Biodiversity Loss MCQ - Practice Questions & Answers

Quick Facts

Loss of Biodiversity

The biological wealth of our planet has been declining rapidly and the accusing finger is clearly pointing to human activities.
The colonisation of tropical Pacific Islands by humans is said to have led to the extinction of more than 2,000 species of native birds.
The IUCN Red List (2004) documents the extinction of 784 species (including 338 vertebrates, 359 invertebrates and 87 plants) in the last 500 years.
Some examples of recent extinctions include:
- Dodo (Mauritius),
- Quagga (Africa),
- Thylacine (Australia),
- Steller’s Sea Cow (Russia),
- Three subspecies (Bali, Javan, Caspian) of tiger.
The last twenty years alone have witnessed the disappearance of 27 species.
The amphibians appear to be more vulnerable to extinction.
More than 15,500 species world-wide are facing the threat of extinction.
Presently, 12 percent of all bird species, 23 percent of all mammal species, 32 percent of all amphibian species and 31 percent of all gymnosperm species in the world face the threat of extinction.
The loss of biodiversity in a region may lead to
- decline in plant production,
- lowered resistance to environmental perturbations such as drought and
- increased variability in certain ecosystem processes such as plant productivity, water use, and pest and disease cycle.