen to the ecosystem– Haryana PMT-2005 /
Mineral cycle is stopped JIPMER-2005
The rate of decomposition is faster in the ecosystem due to factors EXCEPT– NEET-2020 Phase-II,
Detritus richer in lignin and chitin NEET-2022
The primary producers of the deep-sea hydrothermal vent ecosystem are– NEET-2016 Phase-II
Chemosynthetic bacteria
Bamboo plant is growing in a far forest then what will be the trophic level of it– AIPMT-2002
First trophic level (T1)
Detritivores breakdown detritus into smaller particles. This process is called– NEET-2022
Fragmentation
The processes during decomposition is correctly described– Fragmentation – NEET-2013
Carried out by organisms such as earthworm
Most animals that live in deep oceanic water are– Detritivores AIIMS-2016
The bacteria which attack dead animals are– AIIMS-2008
The end of food chain and are decomposers
Full form of GFC is– Grazing food chain AIIMS-27.05.2018 Shift-I
The stage in the process of decomposition Bacteria and Fungi become active in GUJCET-2018
Catabolism
Biomagnifications refers to– Increase in concentration of AIIMS-27.05.2018 Shift-I
the toxicant at successive trophic levels
Detritivore is called as a– An animal feeding on decaying organic matter Karnataka CET-2005
The average trophic efficiency of transfer of energy from one trophic level to the AP EAMCET-2008
higher trophic level is called– Lindeman's trophic efficiency rule
During the process of decomposition in which stage complex organic matter GUJCET-2015
convert into inorganic ions and salts by fungi– Mineralization
'Sun basket' is– The sufficient amount of sunlight stored in a cell JIPMER-2014
A detrivorous animal of economic importance is– Earthworm Karnataka CET-2008
the primary producer in ecosystem– UP CPMT-2014
Flora found on land and water ecosystem
Most diverse organisms of an ecosystem are– Decomposers AP EAMCET-25.04.2018
Shift-II / UP CPMT-2011,
2006
The highly degraded organic matter rich in nitrogen and potassium in particular, Karnataka CET-2006
resulting from the activity of earthworms, is called–
Vermicompost
Increase in the concentration of a pollutant at successive trophic levels in an TS EAMCET-09.05.2019
aquatic food chain is called– Bio-magnification Shift-I
Trophic level of food chain having greatest amount of energy is– Autotrophs UP CPMT-2006
These belong to the category of primary consumers– Insects and cattle Karnataka CET-2004
The characteristic features of cropland ecosystem is– Least genetic diversity NEET-2016 Phase-I
The types of organisms occupy more than one trophic level in a pond ecosystem Punjab MET-2010,
is– Fish AIPMT-2009
In terrestrial ecosystem such as forest, maximum energy is found in the trophic JIPMER-2004
level is– T1
440
At which latitude, heat gain through insolation approximately equals heat loss, JIPMER-2007
through terrestrial radiation– 40º North and South
When man eats fish which feeds on zooplankton which have eaten small plants, NEET (Karnataka)-2013
the producer in the chain is– Small plants

Pyramids of Ecology
Certain characteristic Demographic features of developing countries are– AIPMT-2004
High fertility, low or rapidly falling mortality rate,
rapid population growth and a very young age distribution
Mr. X is eating curd/yogurt, for this food intake in a food chain he should be AIIMS-2003
considered as occupying– Third trophic level
In a pyramid of numbers representing an ecosystem of a large fresh water pond AP EAMCET-1998
the number of primary consumers is–
More than the secondary consumers
The pyramid of energy is always upright for any ecosystem. This situation Karnataka CET-2005
indicates the fact that–
Herbivores have a better energy conversion efficiency than carnivores
Net primary productivity (NPP) in an ecosystem is– GPP–R = NPP Karnataka CET-2018
The tropic relationship is expressed in terms of numbers : biomass or energy AP EAMCET-03.09.2021
arranged one on the top of its lower tropic level, resulting in a pyramidal shape. Shift-I
In case of a parasitic food chain, the pyramid number is– Inverted
The pyramids that is always upright and can never be inverted is– UP CPMT-2011
Pyramid of energy
The rate of formation of new organic matter by deer in a forest ecosystem is Karnataka CET-2016
called– Secondary productivity
Pyramid of energy is always– Upright UPCPMT-2002
The upright pyramid of number is absent in– Forest AIPMT (Screening)-2012
The age pyramid with broad base indicates– NEET (Karnataka)-2013
High percentage of young individuals

Ecological Succession
Lichen is the pioneer vegetation on the succession that is– Lithosere VMMC-2012 / Rajasthan
PMT-2008,
UP CPMT-2012, 2008 / CG
PMT-2008,
BHU PMT (Screeining)-2006
The evergreen vegetation and drough adapted animal is– Chaparral BHU PMT (Mains)-2009
The second stage of hydrosere is occupied by plants like– Vallisneria AIPMT (Mains)-2012
All successions irrespective of the habitat proceed to the type of climax NEET (Re-Exam)-04.09.2022
community is– Mesic
The species that come to appear in bare area are called– Pioneer species NEET (Re-Exam)-04.09.2022
The pioneer species in a hydrarch succession are– Phytoplanktons NEET (Re-Exam)-
04.09.2022
Secondary Succession takes place on/in– Degraded forest AIPMT-2015
The region of Biosphere Reserve which is legally protected and where no human NEET-2017
activity is allowed is known as– Core zone
Niche overlap indicates– AIPMT-2006
Sharing of one or more resources between the two species
According to IUCN Red List, the status of Red Panda (Ailurus fulgens) is– AIPMT-2005
Endangered species
Two opposite forces operate in the growth and development of every population. AIPMT-2003
One of them relates to the ability to reproduce at a given rate. The force opposing
it is called– Environmental resistance
441
Intermediate community between pioneer and climax communities is called– JIPMER-2011
Seral community
The vegetation of Rajasthan is– Xerophytic VMMC-2004
Plants which behave as mesophytes in rainy season and as xerophytes in Punjab MET-2005
summers are called– Trophophytes
Ephemerals are xerophytes that are– Drought escaping Punjab MET-2005
A place was rocky and barren but now there is a green forest; the sequence of Rajasthan PMT-2005
origin is– Lichen, moss, herbs, shrubs
In hydroseric succession, the stage tht comes just before sedge meadow stage is– GUJCET-2017
Reed swamp stage
The organisms which invade a bare area to initiate an ecological succession are Karnataka CET-2020
known as– Pioneer species
Appear as the pioneer organisms on bare rocks is– Lichens NEET-2016 Phase-I

Cycling of Nutrient in Ecosystem

The role of bacteria in carbon cycle is– Decomposition of organic compounds AIIMS-2000
The simplest of all nutrient cycles operating in an ecosystem is____cycle– MHT CET-2017
Phosphorous
Accelerate phosphorus cycle is– Weathering of rocks NEET-2022
The natural cycling of carbon between organism and their environment is Uttarakhand PMT-2006
directly accomplished through– Photosynthesis and respiration
Reservoirs for Phosphorous and Nitrogen cycle respectively are– GUJCET-2008
Bedrocks and atmosphere
Eutrophication is seen in– Lake DUMET-2002
Biogeochemical cycle of which element has atmospheric phase– Carbon DUMET-2002
Fishes in eutrophic lake is died due to– Lack of oxygen AIIMS-27.05.2018 Shift-II
Animals take phosphorus from– Plants AIIMS-2010
A sedimentary biogeochemical cycle having gaseous phase is– Sulphur MP PMT-2013
Biogeochemical Cycle having a small gaseous component is found in– AP EAMCET-24.09.2020
Sulphur Shift-I
In the phosphorus cycle, weathering makes phosphate available first to– Punjab MET-2004
Producers
The main role of bacteria in the carbon cycle involves– Punjab MET-2010
Digestion or breakdown of organic compounds
About 70% of total global carbon is found in– Oceans AIPMT-2008
A nitrogen fixing microbe associated with Azolla in rice-field is– Anabaena AIPMT (Screening)-2012
The microbes forms symbiotic association with plants and helps them in their AIPMT (Screening)-2012
nutrition– Glomus
Nitrogen fixing bacteria converts– N2 → NH3 AIPMT-1999

Services of Ecosystem
An ecosystem which can be easily damaged but can recover after some time if AIPMT-2004
damaging effect stops will be having– Low stability and high resilience
According to Robert Constanza, 50% the total cost for ecosystem services goes Karnataka CET-2015,
to– Soil formation Kerala PMT-2014
Total number of matured trees that are required to support supply of oxygen to TS EAMCET-09.08.2021
42,000 people in a year– 21000 Shift-II

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