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NCERT HOT SPOT - 16

Topics covered :

Botany : Ecosystem

BOTANY

SECTION-A b. Primary consumer (ii) Small fish

1. Which of the following ecological pyramids are c. Primary carnivore (iii) Phytoplankton
generally upright? (1) a(iii), b(ii), c(i) (2) a(ii), b(iii), c(i)
(a) Pyramid of number in tree ecosystem (3) a(i), b(iii), c(ii) (4) a(iii), b(i), c(ii)
(b) Pyramid of energy 5. Which of the following is not a factor affecting
(c) Pyramid of number in grassland ecosystem primary productivity of an ecosystem?
(d) Pyramid of biomass in sea (1) Soil moisture
The correct option is (2) Availability of nutrients
(1) (a) and (b) (2) (b) and (c) (3) Diversity of herbivores
(3) (c) and(d) (4) (a) and (d) (4) Availability of solar radiations
2. What type of ecological pyramid would be obtained 6. Which of the given statements is not true for
with the following data? humus?
Secondary Consumer: 45 kg m–2 (1) It is slightly acidic
Primary Consumer: 25 kg m–2 (2) It functions as reservoir of nutrients
Primary Producer: 7 kg m–2 (3) It is highly resistant to microbial action
(1) Upright pyramid of energy (4) It undergoes decomposition at rapid rate
(2) Inverted pyramid of biomass 7. Read the given statements stating them true (T) or
(3) Upright pyramid of biomass false (F) and select the correct option
(4) Upright pyramid of number (a) The major site of decomposition is the upper
3. If 100 kcal energy falls on the green parts of plant layer of soil in terrestrial habitats and bottom of
in a food chain shown below, then how much water bodies
energy will be available to primary carnivores? (b) Catabolism is carried out by saprotrophic
Plant (T1)  T2  T3  T4 bacteria and fungi
(1) 100 cal (3) 0.01 kcal (c) Decomposition of detritus is slow, if detritus
possesses proteins, nucleic acids and sugars
(2) 100 kcal (4) 1 kcal
(a) (b) (c)
4. Match the trophic levels with their correct examples
in aquatic ecosystem (1) T T T
Column-I Column-ll (2) F F T
a. Primary producer (i) Zooplankton (3) F T F
(4) T T F
NCERT Hot Spot Chapter-16
8. Mark the incorrect statement w.r.t. ecological (1) These are graphical representations of various
pyramid ecological parameters at successive trophic
(1) It does not take into account the species level of food chain
belonging to two or more trophic levels (2) It has producers at the base
(2) It assumes a simple food chain (3) Pyramid of numbers in pond ecosystem is
inverted
(3) It accommodates a food web
(4) Pyramid of energy is always upright
(4) It does not give any place for saprophytes,
decomposers and detritivores 17. Which of the given is/are not key functional aspects
of the ecosystem?
9. Ten percent law of energy transfer was proposed by
(a) Energy flow (b) Species composition
(1) Lindeman (2) Pandurang Hegde (c) Nutrient cycling (d) Stratification
(3) Robert Costanza (4) Edward Wilson (1) (a) and (b) (2) (b) and (d)
10. Dead plant remains such as leaves, bark, flowers (3) (a), (b) and (c) (4) Only (d)
and dead remains of animals, including fecal matter
18. In an ecosystem, vertical distribution of different
constitute
species occupying different levels is called
(1) Detritivores (2) Humus
(1) Eutrophication
(3) Detritus (4) Productivity (2) Species diversification
11. Select the incorrect statement w.r.t. primary (3) Stratification
productivity
(4) Speciation
(1) It is the rate at which biomass is produced by
plants during photosynthesis per unit area over 19. If 50 J of energy is trapped at producer level then,
time period how much energy will be available for frog in the
(2) It is expressed in terms of (g m–1) yr –1 given food chain?
(3) It can be further divided into gross and net Plant  Grasshopper  Frog  Snakes
primary productivity (1) 5 J (2) 0.5 J
(4) It includes the av ailable biomass f or (3) 0.05 J (4) 0.005 J
consumption to heterotrophs
20. The rate of formation of new organic matter by
12. Which of the following are true for tree ecosystem?
consumers is defined as
a. Upright pyramid of energy
(1) Net primary productivity
b. Inverted pyramid of biomass
c. Upright pyramid of number (2) Secondary productivity
(1) Only b (2) Only a (3) Gross primary productivity
(3) Only a and c (4) Only b and c (4) Primary productivity
13. Select the incorrect match 21. Match the columns correctly
(1) Producers – Tree
Column I Column II
(2) Primary consumers – Cow
(i) Producer (a) Phytoplankton
(3) Top carnivores – Humans
(4) Herbivores – Snakes (ii) Primary consumer (b) Zooplankton
14. All given are characteristics of anthropogenic (iii) Secondary consumer (c) Wolf
ecosystem, except (iv) Top consumer (d) Lion
(1) Have little diversity (1) (i) – a, (ii) – b, (iii) – c, (iv) – d
(2) Are self regulatory in nature (2) (i) – c, (ii) – b, (iii) – d, (iv) – a
(3) High productivity
(3) (i) – a, (ii) – c, (iii) – b, (iv) – d
(4) Simple food chain
(4) (i) – d, (ii) – a, (iii) – b, (iv) – c
15. Select the incorrect statement w.r.t. Detritus Food
Chain (DFC) 22. The rate of production of organic matter by
(1) It involves decomposers plants per unit area over a time period during
(2) It is major conduit of energy flow in aquatic photosynthesis is called
ecosystem (1) Primary production
(3) It involves mainly fungi and bacteria (2) Primary productivity
(4) It begins with detritus or dead organic matter (3) GPP
16. Select the incorrect statement w.r.t. ecological
(4) NPP
pyramid

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NCERT Hot Spot Chapter-16
23. Select the incorrect match 29. Rate of decomposition is slow in case of increase in
(1) Primary producer – Grass (1) Temperature
(2) Secondary consumer – Man (2) Moisture
(3) Primary consumer – Goat (3) Lignin content in detritus
(4) Tertiary consumer – Rabbit (4) Nitrogenous compound in detritus
24. Read the following statements and choose the 30. Arrange different seral communities in sequential
correct option order w.r.t xerarch succession
A. Same organism always occupy only one (1) Lichen  Bryophytes  Herbs  Shrubs 
specific trophic level in a food web Forest
B. Food web provides stability to an ecosystem (2) Phytoplanktons  Submerged plant stage 
Reed swamp stage  Marsh meadow stage
(1) Only A is incorrect
(3) Herb  Shrub  Perennial grass  Tree
(2) Only B is incorrect
(4) Moss  Annual grass  Perennial grass 
(3) Both A and B are incorrect
Shrub
(4) Both A and B are correct
31. Find out which of the following statements are
25. Read the given statements and select the correct true(T) / false(F) and choose the correct option
option
I. Detritus food chain begins with detritivores
(A) Pyramid of biomass for every ecosystem is
II. Humus functions as reservoir of nutrients
always upright
III. Crop field is a natural ecosystem
(B) 10% law of energy transfer justifies shape of
pyramid of energy IV. Desert is one of the least productiv e
ecosystem
(1) Only statement (A) is correct
(2) Only statement (B) is correct
I II III IV
(3) Both the statements (A) and (B) is correct
(1) F T F T
(4) Both the statements (A) and (B) are incorrect
(2) F F T T
26. The correct order of decomposition is
(3) T T F F
(1) Fragmentation  Catabolism  Leaching
 Humification  Mineralisation (4) T F T F
(2) Fragmentation  Leaching  Catabolism
 Humification  Mineralisation 32. In a food chain, respiratory loss gradually increases
in successive trophic levels. At producer, consumer
(3) Catabolism  Fragmentation  Leaching
and top carnivore level it is respectively (in
 Humification  Mineralisation
percentage)
(4) Catabolism  Fragmentation  Leaching
(1) 10, 20, 30 (2) 20, 30, 40
 Mineralisation  Humification
27. Read the following statements and choose the (3) 20, 30, 60 (4) 20, 40, 60
correct option 33. Select the odd one out with respect to energy flow
A. Secondary succession is comparatively faster in an ecosystem
than primary succession (1) Bidirectional
B. Secondary succession begins in an area where (2) Follows 1st law of thermodynamics
previously some organic sediment/perennating (3) Follows 2nd law of thermodynamics
plant parts are present
(4) 10% law is applicable
(1) Only A is correct
34. Net primary productivity (NPP) is represented as
(2) Only B is correct
(1) NPP = GPP – R (2) NPP = GPP + R
(3) Both A and B are correct
(4) Both A and B are incorrect GPP
(3) NPP = GPP × R (4) NPP 
28. The identification and enumeration of plant and R
animal species of an ecosystem is called 35. Which one of the following is not a functional unit
(1) Species composition of an ecosystem?
(2) Stratification (1) Productivity (2) Stratification
(3) Population density (3) Energy flow (4) Decomposition
(4) Emigration
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NCERT Hot Spot Chapter-16
36. Primary productivity is expressed in terms of (2) If both Assertion & Reason are true but the
(1) gm m–2 year–1 reason is not the correct explanation of the
(2) kcal m–2 year–1 assertion, then mark (2).
(3) kg m–2 year–1 (3) If Assertion is true statement but Reason is
(4) Both (1) and (2) are correct false, then mark (3).
37. Which of the following food chain may not be di- (4) If both Assertion and Reason are f alse
rectly dependent upon solar energy ? statements, then mark (4).
(1) Grazing (2) Detritus 40. A : Agroecosystem is the largest man made
(3) Terrestrial (4) Aquatic ecosystem.
38. Read the following statements A and B carefully R : It includes crop fields, garden and aquarium.
and choose the correct option
41. A : Primary producers form the base of food chain.
A : The pyramid of energy is always upright
R : Primary producers are autotrophic organisms
B : The flow of energy is unidirectional from
which fix up solar energy and manufacture their
producer to consumer level according to
own food from inorganic raw material.
Lindeman’s Law
42. A : The pyramid of biomass in sea is generally
(1) Both the statements A and B are incorrect
inverted
(2) Statement A is correct but B is incorrect
R : The biomass of zooplanktons far exceeds
(3) Both the statements A and B are correct and
B is the correct explanation of A
that of phytoplanktons

(4) Both the statements A and B are correct but B 43. A : An ecosystem's gross primary productivity
is not the correct explanation of A (GPP) is the total amount of organic matter it
produced through photosynthesis.
39. The primary productivity of plants in an ecosystem
depends on R : In ecology, energy flow, also called the calorific
(1) Temperature flow, refers to the flow of energy through a food
chain.
(2) Photosynthetic capacity of plants
44. A : Humus is a dark coloured, amorphous
(3) Soil moisture
substance that is highly resistant to microbial
(4) All of the above
action.
SECTION-B R : It undergoes decomposition at an extremely
slow rate.
Assertion - Reason Type Questions
45. A : Pyramid of energy is always upright.
In the following questions, a statement of assertion
R : When energy flows from a lower to next higher
(A) is followed by a statement of reason (R)
trophic level some energy is always lost as
(1) If both Assertion & Reason are true and the heat
reason is the correct explanation of the
assertion, then mark (1).

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