QUIZ – 2020: INSIGHTS STATIC , 3 August 2021 – Environment – INSIGHTSIAS

Solution: d)

India is home to nearly 75% of the global tiger population.

It has already fulfilled its resolve of doubling tiger numbers, made at St. Petersburg in 2010, much before the target year of 2022.

The All India Tiger Estimation done quadrennially is steered by the National Tiger Conservation Authority with technical backstopping from the Wildlife Institute of India and implemented by State Forest Departments and partners.

Solution: b)

• Pangolin is the only scaly mammal on the planet.
• According to CITES, it is also the most illegally traded vertebrate within its class (Mammalia).
• Of the eight species of pangolin worldwide, two are found in India. They are Chinese pangolin, mostly found in northeast India and Indian pangolin.
• Chinese pangolin has been listed as “critically endangered”.
• Indian pangolin (Manis crassicaudata) has been listed as “endangered”.
• It is also a Schedule I category protected animal, under the Wildlife Protection Act (1972).

Solution: b)

• A sequence of organisms that feed on one another, forma food chain. In nature, two main types of food chains have been found: Grazing food chain and Detritus food chain.
• The grazing food chain starts with producers or autotrophs as base, which is consumed by heterotrophs. It is found in both Terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems.
• The Detritus food chain starts from dead organic ‘matter of decaying animals and plant bodies to the microorganisms and then to detritus feeding organism called detrivores or decomposer and to other predators.
• The two food chains are linked as the initial energy source for detritus food chain is the waste materials and dead organic matter from the grazing food chain.

Solution: d)

There is rampant growth of invasive plants, especially Senna spectabilis, in the forest areas of the Nilgiri Biosphere Reserve (NBR), including the Wayanad Wildlife Sanctuary.

Senna spectabilis is a plant species native to South and Central America. They are often grown as an ornamental in front yards, parks, gardens, buildings etc. due to their bright yellow flowers that bloom during the summer months. The plant has become an invasive alien species in parts of Africa.

Solution: d)

There are several ways of removing particulate matter; the most widely used of which is the electrostatic precipitator, which can remove over 99 per cent particulate matter present in the exhaust from a thermal power plant.

A scrubber can remove gases like Sulphur dioxide. In a scrubber, the exhaust is passed through a

spray of water or lime.

Catalytic converters, having expensive metals namely platinum-palladium and rhodium as the

catalysts, are fitted into automobiles for reducing emission of poisonous gases. As the exhaust passes through the catalytic converter, unburnt hydrocarbons are converted into carbon dioxide and water, and carbon monoxide and nitric oxide are changed to carbon dioxide and nitrogen gas, respectively.