MEDICAL ENTRANCE

Organisms
and Population
 ORGANISMS AND POPULATION

INDEX

CONTENTS

THEORY .............................................................................. Page 1 - 34

EXERCISE–1 ...................................................................... Page 35 - 46
EXERCISE–2 ...................................................................... Page 47 - 49
EXERCISE–3 ...................................................................... Page 50 - 51
Quick Review Table ............................................................. Page 52

MEDICAL ENTRANCE

Organisms
and Population
 Organisms and Populations
Syllabus
Organisms and environment: Habitat and niche; Population and ecological adaptations;
Population interactions-mutualism, competition, predation, parasitism; Population attributes-
growth, birth rate and death rate, age distribution.

Chapter Index

 Branches of Ecology – Suspend

 Biome  Adaptation
– Major Biomes of India – Hydrophytes
– Some Important Biomes of the World – Mesophytes
– Aquatic Biomes – Xerophytes
 Major Abiotic Factors – Halophytes
– Temperature  Populations Attributes
– Water – Population Density
– Light – Age Ratio Pyramids
– Soil – Population Growth
 Response to Abiotic Factors – Growth Models
– Regulate – Population Interactions
– Conform  Some Important Definitions
– Migrate  Summary

Branches of Ecology
(a) Autecology : Ecology of individuals or species, essentially physiological ecology.
(b) Synecology : Study of relationships between communities and environment.
(c) Genecology : Study of ecological adaptations in relation to genetic variability.
(d) Paleoecology : Study of relationship between organisms and environment in the past.
(e) Applied ecology : Application of ecological concepts for human welfare.
(f) Systems ecology : Interpretation of ecological concepts in terms of mathematical principles.
(g) Phytogeography : Distribution of plants on earth.
(h) Zoogeography : Distribution of animals on earth.

Some Important Terms

 Habitat is a specific place (or locality) where an organism usually lives. It is a physical entity
comprising the sum total of the abiotic factors to which a species or a group of species is
exposed.

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  Ecological Niche (Concept given by J. Grinnel). It represents functional role and status of a
species in the environment. It represents habitat and trophic position of a species. No two
species can have the same niche if they are found in same environment.
 Population : Group of individuals of same species in a well defined geographical area which
share or compete for similar resources and can potentially interbreed. Their study links ecology
to genetics and evolution of a population.
 Community : A number of different interrelated populations of different species sharing a
common environment.
 Ecosystem: A functional unit of nature, where living organisms interact among themselves
and with surrounding physical environment.
 Biosphere : Any part of atmosphere inhabited by biological organisms.
 Organisms and its Environment : Environment is the sum total of all external factors
(surroundings), substances and conditions which influence organisms without becoming their
constituent part. Environment is usually divided into two parts, physical environment and
biotic environment.
 Environmental Factors: Components, conditions and forces of environment which have a
direct or indirect effect on the form, functioning, behaviour, survival and reproduction of
organisms are called environmental factors. They are of two types-abiotic and biotic. Abiotic
factors are divisible into three categories atmospheric, edaphic and topographic. Atmospheric
factors are light, temperature, water and wind. Edaphic factors are factors related to soil.
Topographic factors are abiotic or physical factors related to slope, altitude and others
concerned with surface of earth. Biotic factors include all interactions between living
organisms.

BlOME (Major Ecosystems)

 The large natural ecosystem which is distinct in its climatic conditions and has its specific
group of climax plants and associated animals constitutes a biome.
 Regional and local variations within each biome lead to the formation of a wide variety of
habitats.
 Rainfall, temperature range, nature of soil, barriers, latitude and altitude determine the nature
and extent of biomes.

Major Biomes of India :

1. Tropical Rain forests:
 In India, tropical rain forests are found mainly along western ghats and in North-Eastern
Himalayas.
 Dipterocarpus and Hopea are the most common tree species in Indian rain forests.
 They show 30-40 m tall canopy with 4 -5 strata.
 These possess highest standing crop among all biomes.
 Buttress and leaf drip tip are common.

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 Woody climbers and epiphytes grow profusely in these forests.
 The soil of such forests is highly leached and has low base content, so nutrient storage in soil is
low.
 They require mean annual temperature of 23 -27°C and 2000 -3500 mm rainfall.

2. Tropical Deciduous forests:

 They occur in the northern and southern parts of our country in plains and low hilly areas.
 Sal, teak, tendu, khair and chiraunji are common trees of these forests.
 These forests show a short structure of 10-20 mts.
 During rainy season, the forest is lush green with dense foliage, whereas, in summer forest is
largely leafless.
 The soil of these forest is rich in nutrients due to less leaching.
 They require a mean annual temperature of 22-32°C and mean annual rainfall of 900-1600mm.

Fig. : Biome distribution with respect to annual temperature and precipitation

3. Desert:
 In these biomes the vegetation is very sparse due to extremes of temperature and very little
rainfall (below 10 cm).
 Hot deserts are characterised by high rate of evapotranspiration and albedo.
 In cold deserts, the conditions are physiologically xeric and they exhibit permafrost while in
hot deserts the conditions are physically xeric.
 Important trees of Indian desert are Prosopis cineraria, Acacia sp., Salvadora sp. and Tamarix
sp. common succulents are species of Euphorbia and many members of family Cactaceae.
Cenchrus is an abundant grass of these biomes.

4. Coastal Biome :
 Coastal areas are zones of transition between oceanic and terrestrial habitats, so are very
sensitive.
 These are detritus based biomes, where plants have to adapt for salinity and water logged
conditions.

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  Mangrooves are the major types alongwith salt marshes or swamps.
 Mangrooves are characterized by presence of pneumatophores and viviparous seed
germination.
 Common examples are Rhizophora, Sonneratia, Avicennia and Laguncularia. Besides this
Phoenix, Pandanus and Casuarina are also found commonly in coastal areas.

5. Temperate Broad Leaf Forests:

 Between 1500 m -2400 m altitude in western Himalayas predominated by oaks. e.g., Quercus
floribunda , Q. lanuginose etc.
 They require mean annual temperature of 6 -20°C and mean annual rainfall of 1000-2500 mm.
 Show peak leaf fall during summer but never become leafless.
 These have four strata with 25-30 m height and are rich in epiphytic flora.
 Herbaceous layer is least developed and grasses are generally lacking.

6. Temperate Needle Leaf or Coniferous Forest:

 Between 1700-3000 m altitude.
 They require mean annual temperature of 6-15° C and mean annual rainfall of 500-1700 mm.
 Taller trees (30-35 m) with evergreen canopy.
 Predominated by economically valuable gymnospermous trees, like -Pine (Pinus wallichiana),
Deodar (Cedrus deodara) , Silver fur (Abies pindrow), Spruce (Picea smithiana) and Cypress
(Cupressus torulosa).

Some Important Biomes of the World -A Brief Account

A. Tundra :
 It is located in the north of timber line or 60º N latitude below the polar ice.
 It is absent in southern hemisphere.
 It extends across North America, Europe and Asia.
 Also called as arctic tundra.
 Subsoil remains frozen except upper few inches in the summers.
 The condition is called permafrost.
 Vegetation is scanty, low growing and devoid of trees and thus, the region is termed arctic
desert.
 Common plants found here are grasses, sedges, mosses and lichens with occasional occurence
of dwarf birches (Betula) and willows (Salix).

B. Taiga (North coniferous/temperate needle leaf forest) :

 It stretches as an east west band just south of tundra across North America, Europe and Asia. It
is also found in southern hemisphere.
 Mean annual rainfall is 50-170 cm. In winter, average maximum temperature is 6°C and nights
are long and chilly.

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  Summers are pleasant with average maximum temperature of 20°C and with long hours of day
light.
 The characteristic feature of this biome is the presence of numerous lakes.
 Dominant climax vegetation of this biome comprises of tall evergreen conifers with needle-like
leaves, capable of tolerating fluctuations in temperature and light intensity.

C. Chapparal (Mediterranean scrub forest) :

 The biome extends along the Mediterranean, Pacific coast of North America, Chile, South
Africa and South Australia.
 Natural fires are characteristic of this biome.
 Rainfall is very limited, occurs only in winter.
 The climate remains dry in the rest of the year.

D. Grasslands:
(a) Savanna: Tropical gras.sland with well developed grass cover interspersed with scattered
shrubs and small trees.
(i) Distributed in warmer parts of India, Africa and Australia.
(ii) Appear in areas with highly seasonal climate having distinct wet and dry periods.
(iii) Abundance of C4 photosynthetic grasses.
(iv) Common grasses of Indian savannas are -Dichanthium, Sehima, Phragmites, Saccharum,
Cenchrus, Imperata and Lasiurus. Common trees and shrubs are -Zizyphus, Prosopis,
Capparis, Acacia and Butea.
(b) Temperate grasslands : The temperate grasslands are present in North America (Canada and
U.S.A.), South America, Eastern Europe, Central Asia, South Africa and Australia. These are
of different types depending upon the constituent flora in different countries, such as Prairies
(Canada and the WSA), Pampas (South America), Steppes (Europe and Asia), Veldts (South
Africa), Tussocks (New Zealand) and Dawns (Australia).

Conceptual Questions
Fill in the blanks:
S. Type of Biome Mean annual Mean annual Important
No. temperature CC) rainfall (mm) vegetation
1. Tropical rain forest ___(1)___ 2000-3500 Dipferocarpus,
Hopea
2. Tropical deciduous 22-32 ___ (2) ___ Sal, Teak,Tendu,
forest Chiraunji, Khair
3. Temperate broad-leaf 6-20 1000-2500 ___ (3) ___
forest
4. ___ (4) ___ 6-15 ___ (5) ___ Pine, Deodar,
Cypress, Spruce,
Silver fir
Ans. 1. 23-27, 2. 900-1600, 3. Oak (Quercus), 4. Temperate needle-leef forest, 5. 500-1700

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Aquatic Biomes
 The aquatic ecosystems range from ocean to small ponds or lakes showing wide range of
variations regarding salinity, depth and temperature.
 Consequently the organisms show lot of diversity in their adaptations to the surroundings.
 Aquatic biomes are of four main types:
1. Oceanic or marine biomes:
 Oceanic biomes occupy more than two third of the earth's surface.
 The marine environment is characterized by high concentration of salts (about 3.5% in open
sea) and mineral ions (mostly Na+ and Cl– ions followed by sulphur, magnesium and calcium).
 The productivity of oceanic biome is less than that of most the terrestrial biomes.
 The ocean basin is always like a wash basin or inverted hat and is differentiated into
continental shelf, continental slope and ocean floor.
(i) Continental shelf: It extends from coastline to about 160 km in the sea, including a gradual
sloping area with depth varying from 8-200m. It has high productivity.
(ii) Continental slope: It extends beyond continental shelf formed by abrupt steepening of angle
of slope. It is characterized by presence of ridges, trenches and basins of mud and sand.
(iii) Ocean floor: It is nearly horizontal with deep trenches at places. It is bottom area of open sea.
 Oceanic biome is divided into three major ecosystems-open sea, coastal region and estuary.
(i) Open sea: It includes the area of sea beyond continental shelf and is divided into 3
zoneseuphotic, disphotic and abyssal zone depending upon the degree of light penetration. On
the basis of environment, it has two parts-pelagic (open water zone) and benthic (bottom
zone).
Both producers and consumers occur in photic zone in abundance, whereas only few producers
alongwith consumers occur in disphotic zone. The abyssal zone is characterized by the
presence of consumers, scavengers and decomposers, while producers are absent.
(ii) Coastal region : It is the area of continental shelf and is usually divided into 3 zones:
intertidal, littoral and neritic zones.
Intertidal zone is alternately exposed and covered with water. Beaches belong to this zone.
Very few plants grow in sandy beaches. Crabs and few burrowing animals occur.
Littoral zone : It represents the floor area of continental shelf. This zone is characterized by
strong wave action. Main producers of this area are brown and red algae like Laminaria,
Macrocystis, Nereocystis and Gelidium.
Neritic zone : It comprises the coastal part (near shore area). It contains phytoplankton.
(iii) Estuary : Ecotone areas where river mouth meets the oceanic water. This area shows wide
fluctuations in salinity due to mixing of fresh and sea-water. Estuary constitutes one of the
most productive ecosystems. It includes both fresh water and marine organisms.

2. Ponds and lakes:

 These are stationary fresh water bodies (Lentic ecosystems) on land occur in almost all
biomes.

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  Ponds vary in size and may be natural or man-made depressions which get filled with rain or
run off water.
 These may be seasonal or permanent.
 The lakes are much larger than ponds and have size of several hundred hectares with depth
upto 100 meters.
 Lakes develop in nature due to three reasons-(i) result of glaciation, (ii) natural or man-made
depressions getting filled with water (iii) formed by cut off water from main stream of river
and may be termed ox-bow or cut-off lakes.

3. Streams and Rivers:

 These are flowing fresh water bodies (Lotic ecosystems) which differ in physical and chemical
conditions, oxygen content, temperature, speed and volume of water.
 River beds having sand are less in productivity than the ones having mud and stones.
 Planktons are very rare in higher reaches due to fast moving water, while these appear in lower
reaches when water flow slows down.

4. Marshes:
 These are temporarily produced low lying areas, few cms in depth, containing turbid water.
 These are common on the side of road, railway track, rivers, streams and inside forests.
 Planktons are little due to turbidity of water and temporary nature.
 Amphibious plants are common.

MAJOR ABIOTIC FACTORS

 The most important key elements that lead to so much variation in the physical and chemical
conditions of different habitats are temperature, light, water and soil.
(A) Temperature
 Ecologically it is the most relevant factor, as temperature variation affects the enzyme kinetics,
basal metabolic activities and the physiological functions of the organisms.
 So thermal tolerance decides the geographical distribution of different species to a large extent
as for example ; mango trees do not and cannot grow in temperate countries like Canada and
Germany, snow leopards are not found in kerala forests and tuna fish are rarely caught beyond
tropical latitudes in the ocean.
 Based upon thermal tolerance, organisms are of two types:
(i) Stenothermal : Such organisms live in areas where the temperature is uniform throughout the
year. The organisms cannot tolerate large temperature variation.
(ii) Eurythermal : Such organisms can tolerate large changes in temperature.
 The organisms are classified into four temperature groups on the basis of their occurrence in
different climatic zones:
(i) Megatherms : Organisms are adapted to high temperature throughout the year as found in
tropical zone.

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(ii) Mesotherms : They are adapted to mild winters and high summer temperature. The organisms
live in subtropical zone.
(iii) Microtherms: They live in temperate areas where the winter temperature is low but the
summer temperature is moderate.
(iv) Hekistotherms: The organisms are adapted to brief summer period of below 10°C and long
snowy winter period. This condition occurs in arctic or alpine zone.

Some Rules Based Upon Effects of Temperature

(i) Bergman's Rule: Warm blooded animals (birds and mammals) have larger body size in cold
climate than in hotter areas.
(ii) Allen's Rule: Extremities (legs, ears, tail and mouth) of warm blooded animals become
smaller in colder areas as compared to animals of warmer areas.
(iii) Rensch's Rule: In colder climate, birds possess narrow and acuminate wings as compared to
broader wings of birds found in warmer areas.
(iv) Jordan's Rule: As the temperature is lowered, some fishes possess larger size with larger
number of vertebrae.

Thermoperiodicity
 Thermoperiodicity or thermoperiodism is the response of living organisms to regular changes
of temperature.
 It is of two types, diurnal and seasonal.
(i) Diurnal Thermoperiodicity : It is response of organisms to daily changes of temperature.
Generally, day time temperature is higher, while night time temperature is lower.
(ii) Seasonal Thermoperiodicity : It is response of organisms to seasonal changes in temperature.
Alongwith photoperiodicity, it controls phenology of plants. Phenology is the occurrence of
seasonal activities in relation to change in environmental conditions.

Thermal Stratification in Lakes

 The occurrence of temperature variations in different horizontal layers as in a deep water body
is called thermal stratification.
 A deep water body like lake has three temperature strata -epilimnion, metalimnion and
hypolimnion.
(a) Epilimnion: Upper stratum, with highest dissolyed oxygen concentration. This area is warmer
during summers.
(b) Hypolimnion: Lower stratum of water characterised by a temperature gradient of less than
1°C per meter. It contains more dense, cooler and relatively quite water.
(c) Metalimnion: It is transitional stratum of marked thermal fluctuations between hypolimnion
and epilimnion. Its middle layer is characterised by temperature gradient of more than 1°C per
meter of depth called as thermocline. The term thermocline refers to plane or surface of
maximum rate of fluctuations in temperature of metalimnion.

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 Fig. : Thermal stratification in a temperate lake

(B) Water
 Next to temperature, water is another important factor influencing the life of organisms.
 It is an important component of protoplasm which is a general solvent.
 Water is also present over more than 71% surface of earth as oceans, lakes, rivers, ice caps and
glaciers.
 Sea water has high percentage of salt content (3.5%).
 Water present on land is called fresh water. Its salt content is low i.e., less than 0.5%.
 The salt concentration (measured as salinity in parts per thousand) is less than 5 percent in
inland water, 30 -35 percent for sea and more than 100 percent in some hypersaline lagoons.
 Some organisms are tolerant to a wide range of salinities (euryhaline), but others are restricted
to a narrow range (stenohaline).
 Regular movement of water amongst various regions and components of biosphere viz. aquatic
systems, air and land constitutes water cycle.
 Water comes over land or water body as precipitation or rainfall.
 The total global rainfall is equal to 4.46 G.
 Precipitation comes from water vapours present in air.
 At any time atmosphere contains only 0.13 G of water vapours (1 G or geogram = 1020 gram).

(C) Light
 Light has a wide range of spectrum.
 Electromagnetic spectrum is a complete range of oscillating waves that travel together through
space at a speed of 3 × 105 km/sec.
 At 83 km above Earth's surface, solar radiation carries energy equivalent to 2 cal/cm2/min.
This value is called as solar constant.
 Short wave radiations are Cosmic Rays (with wavelength less than 10–5 nm), gamma rays (10–3
to 10–5 nm), X-rays (10–1 to 10–2 nm) and UV rays (100 to 400 nm).

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 All the short wave radiations are extremely harmful. Most of them are trapped in ionosphere
and mesosphere.

UV rays are also harmful. They are of three types :

Category Wave length Effect

UV-C 100-280 nm (0.1 – 0.28 µm) Lethal
UV-B 280-320 nm (0.28 – 0.32 µm) Quite harmful
UV-A 320-400 nm (0.32 – 0.4 µm) Moderately harmful

 UV-C and about half of UV-B radiations are absorbed by ozone layer of stratosphere.
 A large amount of the rest is dissipated by particles of troposphere, only a small amount
reaches on the Earth.
 Light affects photosynthesis, growth, reproduction, movements, stratification, photoperiodism
and phenology in plants, whereas, it affects migration, reproduction, development,
pigmentation, locomotion and periodic activity in animals.

Light Zonation of Lakes :

Littoral zone  Exposed to wave action and is highly productive
Limnetic zone  Open water body, rich in planktons.
Euphotic zone  Receives maximum light above light compensation point.
Disphotic zone  Receive diffuse light at or below light compensation point. Also known as
twilight zone.
Profundal (Dark) zone  No light
Benthic zone  It is the bottom zone of perpetual darkness.

Fig. : Zonation in deep lake showing gradient of light and oxygen

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Self Assessment

Q.1 Select the incorrect statement (w.r.t. Ecological niche)

(1) It represents functional role and status of a species in the environment.
(2) It does not represent trophic position of a species.
(3) No two species can have the same niche if they are found in same environment.
(4) It is a component of habitat which is governed by functioning of an organism.
Q.2 In which of the following biome, the subsoil remains frozen except upper few inches in the
summers?
(1) Desert (2) Tropical deciduous forest
(3) Coastal (4) Tundra
Q.3 Which of the following is the most ecologically relevant environmental factor?
(1) Water (2) Soil (3) Temperature (4) Light
Q.4 Narrow and acuminate wings in birds living in colder climate is explained by
(1) Rensch's rule (2) Jordan's rule (3) Bergman's rule (4) Allen's rule
Q.5 Organisms restricted to a narrow range of temperature, are called as
(1) Euryhaline (2) Stenothermal (3) Eurythermal (4) Stenohaline
Q.6 Seasonal thermoperiodicity
(1) Is response of organisms to daily changes of temperature
(2) Controls phenology of plants
(3) Is response of organisms to seasonal changes in temperature
(4) More than one option is correct
Q.7 How many times a temperate lake shows the mixing of water in a year?
(1) 2 (2) 4 (3) 1 (4) 3
Q.8 In the sea, salt concentration (measured as salinity in parts per thousand) is
(1) < 5% (2) 30-35% (3) > 100% (4) 5-10%
Q.9 Shallow water region present on the edge of lake is called as
(1) Limnetic zone (2) Littoral zone (3) Profundal zone (4) Disphotic zone
Q.10 Which of the following part of lake receives maximum light above light compensation point?
(1) Euphotic zone (2) Benthic zone (3) Twilight zone (4) Profundal zone

Ans. Q.1 (2), Q.2 (4), Q.3 (3), Q.4 (1), Q.5 (2), Q.6 (4), Q.7 (1), Q.8 (2), Q.9 (2), Q.10 (1)

(D) Soil
 Earth's uppermost crust is having a mixture of organic matter and minerals. Study of soil is
called Pedology.
Soil Composition
 Soil consists of four components, two solid and two non-solid.
 The solid components are mineral particles and organic matter.
 The two non-solid components are air and water.
 A fifth component of variable nature is soil organisms.

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 The proportion of different components is
Mineral Particles 40%
Organic Matter 10%
Air 25%
Water 25%
 Chief characteristics of the soil are studied with the help of soil profile.
 Type of soil profile depends upon climate and vegetation of the area.
 The smallest three dimensional volume of soil required to study its profile is called pedon.
 Most soils possess 3-4 horizons and a number of sub horizons.
 A soil horizon is a horizontal layer approximately parallel to soil surface that possesses
distinctive properties which are unlike the ones present in adjoining regions. In general, a
profile consists of O, A, B, C & R horizons.

Fig. : Hypothetical diagram of the soil profile to show principal horizons

Weathering
 It is the breaking of rocks into fine particles as present on the soil.
 Weathering occurs due to the following methods:
(i) Physical Weathering: It is caused by alternate heating and cooling, alternate wetting and
drying, action of frost, snow, rain and wind.
(ii) Chemical Weathering: Oxidation, reduction, carbonation and solubilization reactions to break
the rock.
(iii) Biological Weathering : By Lichens, Mosses.

Humification
 It is addition of organic matter or humus into weathered rock.
 Humification is essential for starting biological activity and nutritional cycling.
 Humus is dark coloured amorphous substance, is slightly acidic, colloidal and acts as reservoir
of nutrients.

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  Main functions of humus are biogeochemical cycling, preventing soil from compaction,
helping in formation of soil crumbs, improving aeration and water holding capacity of soil.
 It also makes soil spongy, therefore, easy for penetration by the roots.

Eluviation and Illuviation

 These two processes bring about transport and deposition of materials in the soil.
 Eluviation is washing down of materials from upper strata.
 Eluviation helps in enriching the different layers of soil with minerals.
 Illuviation is deposition of washed down minerals in lower strata.

Mineral Matter
 It consists of inorganic substances present as particles of different sizes and composition.
(i) Gravel: It is made of fine pebbles with a size of 2-10 mm.
(ii) Sand: It consists of grains of quartz or silicon dioxide (Si02). Size varies from 0.02-2.0 mm.
Sand is chemically inert. It allows quick percolation of rain or irrigation water. Aeration is
good.
(iii) Silt: It is formed of fine grains of quartz. The size is 0.002-0.02 mm. It is chemically inert.
(iv) Clay: It is made of Al, Fe and Si. The size is below 0.002 mm. Clay particles are chemically
active and have fine interspaces that can hold abundant water but aeration is poor.

Soil Porosity
 It is percentage of interspaces present per unit dry weight of soil.
 The value of soil porosity is 30% in sandy soils, 45% in loam soil and 50% in clay soil.
 There are two types of soil pores, micropores and macropores.
 Micropores are small sized interspaces having a diameter of 20 µm or below.
 They hold water by capillarity. Macropores are interspaces with a size of more than 20 µm.
Soil Air
 It is air present in macropores with a size between 20-50 µm.
 A good soil should have 25% air by volume.
 Soil air is required for respiration of roots and several microorganisms.
 Soil air is richer in CO2 and poorer in O2.

Soil Types
(a) Red Soils: These are acidic laterite soils which are deficient in lime, magnesium, phosphorus
and potassium, but rich in organic matter, iron and aluminium. Such soils support tea, coffee,
rubber, cardamom, areca nut and p'addy cultivation.
(b) Black soils : Also called black cotton soils/regurs with dark brown or black colour from
organic matter, clay/hydrated iron and aluminium silicate and have undifferentiated B-horizon
(A-C soil).
(c) Terai/Babar soils: Mostly colluvial and highly productive.

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 Residual soils develop in situ. Transported soils are brought from other places through
gravity (colluvial), running water (deposited at flood plains and called alluvial), wind (eolian
= aeolian) and glacier (glacial soil).

Soil Texture
 Three main types.
(a) Sandy soils:
The soils contain about 80% or more of sand, the remaining being silt and clay. Sandy soils are
porous and loose. Water holding capacity is poor. Chemical nutrition is little.
(b) Clay soils: They are soils having 40-50% of clay, the rest being silt. Sand is little. Clay soils
have abundant capillary pores. Therefore, water holding capacity is high. Inorganic nutrients
are available in good quantity. However, aeration is poor.
(c) Loam soils: The soils contain 20% clay, 40% sand and 40% silt. These have good mineral
nutrition, aeration and hydration. Therefore, loam soils are the best for plant growth.

Soil pH
 It determines the type of soil microorganisms, solubility of different minerals and type of
plants which can grow.
 In alkaline soils (pH above 7), there is reduced availability of Zn, Mn, Cu and Fe.
 In acidic soils there is abundance of iron, Mn and Al, but deficiency of Ca, Mg and K.
 Certain soils possess excess of salts especially those of Na and Mg.
 They are called Saline soils. Salinity increases with excessive irrigation.

Soil Organism
 A number of organisms live inside soil.
 It includes bacteria, actinomycetes, fungi, algae, parts of higher plants, protozoa, rotifers,
nematodes, insects, earthworms, molluscs and burrowing vertebrates. They form the living
components of soil.
(E) Topography
 Topography i.e., surface configuration of an area (physical features like hills, plains or slopes)
also influences the distribution of organisms. For example,
(i) The centre and edge of a pond or a stream
(ii) Exposed side and underside of a rock
(iii) North and South face of a ridge or a mountain are usually
inhabited by different species of organisms.

RESPONSE TO ABIOTIC FACTORS

 Change in one environmental factor leads to change in
others also i.e., all factors are integrated.
 An organism would have evolved various mechanisms to
maintain its internal environment at homeostasis to

Organisms & Populations || 14

 perform its physiological and biochemical functions in response to changing external factors of
environment.
 This constancy is necessary for its overall fitness or maximum performance. This may be
maintained naturally or artificially.
 There appears various possibilities of responses, such as :
(i) Regulate: It is maintenance of homeostasis by physiological or behavioural means like
thermoregulation and osmoregulation. e.g., all birds and mammals and a few lower vertebrate
and invertebrates; but plants do not have such mechanisms.
Evolutionary success of mammals is believed largely due to their regulation ability.
(ii) Conform: These organisms cannot maintain thermal and osmotic balance with environment.
e.g., approximately 99% of animals and nearly all plants. Thermoregulation is energetically
expensive especially for small animals having large surface area relative to their volume, due
to this, very small animals are rare in polar regions.
Some species have ability to regulate upto a limited range, beyond which they simply conform
(partial regulators).
For localised or short outburst of stressful conditions the organisms have two alternatives, like
migration or suspended growth.
(iii) Migrate: Temporary movement of organisms from stressful area to more favourable area in
terms of food, shelter, spawning or climate.
e.g., Siberian crane migration from Siberia to Keoladeo National Park (Bharatpur, Rajasthan).
Locust migrates for food and salmon fish migrates for egg spawning. Ungulate migration in
Africa is for food .
(iv) Suspend: It is the stage in life cycle where an organism changes its developmental,
physiological, structural, biochemical behaviour to pass through unfavourable conditions. e.g.,
Thick walled spores in bacteria, fungi and lower plants.
Dormancy in seeds and other vegetative parts in higher plants.
Hibernation (winter sleep) is shown by organisms which are unable to migrate, like Bears.
Aestivation: It is metabolic inactivity of organism during hot dessicating summers. e.g., snails
and fishes.
Diapause : Stage of temporary suspension of development under unfavourable conditions.
e.g., Zooplanktons in lakes and ponds.

ADAPTATION
 It is an attribute of the organism that enables it to survive and reproduce in its habitat.
Adaptations may be morphological, physiological or behavioural and are either fixed
genetically or remain epigenetic.
 Some adaptations are given below :
(i) Seals have a thick layer of fat (blubber) below the skin to reduce loss of body heat.
(ii) Altitude sickness can be expressed at high altitude where body does not get enough oxygen
due to low atmospheric pressure and causes nausea, fatigue and heart palpitations. Under these
Organisms & Populations || 15
 conditions, body increases RBC production, decreases binding capacity of Hb and increases
breathing rate. These physiological adaptations allow organisms to respond quickly to stressful
conditions.
(iii) Archaebacteria can flourish at temperature exceeding 100°C while humans can perform the
metabolism in a narrow range (37ºC).
(iv) Antarctic fishes can survive below 0°C and a variety of invertebrates and fishes are adapted
biochemically to survive great depths with crushing pressure. In Antarctic fishes, body fluid
contain antifreeze solutes.
(v) Desert lizards lack the physiological ability to cope with extreme temperature but manage the
body temperature by behavioural means.
(vi) Kangaroo rat of North American desert fulfil water demands by internal oxidation of fats and it
also has the ability to concentrate its urine.

Water Based Adaptations (Plant Specific)

 On the basis of dependence of plants on water and relations of plants to water, Warming
(1909) recognised three kinds of plant communities:
(1) Hydrophytes, (2) Mesophytes and (3) Xerophytes

1. Hydrophytes
 Plants growing in water or in water saturated soil are called hydrophytes. They require
abundance of water to complete their life cycle. These are of basic three types:
A. Submerged: Submerged plants are those in which the leaves are entirely beneath the water
e.g., Hydrilla, Vallisneria, Potamogeton and Ceratopyllum.

Fig. : Submerged plants

B. Floating: In floating plants leaves float on the water surface, but roots and stem may remain in
water, or float on water like the leaves. On the basis of root fixation, these are classified into
two groups.
(i) Free floating: They change their position due to water current, because their roots are not
Organisms & Populations || 16
 embedded in soil. Leaves float on the water surface and stem and roots are also free from
substratum e.g., Wolffia, Lemna, Eichhornia, Pistia.

Fig. : Free floating plants

(ii) Rooted floating: In these plants leaves float but the roots adhere to bottom soil particles e.g.,
Nelumbium speciosum, Nymphaea stel/ata, Jussiaea, Trapa etc.

Fig. : Fixed floating plants

C. Amphibious plants: The basal part of the body (roots and lower portion of stem) is embedded
in water saturated soil. The remaining body (upper part of stem and leaves) lie straight up,
emerging in the air. Occasionally due to rain, leaves also may be immersed into water e.g.,
Typha, Ranunculus, Polygonum, Cyperus etc.

Fig. : Amphibious Plants

Morphological adaptations
Root:
Organisms & Populations || 17
1. Roots are either completely absent (e.g., Salvinia, Wolffia, Ceratophyllum) or poorly developed
(e.g., Hydrilla).
2. Root pockets are present as balancing organs in Azolla, Eichhornia, Lemna, Pistia etc. instead
of root cap.
3. Some hydrophytes have floating roots in addition to normal adventitious roots which provide
buoyancy e.g., Jussiaea repens.
Stem:
1. Long, slender, spongy and flexible e.g., Potamogeton and Hydrilla.
2. It may float horizontally on the surface of water e.g., Azolla or may form offset as in
Eichhornia or may be a rhizome e.g., Nymphaea.
Leaves:
1. Long, slender, delicate petioles with floating leaves e.g., Nymphaea.
2. Petiole may be swollen and spongy e.g., Eichhornia.
3. Submered hydrophytes have thin, long ribbon shaped leaves (e.g., Vallisneria) or finely
dissected leaves e.g., Ceratophylum.
4. Leaves of floating hydrophytes are large, entire and flat. These are often coated with wax e.g.,
Nymphaea or covered with hairs e.g., Salvinia.
5. Emergent hydrophytes show heterophylly i.e. leaves below the water are long, narrow, and
dissected and those outside the water are entire and broad e.g., Ranunculus aquatilis,
Umnophilla heterophylla, Sagittaria sagitifolia.

Anatomical adaptations
1. Presence of large air spaces and aerenchyma.
2. Mechanical tissue i.e. sclerenchyma is either poorly developed or absent. In Typha, pith is
sclerenchymatous.
3. Vascular tissue specially xylem is poorly developed.
4. Cuticle is absent.
5. Stomata are absent or vestigeal in submerged hydrophytes. Floating leaves are epistomatic and
emergent leaves are isostomatic.
6. Epidermis is always single layered.
7. Mesophyll is uniform.

2. Mesophytes
Plants growing in places of moderate water supply. These plants cannot live for a long time
either in water saturated or in moisture deficient soil. e.g., garden plants and crops.

3. Xerophytes
Plants growing in places of deficient water supply. These plants grow in deserts or on rocks,
e.g., Opuntia, Aloe, Agave, Casuarina, Calotropis, Muehlenbeckia, etc.
Types of xerophytes :
(A) On the basis of nature of soil and cause of unavailability of water:

Organisms & Populations || 18

(a) Physical xerophytes grow in soils which are physically dry (due to shortage of water) e.g.
Opuntia, Casuarina, Ruscus, Muehlenbeckia (Cocoloba) etc.
(b) Physiological xerophytes grow in soils having sufficient water which is not available due to
high salt concentration (salinity) or very low temperature.

(B) On the basis of life cycle and water storage:

(a) Ephemerals: Short living, brief life span (6-8 weeks), escape dry season by disappearing
leaving their seeds; hence, not true xerophytes, so are called drought evaders and drought
escapers e.g. Cassiatora, Tribulus.
(b) Succulents (fleshy xerophytes) : Absorb large quantities of water during rainy season and store
it in different body parts; suffer only externally; hence drought avoiding or drought resistant
xerophytes.
(i) Stem succulents (chylocauly) : e.g., Opuntia, Euphorbia antiquorum, E. splendens,
E. tirucalli, Cereus.
(ii) Leaf succulents (chylophyllous) : e.g., Aloe, Agave, Begonia, Bryophyllum.
(iii)Root succulents (chylorhizous) : e.g., Asparagus, Ceiba parviflora.
(c) Non-succulents : Drought endurers, true xerophytes; can withstand long drought periods
(perennial non succulents) e.g., Casuarina, Zizyphus, Nerium, Acacia, Capparis.

Xerophytic plants
Fig. : A. Phylloclade of Opuntia, B. Phylloclade of Muehlenbeckia , C. Casuarina

Morphological adaptations
Root:
1. Roots are well developed, profusely branched and extensively spread.
2. Roots are deep (phreatophytes).
Stem:
1. It is generally hard and woody with thick bark.

Organisms & Populations || 19

 2. Mostly covered with hairs, wax, silica.
3. Some plants may show modification of stem into leaf like structure called phylloclade e.g.
Opuntia; while in Ruscus and Asparagus the stem is modified into cladode.
Leaves: are modified in the following ways.
(a) Sclerophyllous: Stiff and hard leaves e.g., Banksia, Dasilirion.
(b) Trichophyllous: Leaves covered with hair e.g., Nerium, Calotropis.
(c) Microphyllous : Small, fleshy leaves e.g., Capparis.
Leaves of xerophytes are generally caducous e.g., Euphorbia or may be completely absent e.g.,
Capparis aphylla. Leaves of grasses get rolled to reduce transpiration e.g., Agropyron,
Ammophi/a.

Anatomical adaptations
1. Presence of thick cuticle on leaf and stem epidermis.
2. Presence of waxy layer on the epidermis of leaves.
3. Stomatal frequency is reduced.
4. Sunken stomata are present.
5. Hairs are present on the leaf epidermis and substomatal chamber.
6. Intercellular spaces are only few and small.
7. Mechanical tissue i.e., collenchyma and sclerenchyma are well developed.
8. Epidermis may be multiple.
9. Water storage tissue is present.
10. Vascular tissues are present in large amount.

4. Halophytes
Plants growing in saline soil.
Morphological characters
Root: Mangrooves have specialized roots called pneumatophores which are negatively geotropic.
These are modified tap roots which have pneumathodes for gaseous exchange.
Stem : Mostly succulent or fleshy.
Leaves: Evergreen, thin, leathery.

Anatomical characters
1. Presence of thick cuticle on stem.
2. Stem hypodermis is multilayered, thick walled.
3. H-shaped specules are present in the stem cortex to provide mechanical support.
4. Pericycle is sclerenchymatous, 3-4 layered.
5. Vascular tissue is well developed
6. Upper and lower leaf epidermis is thickly cuticularized.
7. Sunken stomata are present only in the lower leaf epidermis.
Conceptual Questions

Organisms & Populations || 20

Q.1 What is the value of soil porosity in loam soil?
Q.2 How many animals cannot maintain thermal and osmotic balance with environment?
Q.3 Name the plant group in which aerenchyma is present but vascular tissue specially xylem is
poorly developed.
Q.4 Give one example in which chylocauly is present.

Ans. 1. 45%, 2. Approximately 99%, 3. Hydrophytes, 4. Opuntia, Euphorbia, Cereus (any one)

POPULATIONS
(i) Deme: Local population (population living in a specific area).
(ii) Metapopulation : Whole set of local populations connected by dispersing individuals.
(iii) For the purpose of ecological studies, a group of individuals resulting from asexual
reproduction is also considered as population.

Population attributes / group attributes

 Some characters are unique to the group and are not characteristic of the individuals forming it,
like an organism born and dies, and has age, but it does not have a birth rate, death rate and age
ratio.
 These population characters can be best expressed by statistical methods, some important
characters are:
1. Population Density
 The number of individuals per unit area, like millions of Spirogyra filaments in a pond, or 200
plants of Parthenium in an area.
 This can also be expressed as "The population biomass per unit area or volume" when we have
to count a large number of organisms (like grasses) or to find out the role of a single huge
banyan tree in an area.
 Relative density is a good measure of finding out the total density of fishes in a lake by
counting the number of fishes caught per trap.
Total number of individuals of species
Relative density of a species =  100
Total number of individuals of all species
 Tiger census in India is based upon pug marks and fecal pellets which indirectly estimates
population size.

2. Age Ratio Pyramids

 Age Pyramlds : An age pyramid is a graphic representation of proportion of various age
groups of a population. There are three types of age pyramids -triangular, bell-shaped and
urn-shaped.
(a) Triangular : It is graphic representation of a young or growing population and has a very
high proportion of pre-reproductive individuals.
(b) Bell-Shaped: The pyramid is bell-like with pre-reproductive individuals being only marginally
more than the reproductive individuals. Population is said to be mature or stable.
(c) Urn-Shaped : It has small number of pre-reproductive individuals followed by a large number
of reproductive individuals. Such a population shows negative growth.

Organisms & Populations || 21

 Fig. : Representation of age pyramids for human population

3. Population Growth
 Some attributes of population are used to estimate its growth, as population size may fluctuate
in a given habitat during a given period due to change in four basic processes, namely
(i) Natality: Birth rate, inherent ability of a population to increase and refers to number of births
during a given period in the population that are added to initial density.
N n
The per individual change in a population due to natality can be estimated by using
Nt
Where,Nn = New individuals produced
N = Initial population
t = Change in time
(ii) Mortality: Death rate, number of individuals dying in a population in a given period.
(iii) Immigration : One way permanent inward movement of the individuals of same species into a
habitat with existing population. This may help to speed up the growth or prevents extinction
of a smaller population. In plants, it is equivalent to settlement of disseminules.
(iv) Emigration : One way permanent outward movement of number of individuals from a
population to other habitat area, hence reducing the size of local population. Plants are fixed,
so do not show emigration.
By these population characters the density of a population (N) at time t can be expressed after a
period of time t + 1 as
N(t + 1) = Nt + [(B + I) -(D + E)]
Where; B = Number of birth, I = Number of immigrants, D = Number of deaths and
E = Number of emigrants

 So, it can be concluded that births and deaths are most important factors influencing population
density and other two are specialised cases.

Organisms & Populations || 22

Self Assessment

Q.11 What is the proportion of mineral particles in soil?

(1) 25% (2) 10% (3) 40% (4) 50%
Q.12 The smallest 3D volume of soil required to study soil profile is called
(1) Pedon (2) Ecad (3) Deme (4) Niche
Q.13 In soil profile, zone of illuviation is
(1) A1-zone (2) B-zone (3) O-zone (4) A2 - zone
Q.14 Gravel is made of fine pebbles with a size of
(1) 0.02-2 mm (2) 0.002-0.02 mm (3) < 0.002 mm (4) 2-10 mm
Q.15 Find out the correct diagrammatic representation of organismic response w.r.t. Regulators
Internal level

Internal level

Internal level

Internal level
(1) External level (2) External level (3) External level (4) External level

Q.16 Which of the following organism is capable of meeting its water requirement through intemal
oxidation of fats?
(1) Desert lizard (2) Antarctic fish (3) Kangaroo rat (4) Seal
Q.17 Which of the given age pyramid reflects a stable human population?

(1) (2) (3) (4)

Q.18 The per individual change in a population due to natality can be estimated by using
Nt NN n N n .t N n
(1) (2) (3) (4)
N n t N Nt
(Here, Nn = New individuals produced; N = initial population; t = change in time)
Q.19 Vital index of a population is represented as
Natality
(1) 100 (2) (Natality – Mortality) × 100
Mortality
Mortality Natality
(3) 100 (4)
Natality 100  Mortality
Q.20 Which of the following pair of characters contribute an increase in population density?
(1) Emigration and natality (2) Natality and immigration
(3) Mortality and emigration (4) Immigration and mortality
Ans. Q.11 (3), Q.12 (1), Q.13 (2), Q.14 (4), Q.15 (3), Q.16 (3), Q.17 (3), Q.18 (4), Q.19 (1), Q.20 (2)
4. Growth Models
 Biotic Potential and Environmental Resistance: Biotic potential is the maximum or potential

Organisms & Populations || 23

 natality.
 The sum of environmental factors that limits the population size is called environmental
resistance.
 Environmental resistance rises with the rise in population size.
 The influence of environmental resistance over the biotic potential is denoted by (K-N/K).
Carrying Capacity (K) : The maximum number of individuals of a population which can be
supported with optimum resources for their survival is called carrying capacity of the
environment.
Growth of a population depends upon its biotic potential, death rate and birth rate. Depending
upon the amplitude of these three, a population may show :
(a) Exponential growth, and (b) Logistic growth
(a) Exponential growth :
 Darwin believed the geometric growth of a population when the resources are unlimited, as
each species realises its inherent power to grow.
 This intrinsic rate of natural increase is called r.
 The value of r is an important parameter to assess impact of environmental factors on
population growth.
(i) Any increase or decrease in a population N during time t will be dN/dt = (b - d) × N, where (b
= per capita birth rate) and d = per capita death rate. If (b - d) = r, then dN/dt = rN
(ii) The integral form of exponential growth equation will be Nt = N0ert where; Nt = Population
density after time t, N0 = population density at time zero, e = the base of natural logarithms
(2.71828).
(iii) The magnitude of r was 0.0205 in 1981 for human population in India while it reached 0.0176
in 2001. For Norway rat it is 0.015 and for flour beetles it is 0.12.
(iv) Equation dN/dt = rN describes geometric growth resulting in a J-shape curve. Such population
stops abruptly due to environmental resistance, which becomes effective suddenly, or a
resource may become depleted. Decline in J-shape population is density triggered e.g., Algal
blooms, insect population.

Fig. : Population Growth Curve

(b) Logistic Growth

 This growth form is characterised by function of carrying capacity (K) for a given population,

Organisms & Populations || 24

 giving it a more realistic form.
 Such forms are represented under limited resource conditions where a population finally
reaches an asymptote.
 This growth form can be described as Verhulst Pearl Logistic Growth and is expressed as
dN KN
 rN  .
dt  K 
 Since resources for growth for most animal populations are finite and become limiting sooner
or later, this plot is more realistic.
Life History Variation : Populations evolve to maximise their reproductive fitness in a given
habitat. It includes variation in life history, evolved in relation to the selection pressure
imposed by environmental factors in order to achieve the most efficient reproductive strategy.
Some of the strategies are listed below:
(i) Small number of large sized individuals are produced (mammals and birds).
(ii) Larger number of small sized individuals are produced (Oysters and pelagic fishes).
(iii) Some organisms breed once in life time (8ambusa and Pacific salmon fish).
(iv) Some organisms breed many times during their life (mammals and many birds).

5. Population Interactions
 The interactions between members of different populations are based upon 3 factors:
(i) Requirement and mode of obtaining food.
(ii) Nature of shelter or space required.
(iii) Habits of the species like aggregation, breeding etc.

Type of Interaction Species General Nature of Interaction

A B
1. Competition – – Direct or indirect inhibition of one species by the other
2. Amensalism – 0 A is inhibited, B is unaffected
3. Parasitism + – A is parasite and B is host
4. Predation + – A is predator and B is prey
5. Commensalism + 0 A is commensal-getting benefits, B is host -unaffected.
6. Protocooperation + + Interaction is favourable to both A & B, but not obligatory
7. Mutualism + + Interaction is favourable to both but obligatory
Different population interactions (+, -, 0 for beneficial,
detrimental and neutral respectively).
 The various important types of interactions between members of biotic community are
described below:
A. Competition
 It is a process in which the fitness of one species (measured in terms of its 'r' the intrinsic rate
of increase) is significantly lower in the presence of another species.
 It is the struggle between two or more organisms for obtaining various requirements for their
survival.

Organisms & Populations || 25

 It is both intraspecific, i.e., between organisms of the same species and interspecific, i.e.,
between organisms of different species.
 Intraspecific competition is more acute because all organisms of the same species have similar
requirements for food, space, light, water, shelter, mate etc.
 The interspecific competition occurs when organisms of different species belong to same
trophic level or have similar feeding habit e.g., in grassland, severe competition occurs
between herbivores like rabbits, deer, bisons etc., as all feed upon grass.
 Competition for zoopalnktons between visiting flamingoes and resident fishes in South
American lakes.
 It may be emphasized that competition is noticed only when required commodity is in short
supply.
 If grass is in plenty and fulfill the needs of all herbivores of that area, there will be no
competition or only little, if at all it occurs.
 Carnivorous animals like tigers and leopards compete for the common prey.
 In forest, shrubs, herbs and trees compete with one another for water, inorganic nutrients,
sunlight and for insects that bring about pollination and for animals that bring about dispersal.
 In competition superiority of individual (intraspecific) or superiority of species (interspecific)
plays an important role.
 No two species can occupy the same ecological niche and live together in a biotic community,
this can be further understood by Gause's competitive exclusion principle (1934).
 Gause found that if two species of Paramecium namely P caudatum and P aurelia, were grown
together in same culture medium, initially both increase in number, but eventually P caudatum
population declines and is eliminated by superior species P aurelia.
 This shows that if two species are occupying same ecological niche and competing for
common resources, then superior type will exclude or eliminate the inferior type of species.
 There are some circumstancial evidences which supports exclusion of species due to
competition e.g.,
(i) Introduction of goats resulted in exclusion of Abingdon tortoise from Galapagos islands.
(ii) Same interaction occurs between Balanus and Chathamalus on rocky coasts of Scotland
(Connell, 1961).

Coexistence :
 Species facing competition might evolve mechanism to live in the same niche by changing the
feeding time or foraging patterns, i.e., resource partitioning.
 If different species coexist inspite of being competitors, it is because they are specialised or
adapted differently (different feeding habits) to obtain same resources.
 That is why Darwin found that fourteen species of finches coexist in Galapagos islands due to
development of different feeding habits.
 Several plants grow together by sending roots to various depths.
 More examples are cited below to explain coexistence aspect of competition.

Organisms & Populations || 26

(i) Five closely related species of warblers avoid competition by changing foraging pattern
(MacArthur).
(ii) "Tribolium-Trifolium" model is best to explain both exclusion and coexistence.
(iii) Habitat diversification can also reduce competition e.g., Tribolium and Oryzaephilum
(Crombic, 1947).
 Competitive release: There occurs a dramatical increase in population of a less distributed
species in a geographical area when its superior competitor is removed experimentally from
that area.
 Plant and herbivores are more affected than carnivores.
 Resource need not to be limiting for competition to occur as feeding efficiency of one species
might be reduced due to inhibitory presence of other species. This is called "interference
competition".

B. Predation
 It is a type of interaction in which the members of one species capture, kill and eat up members
of other species.
 The species that captures is called predator and the other that is captured is called prey.
 Most of the animals except the scavengers (animals eating the dead animals only) are
predators.
 Even certain plants (e.g., Nepenthes, Utricularia, Oionaea, Orosera) are predators, catching
and digesting insects in addition to their autotrophic mode of nutrition.
 They are called insectivorous or carnivorous plants.
 Prey-predator relationship, like competition, is an interaction of ecological importance.
 Prey-predator relationship is utilized by man in biological control of pests.
 Opuntia was weeded out in Australia with the help of its natural herbivore called Cactoblastis
(Cochineal insect).
 Red locust menace was brought under control in Mauritius by Mynah.
 Mosquito larvae are eaten by larvicidal fish such as Gambusia (top minnow).
 In the rocky intertidal communities of the American pacific coast the starfish Pisaster is an
important predator.
Role of predation :
(a) Transfer of energy (in ecological sense herbivores are not very different from predators).
(b) Keeping prey population under control.
(c) Rabbit population in Australia increased tremendously because the land does not have its
natural predators. Red faxes in Newzealand became top carnivores due to absence of a natural
top carnivore.
(d) Predators help to maintain species diversity in a community as they can reduce the intensity
of competition among prey species e.g., Experimental removal of Pisaster (star fish) resulted
in extinction of more than 10 species of invertebrates in American Pacific coast.
(e) Term prudent predator (Slobodkin, 1962) explains that predator does not exterminate its prey
by overexploitation.

Organisms & Populations || 27

 For their defence, prey species have evolved various adaptations, viz
(i) Camouflage e.g., Insects, frogs
Type Example Activities
Camouflage (i) Grasshopper (Arantia rectifolia) Resembles a green leaf.
(Cryptic Appearance) (ii) Praying Mantis (Mantis religiosa) Resembles green leaf and
twig.
(iii)Dead Leaf Butterfly Resembles dead leaf.
(Phyllocrania paradoxa)
(iv) Stick insect (Carausius) Resembles dead leaf.

(ii) Monarch butterfly is well known for its general unpalatability to its predator birds. This insect
is able to sequester the highly toxic glycosides present in milkweeds on which its caterpillar
stages feed (Brower et.a/., 1968). There larvae develop on milkweed, providing the protection
to plant against herbivory.
(iii) Highly poisonous cardiac glycosides are produced by Ca/otropis and nicotine, caffeine,
quinine, strychnine, opium are other means of chemical defence in plants.
(iv) Association of bull horn Acacia cornigera with Pseudomyrmex ferrugenea (ant) is also against
herbivory.
Association of Acacia -Pseudomyrmex and Monarch butterfly -milkweed are examples of
coevolution also.

C. Parasitism
 It is a relationship between two organisms of different species usually differing in size in
which one organism spends a part or whole of its life, on or in the body of other organisms and
gets nourishment and shelter from that.
 The former organism is termed parasite and the latter as host.
 This also depresses the growth rate of host population or may reduce the total size of host
population.
 Parasites are smaller generally, majority of them are host specific.
 High reproductive potential, loss of digestive system and unnecessary sense organs, presence
of specific sucking or adhesive organs are some of their characters, but they have poor means
of dispersal.

Conceptual Questions
State True of False:
Q.1 Equation dN/dt = rN describes geometric growth resulting in a sigmoid curve.
Q.2 Introduction of Abingdon tortoise resulted in exclusion of goats from Galapagos islands.
Q.3 Predators help to maintain species diversity in a community.
Q.4 Crow lays its eggs in the nest of cuckoo and lets the cuckoo incubate them.

Organisms & Populations || 28

Ans. 1. False, 2. False, 3. True, 4. False

D. Mutualism
 It is an obligate association of two organisms in which each derives benefit from the other.
 In mutualism, two organisms often live together and can't live separately, the two organisms
may be plants, animals or one plant and other animal.
(i) Mutualism between plant and plant e.g., lichen (Alga and Fungus), mycorrhiza (Fungus and
roots of higher plants), Rhizobium (N2-fixing bacteria in root nodules of legumes).
(ii) Mutualism between plant and animal e.g. , Green algae Chlorella vulgaris (endosymbiont)
in gastrodermal cells of Hydra. Plant pollinator relation sometimes is a one-to-one
coevolutionary relation like fig and wasp relation, Ophrys and Colpa relation, Yucca and
Pronuba relation.
(iii) Mutualism between animal and animal e.g., Protozoan Trichonympha in gut of termites.
Protozoan helps in cellulose digestion and in return gets shelter.

E. Protocooperation
 It is a non-obligatory interaction between two organisms of different species, in which both are
mutually beneficial to each other, but can easily live separately.
 Two birds, namely red-billed ox pecker and yellow-billed ox pecker feed on ticks and other
parasites sticking to the skin of black rhinoceros and relieve him of the parasites.
 The birds sitting on Rhinoceros for feeding on ticks, etc., also warn the animal of approaching
danger.
 The birds are not only benefitting the animal, but themselves are benefitted too as the animal is
providing food (ticks, etc.) to the birds.
 This is an example of protocooperation as the birds have no close association with animal, it
just visits him occasionally for feeding.

Fig. : Protocooperation between tick bird Ox Pecker and Rhinoceros.

 Another example of protocooperation is the relationship between plover bird and the
crocodile.
 The bird enters the open mouth of the crocodile, feeding on the leeches which are attached to
the lining of buccal cavity.
 The bird not only is getting benefit from the animal (getting food) but helps the animal in
getting rid of leeches which are sucking its blood.
 The association between sea-anemone and hermit crab may also be taken as an example of
protoco-operation in which sea-anemone is attached to snail's shell.
 Sea-anemone is sedentary and can move from one place to another using snail's shell as
Organisms & Populations || 29
 portable home and is able to procure more food.
 The hermit crab is protected from its enemies by the sea-anemone having nematocysts.
F. Commensalism
 It is an interaction between two organisms of different species, benefitting only one species,
the other species is neither benefitted nor harmed.
 The species which is benefitted is termed commensal and the other species is called host.
 Examples of commensalism are observed in diverse types of animals and even in plants.
(i) The pilot fish (Remora) always accompanies shark with a purpose of feeding upon small pieces
of food falling off when shark is tearing its prey. The fish is not attached to shark at any time.
(ii) Sucker fish is attached to underside of shark, getting a free ride and occasionally detaching
itself when the latter is caoturina its orev to feed uoon small nieces of food.

Fig. : Commensalism between Sucker fish and Shark

(iii) Jackals and arctic foxes follow lions and seals, respectively for feeding upon left out food
pieces by the predators.
(iv) Barnacles (Balanus) live attached to whale's body, not getting any benefit from it except
shelter.
(v) Epiphytes are attached to other plants but not getting anything from the host. They are green,
thus nutritionally independent and have special hygroscopic roots which can absorb water
present in the atmosphere in the form of vapours. They get shelter only from the host. They are
able to get proper sunlight too for photosynthesis by growing on higher branches of trees in
thick forests.
(vi) Cattle egrets (birds) forage close to where cattles are grazing because the cattles as they move,
stir up and flush out from the vegetation insects that otherwise might be difficult for the egrets
to find and catch.
(vii) Sea anemone has stinging tentacles that protect clown fish living among them.

G. Amensalism
 It is an interaction between two organisms of different species in which one species inhibits the
growth of other species by secreting certain chemicals.
 This phenomenon of inhibition of growth of one species by the other species through secretion
of certain chemicals is also termed allelopathy (in plants), or antibiosis or biological
antagonism.
 Examples of amensalism are evident in micro-organisms.
 Penicillium secretes penicillin, that inhibits the growth of large number of bacteria. Similarly,
different species of Streptomyces, an actinomycete, produce wide range of chemicals which

Organisms & Populations || 30

 inhibit the growth of other bacteria, some of which cause various diseases in human beings.
 Such chemicals isolated from these microorganisms are thus, used as antibiotics for curing
various diseases caused by bacteria.
 Inhibition of growth of one species by organism of other species is observed in higher plants as
well.
 Roots of black walnut (Juglans nigra), secrete a chemical juglone which is toxic to other
plants like apple, alfalfa, etc. Convolvulus arvensis inhibits the growth of wheat.

Self Assessment

Q.21 The maximum number of individuals of a population which can be supported with optimum
resources for their survival is called
(1) Biotic potential (2) Carrying capacity
(3) Environmental resistance (4) Potential natality
Q.22 The integral form of exponential growth equation will be
(1) N0 = Nt ert (2) Nt – N0 = ert (3) Nt = N0 ert (4) Nt/N0 = 1/ert
Q.23 Which of the following curve represents Verhulst Pearl Logistic growth in a population?
Population density

Population density

(1) Time (2) Time

Population density

Population density

(3) Time (4) Time

Q.24 Mark the incorrect match (w.r.t. population interactions)

(1) Amensalism: –, 0 (2) Predation: +, –
(3) Commensalism : +, + (4) Parasitism +, –
Q.25 According to Gause, if two species are occupying same ecological niche and competing for
common resources, then
(1) Both species will eliminate each other
(2) Inferior type will eliminate the superior type of species
(3) Superior species will exclude the inferior type of species
(4) Both species will be uneffected
Q.26 Which of the following is a conduit for energy transfer across trophic levels?
(1) Mutualism (2) Protocooperation (3) Parasitism (4) Predation
Q.27 Find the odd one out (w.r.t. population interactions)

Organisms & Populations || 31

 (1) Sea-anemone and hermit crab (2) Plover bird and crocodile
(3) Ox pecker and Rhinoceros (4) Opuntia and cochineal insect
Q.28 Association of cattle egret and grazing cattle represents
(1) Commensalism (2) Protocooperation (3) Mutualism (4) Amensalism
Q.29 Phenomenon of inhibition of growth of one species by other species through secretion of
certain chemicals is termed as
(1) Commensalism (2) Allelopathy (3) Mutualism (4) Predation
Q.30 Organisms those are adapted to survive in the ecotones only are called
(1) Keystone species (2) Critical link species
(3) Edge species (4) Ecological equivalents

Ans. Q.21 (2), Q.22 (3), Q.23 (1), Q.24 (3), Q.25 (3), Q.26 (4), Q.27 (4), Q.28 (1), Q.29 (2), Q.30 (3)

Some Important Definitions

1. Ecology: Deals with the various principles which govern the relationships between organisms
and their environment.
2. Ecological Niche: Represents functional role and status of a species in the environment. It
represents habitat and trophic position of a species.
3. Community: A number of different interrelated populations of different species sharing a
common environment.
4. Biome: The large natural ecosystem which is distinct in its climatic conditions and has its
specific group of climax plants and associated animals.
5. Eurythermal: If organism can tolerate large changes in temperature.
6. Thermoperiodicity: It is response of living organisms to regular changes of temperature.
7. Pedology: Study of soil.
8. Eluviation: Washing down of materials from upper strata of soil.
9. Illuviation: Deposition of washed down minerals in lower strata of soil.
10. Regulators: Maintain homeostasis by physiological or behavioural means like
thermoregulation and osmoregulation.
11. Conformers: Cannot maintain thermal and osmotic balance with environment.
12. Suspend: Stage in life cycle where an organism changes its developmental, physiological,
structural, biochemical behaviour to pass through unfavourable conditions.
13. Diapause: Stage of temporary suspension of development under unfavourable conditions.
14. Population density: Number of individuals per unit area.
15. Age pyramid: Graphic representation of proportion of various age groups of a population.
16. Natality: Number of births in the population during a given period.
17. Mortality: Number of deaths in the population during a given period.
18. Environmental resistance: Sum of environmental factors that limits the size of population.
19. Carrying capacity (K): Maximum number of individuals of a population which can be
supported with optimum resources for their survival.
20. Competition: Process in which the fitness of one species is Significantly lower in the presence
Organisms & Populations || 32
 of another species.
21. Competitive release: As soon as the superior species is removed from the area, the other spe-
cies expand its distribution range and density.
22. Predation: Interaction in which the members of one species capture, kill and eat up members
of other species.
23. Mutualism: Obligate association of two organisms in which each derives benefit from the
other.
24. Commensalism: Interaction between two organisms of different species, benefitting only one
species, the other species is neither benefitted nor harmed.
25. Amensalism: Interaction between two organisms of different species in which one species
inhibits the growth of other species by se-creting certain chemicals.

Organisms & Populations || 33

 Summary
1. Ecology deals with the various principles which govern the relationships between organisms
and their environment.
2. Temperature is the most ecologically relevant environmental factor.
3. Regulators are capable of homeostasis in the face of changing external environment. Others
either partially regulate their internal environment or simply conform.
4. In case the organisms are faced with stressful conditions in their ambient environment for short
duration, they have two options, migrate or suspend activities.
5. A population has certain attributes (birth rate, death rate, sex ratio, age distribution) that an
individual organism does not.
6. The age pyramids show age distribution of males and females in a combined diagram. The
shape of the pyramids reflects the growth status of the population.
7. Depending on the species population density may be expressed in numbers, biomass, percent
cover etc.
8. Natality and immigration contribute an increase in population density while mortality and
emigration to a decrease.
9. Growth pattern is exponential if resources are unlimited and it is logistic if resources are
limiting.
10. The intrinsic rate of natural increase (r) is a very important parameter choosen for assessing
impacts of any biotic or abiotic factor on population growth.
11. There is no habitat on earth that is inhabited just by a single species. Animals, plants and
microbes cannot live in isolation but interact in various ways to form a biological community.
12. Both the species benefit to each other in mutualism while both species suffer in competition.
13. In both parasitism and predation only one species benefits.
14. In commensalism, one species benefits and the other is unaffected while in amensalism, one
species is harmed while the other suffers.
15. Predation acts as 'conduits' for energy transfer across trophic levels. Predators keep prey
populations under control.
16. Prey species have evolved various defences to lesser the impact of predation.
17. In competition, it is presumed that the superior type of species eliminates the inferior type, but
many closely related species have evolved various mechanisms which facilitate their
co-existence.
18. The most fascinating cases of mutualism in nature are seen in plant polliwater interactions.

Organisms & Populations || 34

 Exercise – 1
Section–A
Q.1 Term 'Niche' was given by
(1) Odum (2) Grinnel (3) Tansley (4) R. Misra
Q.2 A large regional unit characterised by a specific flora and fauna is called
(1) Biome (2) Biosphere (3) Ecosystem (4) Landscape
Q.3 A group of individuals living in a particular geographical area at a particular time is called
(1) Local population (2) Deme (3) Community (4) Both (1) & (2)
Q.4 Functional role and status of a species in a community is called
(1) Performance (2) Ecological niche (3) Tolerance (4) Organisation
Q.5 The organisms living in arctic and antarctic climatic zones are called
(1) Megatherms (2) Mesotherms (3) Microtherms (4) Hekistotherms
Q.6 The two climatic factors which largely determine the vegetation and soil types are
(1) Temperature and precipitation (2) Temperature and light
(3) Light and precipitation (4) Light and weather
Q.7 Chylorhizy is found in
(1) Opuntia (2) Euphorbia (3) Asparagus (4) Aloe
Q.8 The value of lapse rate is
(1) 1.6°C per 100 m elevation (2) 6.5°C per 100 m elevation
(3) 6.5°C per 1000 m elevation (4) 6.5°C per 10m elevation
2 –1
Q.9 Solar constant is _______ cal/cm min
(1) 2 (2) 4 (3) 6 (4) 8
Q.10 Most harmful radiation is
(1) UV-A (2) UV-B (3) UV-C (4) All are equally harmful
Q.11 Timing of seasonal activity of plants in relation to environmental conditions is called
(1) Physiognomy (2) Phenology (3) Stratification (4) Agrostology
Q.12 Bottom zone in a lake is called
(1) Limnetic (2) Profundal (3) Benthic (4) Littoral
Q.13 Number of temperature zones in a summer lake is
(1) 2 (2) 3 (3) 4 (4) 5
Q.14 In meromictic lakes, number of turnover of water per year is
(1) 1 (2) 2 (3) Many (4) Zero
Q.15 The turnover in a lake in spring and autumn results in
(1) Free mixing of O2 and nutrients (2) Algal bloom
(3) Temperature inversion (4) Both (1 ) & (2)
Q.16 Shorter body extremities in animals living in colder climate is explained by
(1) Allen's rule (2) Bergman's rule (3) Gloger's rule (4) Jordan's rule
Q.17 Partially decomposed organic matter called duff is found in ________ horizon of soil profile
(1) A00 (2) A0 (3) B1 (4) B2

Organisms & Populations || 35

Q.18 In soil profile, zone of eluviation is
(1) O-zone (2) A-zone (3) B-zone (4) C-zone
Q.19 A good soil is that which
(1) Allows little water to enter in it (2) Allows extra water to percolate slowly
(3) Holds water entering it (4) Allows water to pass through it quickly
Q.20 Size of clay particles is
(1) Between 0.00002 - 0.02 mm (2) Less than 0.002 mm
(3) 0.5 - 1.0 mm (4) 0.02 - 0.2 mm
Q.21 Alluvial soils are mostly found in
(1) Northern India (2) Eastern India
(3) Southern India (4) Ganges and Jamuna plains
Q.22 Which of the following soils show cracks and shrinks most as it dries?
(1) Porous soil (2) Clay soil (3) loam soil (4) Sandy soil
Q.23 Soil porosity is maximum in
(1) Sandy soil (2) Clay soil (3) Silt (4) Loam
Q.24 Mull humus is characterised by
(1) Nutrient deficiency (2) Layered composition
+2
(3) Ca deficiency (4) Rich bacterial growth
Q.25 What is the percentage of air in the soil?
(1) 50 (2) 10 (3) 45 (4) 25
Q.26 Law of tolerance was given by
(1) Shelford (2) Haeckel (3) J. Grinnel (4) Gause
Q.27 Critical minimum and maximum values of an environmental factor is called as
(1) Limiting factor (2) Law of minimum
(3) Limits of tolerance (4) Carrying capacity
Q.28 The weeds are usually
(1) Eurytopic (2) Stenotopic (3) Amensal (4) Smoother crops
Q.29 A genotypically adapted local population is called
(1) Ecad (2) Ecotype (3) Ecocline (4) Ecotone
Q.30 Phreatophytes are/have
(1) True xerophytes (2) Deep roots (3) Indicator plants (4) All of these
Q.31 Chemicals which provides physiological adaptations to plants against high temperature and
saline conditions is/are
(1) Chaperonins (2) Proline, glycerol (3) Betaine, sorbitol (4) All of these
Q.32 Vivipary and prop roots are characteristic of
(1) Coastal plants (2) Hot desert plants (3) Mangrove plants (4) Cold desert plants
Q.33 Among the following characters which does not characterise a hydrophyte ?
(1) Abundant air space and air chambers
(2) Abundant xylem and sclerenchyma
(3) Leaves having stomata only on upper side or none
(4) Poor development of roots

Organisms & Populations || 36

Q.34 Plants are killed in winter by frost
(1) Because of desiccation and mechanical damages to the tissues
(2) Because no photosynthesis takes place at such low temperature
(3) Because respiration ceases at such low temperature
(4) Because there is no transpiration
Q.35 Ephemerals are xeropytes that are
(1) Drought enduring (2) Drought escaping (3) Drought resisting (4) None of these
Q.36 The factors which include the form, surface and behaviour of the earth with special reference
to slopes, mountains, valleys etc. are called
(1) Edaphic factor (2) Biotic factors (3) Climatic factors (4) Topographic factors
Q.37 Capacity to blend with surroundings is called
(1) Hibernation (2) Mimicry (3) Camouflage (4) Aestivation
Q.38 A behavioural strategy of adaptation called echolocation is found in
(1) Bats (2) Monarch butterfly (3) Praying mantis (4) Arctic tern
Q.39 Natality under actual conditions is caned
(1) Biotic potential (2) Maximum natality
(3) Ecological natality (4) Reproductive potential
Q.40 Vital index of a population is
B B
(1) × 100 (2) B – O (3) × 100 (4) B + O
D D
Q.41 An urn shaped population age pyramid represent
(1) Growing population (2) Static population
(3) Declining population (4) Threatened population
Q.42 Ability of an environment to support a population is called its
(1) Biotic potential (2) Punfying capacity
(3) Carrying capacity (4) Environmental resistance
Q.43 The equation for J-shaped population growth curve
dN dN KN
(1) = rN (2)  rN  
dt dt  K 
(3) Nt = N0 + B + I – D – E (4) D = N/S
dN KN
Q.44 In the equation for S-shaped population growth  rN   , r represents
dt  K 
(1) Carrying capacity (2) Environmental resistance
(3) Biotic potential (4) Population sile
Q.45 Which is not true for J-shaped growth curve?
(1) Exponential phase is prolonged
(2) Population never grows beyond carrying capacity
(3) Population crash occurs
(4) Population seldom reaches equilibrium

Organisms & Populations || 37

Q.46 The exponential increase in insect populations during rains is finally controlled by
(1) Environmental resistance (2) Reproductive potential
(3) Growth rate (4) Carrying capacity
Q.47 Which statement is not related to S-shaped population curve?
(1) Environmental resistance suddenly become effective
(2) Exponential phase is followed by decline phase
(3) Mass mortality and population crash occurs
(4) Both (1) & (3)
Q.48 The periodic departure and return is known as
(1) Migration (2) Immigration (3) Emigration (4) Mutation
Q.49 When an animal group is centred around a dominant female. it is called
(1) Patriarchy (2) Matnarchy (3) Swarm (4) Flock
Q.50 Altruistic behaviour is not found in
(1) White ants (2) Spotted deer (3) Honey bees (4) Bitch
Q.51 Territory is defended against
(1) Predator (2) Any intruder
(3) Intruder of another species (4) Intruder of same species
Q.52 Inability of different organisms to interbreed is called
(1) Stenlity (2) Parasitism
(3) Reproductive isolation (4) Monogamy
Q.53 The increased number and density of species in region of ecotone is called
(1) Edge effect (2) Sympatric speciation
(3) Dominance (4) Abundance
Q.54 Which of the following association is not an example of symbiosis?
(1) Lichen (2) Mycorrhiza (3) Root nodules (4) Epiphytes
Q.55 Which is not an effect of competition?
(1) Regulation of population size (2) Generalization of niche
(3) Establishment of social hierarchy (4) Help in speciation
Q.56 Competitive exclusion principle was given by
(1) J. Gnnnel (2) Gause (3) Undeman (4) Bates
Q.57 Which of the following shows biological antagonism or allelopathy?
(1) Amensalism (2) Protocooperation (3) Competition (4) Parasitism
Q.58 The interaction between two living organisms of different species which is beneficial to both
but is not obligatory because they can live without each other is known as
(1) Proto-cooperation (2) Mutualism or symbiosis
(3) Commensalism (4) Amensalism
Q.59 Find the odd one out
(1) Lianas in tropical rain forest (2) E. coli in large intestine of man
(3) Pilot fish Remora and shark (4) Rafflesia on roots of forest tree

Organisms & Populations || 38

Q.60 Find the odd one out
(1) Mating (2) Competition (3) Aggregation (4) Altruism
Q.61 Toxic chemical against nematode is secreted by
(1) Tagetes (2) Black walnut (3) Penicillium (4) Grevilfea robusta
Q.62 One of the following is hemi-parasite
(1) Viscum (2) Cuscuta (3) Rafflesia (4) Monotropa
Q.63 Competition for food, light and space is most severe between two
(1) Distantly related species growing in different habitat
(2) Distantly related species growing in the same habitat
(3) Closely related species growing in different habitat
(4) Closely related species growing in the same area
Q.64 The species which are present in large number and have large size are called
(1) Ecological equivalents (2) Ecological dominants
(3) Link species (4) Key stone species
Q.65 Transition zone between two community is called
(1) Ecocline (2) Ecotone (3) Buffer zone (4) Thermocline
Q.66 Which of the following is a keystone species?
(1) Fig (2) Deer (3) Mycorrhiza (4) Pollinator
Q.67 Find the odd one out
(1) Viceroy butterfly resembling monarch butterfly
(2) Stick insect resembling thin, dry branches
(3) Caterpillars of geometrid moth resemble small branches
(4) Leaf insect resembles green leaf
Q.68 Mimicry is a device for
(1) Concealing from predator (2) Concealing from prey
(3) Both (1) & (2) (4) Becoming conspicuous
Q.69 Match the following column
Column I Column II
a. Oxylophytes (i) Calcium rich soils
b. Eremophytes (ii) Waste land
c. Chersophytes (iii) Deserts, steppes
d. Calciphytes (iv) Acidic soils
(1) a(i), b(i), c(iii), d(iv) (2) a(i), b(iii), c(iv), d(ii)
(3) a(iv), b(iii), e(ii), d(i) (4) a(iv), b(iii), e(i), d(ii)
Q.70 Which of the following statement is correct?
(1) Two species within a given community can have exactly the same niche
(2) Two species within a given community cannot have exactly the same niche
(3) Two species can live permanently together
(4) Both (2) & (3)

Organisms & Populations || 39

Q.71 Biotic potential refers to
(1) Increase of population under optimum conditions
(2) Increase of population under given conditions
(3) Increase of population under natural conditions
(4) Increase of population under stress conditions
Q.72 'Edge effect' refers to
(1) Occurrence of ecophenes and ecotypes in a community
(2) Low diversity of organisms in ecotone
(3) High diversity of organisms in ecotone
(4) Defence of territories by organisms
Q.73 In India tropical rain forests are generally found in
(1) Western Ghats (2) North Eastern Himalayas
(3) Gangetic plains in India (4) Both (1) & (2)
Q.74 The forests which shows contrasting seasonal aspects are
(1) Tropical rain forest (2) Temperate broad leaf forest
(3) Tropical deciduous forest (4) Temperate needle leaf forest
Q.75 Which is not a characteristic feature of grassland?
(1) Extensive root system (2) High productivity
(3) Periodic fire (4) Developed stratification
Q.76 Most of the deserts are distributed between
(1) 15° - 35° latitude (2) 40º - 60º latitude
(3) 60º - 80º latitude (4) Only in southern hemisphere
Q.77 A biame having a well developed grass cover interspersed with scattered trees is a
(1) Grassland (2) Savanna (3) Desert (4) Temperate forest
Q.78 The taiga region is also known as
(1) Deciduous forest (2) Tropical rain forest
(3) Northern conifer forest (4) Tropical savannah
Q.79 The grassland vegetation of Africa is known as
(1) Prairies (2) Pampas (3) Steppes (4) Veldts
Q.80 Arctic Tundra are
(1) Highest latitudinal biame
(2) located in rain shadow
(3) Characterised by Capparis and Prosopis species
(4) Highest altitudinal biame

Section–B
Q.1 Competition for nutrients, food, light and space is more severe between two –
(1) Unrelated species occupying different niches
(2) Unrelated species occupying the same niche
(3) Closely related species occupying different niches
(4) Closely related species occupying the same niche

Organisms & Populations || 40

Q.2 Symbiosis means –
(1) Living apart with benefit to one and harm to another partner
(2) Living together with benefit to both partners
(3) Living together with benefit to one partner
(4) Living together without harm
Q.3 When one organism inhibits another organism without a significant gain (OR) Antagonism
between two organism through gases or allochemicals is called –
(1) Parasitism (2) Mutalism (3) Amensalism (4) Commensalism
Q.4 The relationship between the alga Microcystis and the surrounding fauna corresponds to –
(1) Exploitation (2) Parasitism (3) Amensalism (4) Predation
Q.5 Occurrence of zoochlorellae in the body wall of Hydra is an example of –
(1) Predation (2) Mutualism or symbiosis
(3) Commensalism (4) Food chain involving a parasite
Q.6 Zone of transition, presenting a situation of special ecological interest between two types of
communities is called as -
(1) Ecad (2) Ecotype (3) Ecotone (4) None of these
Q.7 When food is obtained by killing of host in which the stronger partner is benefitted and host is
damaged such an interaction is said to be –
(1) Competition (2) Antibiosis (3) Predation (4) Parasitism
Q.8 The natural process by which different groups or communities colonize the same area over a
period of time in a definite sequence is called–
(1) Succession (2) Adaptation (3) Biological rhythm (4) Variation
Q.9 Due to modification of the environment by the plant community itself, when one community is
replaced by another suitable community, the succession is called as –
(1) Induced (2) Autogenic (3) Migration (4) Allogenic
Q.10 Complete the following equation by putting one of the following option respectively. For
constant size population : Birth + ..... = Death + ........
(1) emigration, immigration (2) immigration, emigration
(3) emigration, population density (4) immigration, population density
Q.11 A total parasite is nutritionally
(1) A photoautotroph (2) A chemoautotroph
(3) A photoheterotroph (4) A chemoheterotrophs
Q.12 Which of the following ecological relationship between pairs of organism is different from the
other pairs?
(1) Fish - Algae (2) Cow - Grass (3) Fungus - Wheat (4) Giraffe – Shrub
Q.13 Which of the following is least likely to result in density dependent effects on growth of
natural population?
(1) Interspecific competition (2) Parasitism
(3) Disease (4) Increased rain fall

Organisms & Populations || 41

Q.14 Genetically adaptive population to a particular habitat is
(1) Ecotone (2) Ecotype (3) Ecosphere (4) Ecology
Q.15 Species which is present in many communities is called
(1) ubiquitous species (2) endemic species (3) exclusive species (4) dominant species
Q.16 Negative interaction is also known as
(1) Allelopathy (2) Antagonism (3) Antibiosis (4) Competition
Q.17 Chemical which is secreted by walnut and inhibit growth of apple is
(1) HCN (2) Juglon
(3) Trans cinnemic acid (4) Walnum
Q.18 The carrying capacity of a population mean -
(1) The rate at which the density of individual increase over time
(2) The maximum number of individual which can be supported in a given environment
(3) The proportion of individual which are most responsible for population growth
(4) The minimum number of individual necessary to avoid extinction
Q.19 Which of the following interaction is not a positive interaction?
(1) Flower and pollinator (2) Plant & herbivore
(3) Legume plant and N2 fixing organism (4) Lichen
Q.20 The actual rate of growth of population is the difference between the
(1) Number of adult and number of new born
(2) Size last year and size this year
(3) Number of breeding and non breeding individual
(4) Birth rate & Death rate
Q.21 Which equation shows logistic growth?
K-N
(1) dN/dt = rN   (2) dN/dt = rN
 K 
(3) dN/dt = rN(1+N/K) (4) Nt = N0ert
Q.22 Which equation shows exponential growth?
(1) dN/dt = – rN (2) dN/dt = rN
KN K+N
(3) dN/dt = rN   (4) dN/dt = rN  
 K   K 
Q.23 S shaped growth curve is obtained in
(1) Logistic growth (2) Exponential growth
(3) Limited growth (4) 1 & 2 Both
Q.24 Parasite can be best explained as an organism which depends on
(1) others for food (2) others for shelter
(3) others for food & shelter (4) others for reproduction
Q.25 What is the most important factor for success for population?
(1) Natality (2) Unlimited food
(3) Adaptabiltiy (4) Interspecific competition

Organisms & Populations || 42

Q.26 Variety of different life forms in shallow pond constitute
(1) Ecosystem (2) Community (3) Population (4) Biome
Q.27 In xerophytes, longer root system are found because -
(1) Roots grow deeper to absorb water from deep water tables
(2) They give mechanical support to the plant
(3) Low temperature at night encourages root growth
(4) Hight temperature of soils encourages root growth
Q.28 Which of the plants have no leaves but green stems?
(1) Hydrophytes (2) Xerophytes (3) Mesophytes (4) Epiphytes parasites
Q.29 Hydrilla is a or Vallisneria and Hydrilla are example of –
(1) Floating and anchored (2) Suspended hydrophyte
(3) Submerged hydrophyte (4) A free floating hydrophyte
Q.30 Which among the following could be deviod of roots?
(1) Epiphyte (2) Parasite (3) Hydrophyte (4) Mesophyte
Q.31 Glazed and shining leathery leaf surface and the presence of sclerenchymatous hypodermis in
leaves is the characteristic feature of -
(1) Epiphytes (2) Cold xerophytes (3) Mesophytes (4) Hot xerophytes
Q.32 In general, a plant most likely to survive in areas where temperature is high, relative humidity
is low and wind prevalent, would have-
(1) Small and narrow leaves (2) Large and broad leaves
(3) Large intercellular spaces (4) Reduced palisade tissue
Q.33 Root is feebly developed and stem is soft and buoyant in -
(1) Sciophytes (2) Halophytes (3) Hydrophytes (4) Heliophytes
Q.34 The cells for rolling down of lamina in grasses to reduce transpiration are -
(1) Sunken stomata (2) Subsidiary cells (3) Bulliform cells (4) Guard cells
Q.35 Root cap is absent in
(1) Halophytes (2) Hydrophytes (3) Mangrooves (4) Mesophytes
Q.36 Heterophyllous plants are common among -
(1) Free floating hydrophytes
(2) Submerged hydrophytes
(3) Amphibious or emergent rooted hydrophytes
(4) Suspended hydrophytes
Q.37 The vascular plants which are devoid of stomata and hydathodes -
(1) Pteridophytes (2) Gymnosperms (3) Spermatophytes (4) Hydrophytes
Q.38 Swollen petiole of Eichhornia is made up of-
(1) Parenchyma (2) Chlorenchyma (3) Aerenchyma (4) Collenchyma
Q.39 Which hydrophytes have a well developed roots, vascular tissues & stomata -
(1) Submerged types (2) Suspended types (3) Amphibious types (4) Free floating types
Q.40 Grasses & many crop plants which possess hydathodes & exhibit guttation are -
(1) Hydrophytes (2) Mesophytes (3) Xerophytes (4) Halophytes
Organisms & Populations || 43
Q.41 Desert plants are generally -
(1) Less chlorophyllous (2) Heterophyllous
(3) Herbaceous (4) Succulents
Q.42 Cladode, phylloclade & phyllode are the characterstic of -
(1) Mesophytes (2) Xerophytes (3) Epiphytes (4) Hydrophytes
Q.43 Reduced leaves, thick cuticle & sunken stomata protected by hairs are the characteristics of -
(1) Xerophytes (2) Mesophytes (3) Hydrophytes (4) Halophytes
Q.44 The characteristics of water storage tissue is-
(1) Large sized cells (2) Cell walls thin
(3) Presence of mucilage (4) Presence of vacuoles
Q.45 Which group of plants grow in saline situations and face physiological dryness -
(1) Lithophytes (2) Halophytes (3) Hydrophytes (4) Epiphytes
Q.46 Which of the following are plants of one group-
(1) Mangifera & Rhizophora (2) Rhizophora & Avicinia
(3) Rhizophora & Balanophora (4) Balanophora & Avicinia
Q.47 The upper vertical zone of ocean upto the depth of 200 meters is known as-
(1) Aphotic zone (2) Abyssal zone (3) Photic zone (4) None of these
Q.48 Which of the following can be recognised as a major environment in the ocean basin -
(1) Pelagic zone (2) Littoral zone (3) Benthonic zone (4) All of these
Q.49 Nutrient enrichment of lakes is called-
(1) Biochemical oxygen demand (2) Green house effect
(3) Eutrophication (4) Biomagnification
Q.50 Father of Indian ecology is -
(1) Prof. R Mishra (2) G.S. Puri (3) S.C. Pandeys (4) Prof. N. Dudgeon
Q.51 The science dealing with soil is called -
(1) Pedology (2) Acarology (3) Geology (4) Palaeantology
Q.52 Water logged soils are -
(1) Physiologically dry (2) Physiologically wet
(3) With great amount of water (4) With less amount of water
Q.53 What is the best pH of the soil for cultivation of plants -
(1) 3.4 – 5.4 (2) 6.5 – 7.5 (3) 4.5 – 8.5 (4) 5.5 – 6.5
Q.54 Forests near equator region are called -
(1) Deciduous (2) Tropical rain forests
(3) Coniferous forests (4) Temperate forests
Q.55 Insectivorous plants grow in the soil which is deficient in -
(1) Mg (2) Ca (3) P (4) N
Q.56 Maximum photosynthesis take place by -
(1) Phytoplankton (2) Zooplankton (3) Marsh plants (4) Woody plants

Organisms & Populations || 44

Q.57 Pneumatophores are found in -
(1) The vegetation which is found in marshy and salin lake
(2) The vegetation which found in saline soil
(3) Xerophytes
(4) Epiphytes
Q.58 In which of the following plant sunken stomata are found -
(1) Nerium (2) Hydrilla (3) Mango (4) Guava
Q.59 Humus is important for plant growth because–
(1) It is partially decomposed
(2) It is derived from leaves
(3) It is made up of dead organic matter
(4) It is rich in nutrients and increases the water holding capacity
Q.60 Which of the following habitats would be ideally suited to sciophytes?
(1) Desert (2) Ponds and lakes
(3) Dry and sunny place (4) Moist and shady place
Q.61 The soil near the surface is usually darker than the soil about one meter down. This is because
the top soil is –
(1) Richer in organic matter (2) Richer in Ca and Mg
(3) Dry (4) Young and wet
Q.62 Biotic potential refers to
(1) Increase of population under optimum condition
(2) Increase of population under given condition
(3) Increase of population under natural condition
(4) None of the above
Q.63 Which is not a character of climex community?
(1) Large size (2) Mesophytic
(3) Simple food chain (4) Complex organisation
Q.64 When the vegetation of any region reaches at climatic climax it is
(1) Lithophytic (2) Xerophytic (3) Mesophytic (4) Hydrophytic
Q.65 The direction of succession
(1) Predictable (2) Unpredictable (3) Haphazard (4) Always changing
Q.66 In a hydrosere the submerged stage is followed by
(1) Phytoplenktons (2) Reed swamp (3) Sedges (4) Floating plant
Q.67 Competition for food, light and space is most severe in -
(1) Closely related species growing in the same area (in the same niche)
(2) Closely related species growing in different habitat
(3) Distantly related species growing in the same habitat
(4) Distantly related species growing in different habitat

Organisms & Populations || 45

Q.68 The equation for J-shaped population growth curve
dN dN KN
(1)  rN (2)  rN  
dt dt  K 
N
(3) Nt = N0 + B + I – D – E (4) D 
S
Q.69 The interaction between two living organism of different species which is beneficial to both
but is not obligatory because they can live without each other is known as
(1) Proto-cooperation (2) Mutualism or symbiosis
(3) Commensalism (4) Amensalism
Q.70 Find the odd one out
(1) Lianas in tropical rain forest (2) E. coli in large intestine of man
(3) Pilot fish Remora and shark (4) Rafflesia on roots of forest tree

Answer Key
Section–A
Q.1 2 Q.2 1 Q.3 4 Q.4 2 Q.5 4 Q.6 1 Q.7 3
Q.8 3 Q.9 1 Q.10 3 Q.11 2 Q.12 3 Q.13 2 Q.14 4
Q.15 4 Q.16 1 Q.17 2 Q.18 2 Q.19 2 Q.20 2 Q.21 4
Q.22 2 Q.23 2 Q.24 4 Q.25 4 Q.26 1 Q.27 3 Q.28 1
Q.29 2 Q.30 4 Q.31 4 Q.32 3 Q.33 2 Q.34 1 Q.35 2
Q.36 4 Q.37 3 Q.38 1 Q.39 3 Q.40 1 Q.41 3 Q.42 3
Q.43 1 Q.44 3 Q.45 2 Q.46 1 Q.47 4 Q.48 1 Q.49 2
Q.50 4 Q.51 4 Q.52 3 Q.53 1 Q.54 4 Q.55 2 Q.56 2
Q.57 1 Q.58 1 Q.59 4 Q.60 2 Q.61 1 Q.62 1 Q.63 4
Q.64 2 Q.65 2 Q.66 1 Q.67 1 Q.68 3 Q.69 3 Q.70 4
Q.71 1 Q.72 3 Q.73 4 Q.74 3 Q.75 4 Q.76 1 Q.77 2
Q.78 3 Q.79 4 Q.80 1

Section–B
Q.1 4 Q.2 2 Q.3 3 Q.4 3 Q.5 2 Q.6 3 Q.7 3
Q.8 1 Q.9 2 Q.10 2 Q.11 4 Q.12 3 Q.13 4 Q.14 2
Q.15 1 Q.16 2 Q.17 2 Q.18 2 Q.19 2 Q.20 4 Q.21 1
Q.22 2 Q.23 1 Q.24 3 Q.25 3 Q.26 2 Q.27 1 Q.28 2
Q.29 3 Q.30 3 Q.31 4 Q.32 1 Q.33 3 Q.34 3 Q.35 2
Q.36 3 Q.37 4 Q.38 3 Q.39 3 Q.40 2 Q.41 4 Q.42 2
Q.43 1 Q.44 3 Q.45 2 Q.46 2 Q.47 3 Q.48 1 Q.49 3
Q.50 1 Q.51 1 Q.52 1 Q.53 4 Q.54 2 Q.55 4 Q.56 1
Q.57 1 Q.58 1 Q.59 4 Q.60 4 Q.61 1 Q.62 1 Q.63 3
Q.64 3 Q.65 1 Q.66 4 Q.67 1 Q.68 1 Q.69 1 Q.70 4

Organisms & Populations || 46

Exercise – 2 Previous Years Questions
Q.1 Ethology is the study of - [Uttaranchal 2004]
(1) Behaviour of animals (2) Past life of organism
(3) Disease causing pathogens (4) None of these
Q.2 Humus is - [Uttaranchal 2005]
(1) Dead and decayed organic matter (2) Living matter
(3) Fertilizers (4) Living animal / plants / microbes
Q.3 Name the famous plant ecologist - [C.G. PMT 2005]
(1) Jagdish chandra bose (2) Birbal Shani
(3) Ramdeva Misra (4) Charles Darwin
Q.4 Correct percentage of CO2 in atmosphere is - [C.G. PMT 2005]
(1) 0.03 % (2) 0.3 % (3) 1 % (4) 1.1 %
Q.5 In an quatic environment, microscopic animals and plants are collectively known as -
[C.G. PMT 2006]
(1) Commensals (2) Herbivores (3) Fauna and Flora (4) Planktons
Q.6 5th June is - [C.G. PMT 2006]
(1) World Environment Day (2) Wold AIDS Day
(3) World Womens Day (4) Worlds Polio Day
Q.7 Plants developing in dry condition are - [Bihar 2004]
(1) Xerophytes (2) Mesophytes (3) Lithophytes (4) Hydrophytes
Q.8 Soil carried by gravity is - [Bihar 2002]
(1) Alluvial (2) Colluvial (3) Elluvial (4) Glacial
Q.9 Velamen tissue is found in - [Bihar 2001]
(1) Mesophytes (2) Epiphytes (3) Hydrophytes (4) Xerophytes
Q.10 Pneumatophores are characteristic feature of - [Bihar 2001]
(1) Hydrilla (2) Rhizophora (3) Typha (4) None of these
Q.11 Factors relating to form and behaviour of the earth's surface are called - [Bihar 2001]
(1) Edaphic (2) Topographic (3) Climatic (4) Biotic
Q.12 Aerenchyma is helpful in plants by - [Bihar 2006]
(1) Providing buoyancy in hydrophytes (2) Absorption in stilt roots
(3) Giving mechanical strength to plants (4) Giving flexibility to plants
Q.13 Plants growing in saline soil are called - [UP CPMT 2002]
(1) Xerophyte (2) Hydrophyte (3) Halophyte (4) Heliophyte
Q.14 Which one of the following is well-developed tissue present in hydrophytes? [UP CPMT 2002]
(1) Aerenchyma (2) Collenchyma (3) Stomata (4) Root system
Q.15 Penumetophores are found in - [RPMT 2000]
(1) Orchid (2) Piper (3) Ficus (4) Rhizophora
Q.16 The term Autecology refers to study of - [RPMT 2000]
(1) Plant community (2) Individual organism
(3) Environment (4) Soil form
Organisms & Populations || 47
Q.17 Autoecology refers to - [RPMT 2001]
(1) Plant ecology
(2) Animal ecology
(3) Ecological study of individual species
(4) Ecological study of group of species, which is grown together
Q.18 Which part of the pond ecosystem does not affect by the temperature - [RPMT 2001]
(1) Epilimnion (2) Metalimnion (3) Hypolimnion (4) All
Q.19 Root cap is absent in - [RPMT 2002]
(1) Mesophytes (2) Hydrophytes (3) Epiphytes (4) Xerophytes
Q.20 Which of the following have sunken stomata - [RPMT 2002]
(1) Nerium (2) Mangifera (3) Hydrilla (4) Zea mays
Q.21 Velamen & spongy tissue is found in - [RPMT 2002]
(1) Breathing roots (2) Parasitic roots (3) Tuberous roots (4) Epiphytic roots
Q.22 Root cap is absent in - [RPMT 2005]
(1) Lithophytes (2) Xerophytes (3) Hydrophytes (4) Mesophytes
Q.23 Which of the following is the example of xerophytes - [RPMT 2005]
(1) Brassica (2) Cuscuta (3) Capparis (4) Hydrilla
Q.24 The organisms inhabiting a common environment belongs to the same - [Uttaranchal 2004]
(1) Species (2) Genus (3) Population (4) Community
Q.25 Insectivorous plants usually survive in - [JHARKHAND 2005]
(1) Water rich soil (2) N2 deficient soil
(3) N2 rich soil (4) Sugar deficient medium
Q.26 Group of two or more than two plants species is called as - [JHARKHAND 2003]
(1) Plant community (2) Animal ecosystem (3) Plant ecosystem (4) Ecological niche
Q.27 The two vegetations of ecosystem are separated by - [UP CPMT 2001]
(1) Ecotone (2) Ecoline (3) Ecosytem (4) Ecesis
Q.28 In plant succession last community is called - [RPMT 2000]
(1) Ecotone (2) Climax community
(3) Seral community (4) Ecocystem
Q.29 In which one of the following habitats does the diurnal temperature of soil surface vary most?
[AIPMT 2004]
(1) Forest (2) Desert (3) Grassland (4) Shrub land
Q.30 People who have migrated from the planes to an area adjoining Rohtang Pass about six months
back : [AIPMT Pre 2012]
(1) are not physically fit to play games like football.
(2) suffer from altitude sickness with symptoms like nausea, fatigue, etc.
(3) have the usual RBC count but their haemoglobin has very high binding affinuty to O2.
(4) have more RBCs and their haemoglobin has a lower binding affinity to O2.

Organisms & Populations || 48

Q.31 Sacred groves are specially useful in : [AIPMT Mains 2012]
(1) generating environmental awareness (2) preventing soil erosion
(3) year-round flow of water in rivers (4) conserving rare and threatened species
Q.32 The second stage of hydrosere is occupied by plants like : [AIPMT Mains 2012]
(1) Azolla (2) Typha (3) Salix (4) Vallisneria
Q.33 A sedentary sea anemone gets attached to the shell tilling of hermit crab. The association is:
[AIPMT 2013]
(1) Symbiosis (2) Commensalism (3) Amensalism (4) Ectoparasitism
Q.34 A biologist studied the population of rats in a barn. He found that the average natality was 250,
average mortality 240, immigration 20 and emigration 30. The net increase in population is :
[AIPMT 2013]
(1) 15 (2) 5 (3) zero (4) 10
Q.35 Match the following and select the correct option : [AIPMT 2014]
(a) Earthworm (i) Pioneer species
(b) Succession (ii) Detritivore
(c) Ecosystem service (iii) Natality
(d) Population growth (iv) Pollination
(1) a-(iii), b-(ii), c-(iv), d-(i) (2) a-(ii), b-(i), c-(iv), d-(iii)
(3) a-(i), b-(ii), c-(iii), d-(iv) (4) a-(iv), b-(i), c-(iii), d-(ii)

Answer Key
Q.1 1 Q.2 1 Q.3 3 Q.4 1 Q.5 4 Q.6 1 Q.7 1
Q.8 2 Q.9 2 Q.10 2 Q.11 2 Q.12 1 Q.13 3 Q.14 1
Q.15 4 Q.16 2 Q.17 3 Q.18 3 Q.19 2 Q.20 1 Q.21 4
Q.22 3 Q.23 3 Q.24 4 Q.25 2 Q.26 1 Q.27 1 Q.28 2
Q.29 2 Q.30 4 Q.31 4 Q.32 4 Q.33 2 Q.34 3 Q.35 2

Organisms & Populations || 49

Exercise – 3 AIIMS Special Questions
In the following questions, a statement of assertion (A) is followed by a statement of reason
(R).
(1) If both Assertion & Reason are true and the reason is the correct explanation of the assertion,
then mark (1).
(2) If both Assertion & Reason are true but the reason is not the correct explanation of the
assertion, then mark (2).
(3) If Assertion is true statement but Reason is false, then mark (3).
(4) If both Assertion and Reason are false statements, then mark (4).
Q.1 A : Holistic approach explains the environmental interactions.
R : All environmental factors are integrated with no limits of time and space.
Q.2 A : Some organisms can maintain internal homeostasis by means of physiological processes
and are called 'Regulates'.
R : 'Regulates' can maintain internal homeostasis only upto a limit of stressful conditions.
Q.3 A : Population ecology is a link of ecology to population genetics and evolution.
R : Natural selection operates at population level to evolve the desired traits.
Q.4 A : Under unlimited resource condition a population can show a exponential growth curve.
R : A maximum possible number of individuals can always be supported when enough
resources are available.
Q.5 A : Insects contribute maximum in total diversity of animals.
R : Angiosperms and insects are coevolved to perform a plant-pollinator interaction.
Q.6 A : Drought resistant plants are not true xerophytes.
R : Drought resistant plants always have physiological dryness.
Q.7 A : In winter and summer season growth of phytoplantkton is low in any lake.
R : Amount of nutrients and oxygen is less in lake during summer and winter.
Q.8 A : Chemical which repel other animals called allomones.
R : These are beneficial substances for others.
Q.9 A : In mangrove plants, negatively geotropic roots come out of the mud called pneumatophores.
R : Mangrove plants grow in water-logged marshy conditions so there is problem of aeration in
roots of these plants.
Q.10 A : Loam soils are ideal for vegetation.
R : Loam soils have clay but no sand.
Q.11 A : Mangroves have breathing roots.
R : Soil air is almost negligible in swamps.
Q.12 A : Profundal zone of a lake harbours have only heterotrophs.
R : Autotrophs fail to grow in deep water due to lack of light.
Q.13 A : Ecads appear different.
R : They lives in different environmental conditions.
Q.14 A : Heliophytes are shade loving plant. They requires poor light intensity.
R : They are found in lower level of stratification.
Organisms & Populations || 50
Q.15 A : Epiphytes can be absorb atmospheric humidity.
R : Velamen tissue presents in thier hanging roots.
Q.16 A : Well developed chlorenchyma is present in aquatic plants
R : Photosynthetic root are present in Trapa plant.
Q.17 A : Water holding capacity of the soil depends upon structure of soil.
R : Water holding capacity of sandy soil is best.
Q.18 A : Human regulated environment is called noosphere.
R : Human is the main cause for pollution in our cosystem due to exploitation of natural
resources.
Q.19 A : Ephiphytes are completely autotrophic plants which grow on other plants.
R : Epiphytes are found in Sariska national park.
Q.20 A : Psychrophytes are also known as hekistotherms plants.
R : Cold soil is physiologically dry habitat.
Q.21 A : Photosynthesis process is absent in aphotic zone of ocean.
R : Aphotic zone is the deepest zone of ocean without oxygen.
Q.22 A : Solar energy is the best pollution free form of energy.
R : It can be produced in a nuclear reactor in large amout from a tiny amount.
Q.23 A : Planktons are free floating organism on the surfaces of water.
R : All Planktons belongs to animal kingdom.
Q.24 A : Hygroscopic water is hold by soil colloids.
R : It can be utilized by plants.
Q.25 A : Undifferentiated and living xylem is found in aquatic plants (suspended).
R : Phloem is less developed in aquatic plants.

Answer Key
Q.1 3 Q.2 3 Q.3 1 Q.4 2 Q.5 1 Q.6 3 Q.7 1
Q.8 3 Q.9 1 Q.10 3 Q.11 1 Q.12 1 Q.13 2 Q.14 4
Q.15 1 Q.16 2 Q.17 3 Q.18 2 Q.19 3 Q.20 2 Q.21 3
Q.22 3 Q.23 3 Q.24 3 Q.25 2

Organisms & Populations || 51

 Bansal Quick Review Table
Instruction to fill
(A) Write down the Question Number you are unable to solve in column A below, by Pen.
(B) After discussing the Questions written in column A with faculties, strikes off them in the
manner so that you can see at the time of Revision also, to solve these questions again.
(C) Write down the Question Number you feel are important or good in the column B.

Exercise No. Column A Column B

Question I am unable to solve in
Good/Important questions
first attempt

Exercise – 1(a)

Exercise – 1(b)

Exercise – 2

Exercise – 3

Other Exercise

Advantages
1. It is advised to the students that they should prepare a question bank for the revision as it is
very difficult to solve all the questions at the time of revision.
2. Using above index you can prepare and maintain the questions for your revision.

Organisms & Populations || 52