Exercise Questions
Question 1. Fill in the blanks.
(a) A place where animals are protected in their natural habitat is called _________.
(b) Species found only in a particular area is known as _______.
(c) Migratory birds fly to faraway places because of __________ changes.
Solution 1.
(a) A place where animals are protected in their natural habitat is called Sanctuary.
(b) Species found only in a particular area are known as endemic.
(c) Migratory birds fly to faraway places because of climatic changes.
Question 2. Differentiate between the following.
(a) Wildlife sanctuary and biosphere reserve
(b) Zoo and wildlife sanctuary
(c) Endangered and extinct species
(d) Flora and fauna
Solution 2. a)
| Wildlife sanctuary | Biosphere Reserve |
| An area reserved in the forest where animals are kept to protect them from external dangers like hunting. | An area constructed to conserve biodiversity. |
| The wild animals living in a sanctuary are provided with adequate habitat and protection. | In a biosphere reserve, it is possible to conserve several life forms like plants, animals, and microorganisms. |
| Eg: Corbett national park | Eg: Nilgiri Biosphere reserve |
b)
| Zoo | Wildlife Sanctuary |
| Animals are kept for public exhibition in artificially constructed habitats. | An area reserved in the forest where animals are kept to protect them from external dangers like hunting. |
| the animals may or may not adapt to the new conditions in the artificially constructed habitat. | It is their natural habitat so the animals won’t have any problem with their surroundings. |
c)
| Endangered Species | Extinct Species |
| Endangered species are those species of plants and animals which are on the verge of extinction. | Extinct species are those species of animals or plants that no longer exist. |
| Eg: Bengal Tiger, Blue Whale, etc. | Eg: Caribbean monk seal, Great Auk, Passenger pigeon. |
d)
| Flora | Fauna |
| All the plant life of a particular area is collectively called the flora. | All the animal life of a particular area is collectively called the fauna. |
| Eg: Spurge and Hogweed from the Nilgiris region | Eg: Langur, Tiger, Tahr from the Nilgiris region. |
Question 3. Discuss the effects of deforestation on the following.
(a) Wild animals
(b) Environment
(c) Villages (Rural areas)
(d) Cities (Urban areas)
(e) Earth
(f) The next generation
Solution 3.
(a) Effects of deforestation on wild animals:
Forest not only provides the habitat to the wild animals but they provide them with food as well. Deforestation would hurt wild animals. Plants in the forest plays the important role in the existence of animals in a particular ecosystem. And destroying this plant life may lead to their extinction.
(b) Effects of deforestation on the environment:
Plants are an integral part of the forest that maintains the balance of carbon dioxide and oxygen in the environment. plant releases oxygen during the process of photosynthesis and deforestation would increase the level of carbon dioxide in the environment this will lead to global warming and disturbance in rainfall patterns leading to droughts and floods.
(c) Effects of deforestation on villages:
The main occupation in villages is agriculture and deforestation would lead to less rainfall that would adversely affect agriculture as for agriculture rainfall is very important. Deforestation also affects soil fertility and can bring natural disasters like drought and floods.
(d)Effects of deforestation on cities:
Deforestation can bring natural calamities like floods and drought in urban areas. It will also lead to global warming because of an increased level of CO2 in the atmosphere. The water cycle is also affected because of deforestation.
(e) Effects of deforestation on Earth:
Deforestation leads to desertification, droughts, and floods. Carbon Dioxide levels in the earth’s atmosphere also increase because of deforestation which leads to global warming.
(f) Effects of deforestation on the next generation:
deforestation would badly affect the next generation as our next generation will be facing many natural calamities like global warming, Soil erosion, desertification, drought, greenhouse effect, floods, and many other problems because of deforestation.
Question 4. What will happen if
(a) we go on cutting trees
(b) the habitat of an animal is disturbed
(c) the top layer of soil is exposed
Solution 4.
(a) If we go on cutting the trees
If we go on cutting the trees, the animals will lose their natural habitat and the biodiversity of the affected areas will be reduced. The temperature of the Earth will rise and give way to global warming. The water cycle will be affected because of increased global warming. Hence, the rainfall pattern will change and this will lead to lead to droughts and floods. There will also be the risks of soil erosion, global warming, desertification, greenhouse effect increases.
(b) If the habitat of an animal is disturbed
If the habitat of an animal is disturbed then they will move to other places in search of their food, water, shelter, and protection. In due course, the animal may be killed by another animal or can be dangerous to other animals. If the animals move to some residential areas, then it will be a matter of concern for all the people living there.
(C) If the top layer of the soil is removed
Removing the top layer of the soil is removed then the lower layer of soil which is hard and rocky will be exposed. The lower level of the soil is not fertile as well because of the reduced quantity of humus and in turn, the land will be barren and infertile.
Question 5. Answer in brief.
(a) Why should we conserve biodiversity?
(b) Protected forests are also not completely safe for wild animals. Why?
(c) Some tribals depend on the jungle. How?
(d) What are the causes and consequences of deforestation?
(e) What is Red Data Book?
(f) What do you understand by the term migration?
Solution 5. a) Diverse range of life forms like plants, animals, and micro-organisms in the area are known as biodiversity. They all are interdependent for their survival. The destruction of one will automatically affect the other. That is why we should conserve biodiversity.
- b) Protected forests are also not completely safe for wild animals because of people living near those forests. These people depend on the forests for their livelihood and day-to-day needs. They threaten the animals living there as the wild animals are killed and sold by them for huge sums of money.
- c) Some tribal live in forests and get their food, fodder, and other resources from the forests only. They are dependent on the forest for their everyday needs.
d)
- Causes of deforestation:
following are some causes of deforestation:
- To accommodate the ever-expanding urban population.
- For agricultural activities.
- For firewood, which is a demanding forest product.
- Consequences of deforestation:
following are some consequences of deforestation:
- Soil erosion
- Loss of Biodiversity
- Floods
- Droughts
- Global warming as a result of climate change
- Disruption of the water cycle
(e) Red data book is a sourcebook that has an international list of all the species of plant and animal which are endangered, that is, on the verge of extinction. This book is maintained by The International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural resources (IUCN) and they only add/remove the names of the species by conducting a comprehensive survey.
(f) when an organism or a group of organisms moves from its natural habitat to another place on a standard basis at a particular time of every year is called migration. The organisms migrate from one place to another for the process of breeding or to avoid uninhabitable conditions of climate.
Question 6. To meet the ever-increasing demand in factories and for shelter, trees are being continually cut. Is it justified to cut trees for such projects? Discuss and prepare a brief report.
Solution 6. No, cutting down trees to meet the ever-increasing demand in factories and for shelter is just not fair. Trees in the forests are the home to a vast number of organisms like wild animals, insects, and birds. Forests maintain a good quality of air. They keep the greenhouse gases under check and control global warming. Soil erosion is also controlled by forests as the roots of trees hold the soil. Forests also prevent natural Calamities such as floods and droughts. They conserve the biodiversity of the ecosystem and increase soil fertility as well.
Cutting down a large number of trees and overutilizing the forest would end up causing the following long-term problems like
- Soil erosion
- Greenhouse effect
- Global warming
- Floods
- Droughts
Other than the above-listed problems, deforestation would also affect human civilization. The balance in nature would be disturbed by the destruction of trees. Hence, it is very important to conserve forests.
Question 7. How can you contribute to the maintenance of the green wealth of your locality? Make a list of actions to be taken by you.
Solution 7. We can be active citizens to protect the green wealth of our locality. We will motivate others to protect and plant more and more trees. We will take care of the existence of trees by spreading awareness about the importance of trees as our top priority.
Question 8. Explain how deforestation leads to reduced rainfall.
Solution 8. Deforestation leads to reduced rainfall because it increases the level of carbon dioxide which automatically leads to global warming. The increase in temperature because of global warming affects the water cycle hence deforestation ends up causing fewer rainfalls.
Question 10. Why should the paper be saved? Prepare a list of ways by which you can save paper.
Solution 10. Papers are made out of trees production of papers means a reduction of trees. Trees play a very important role in maintaining a balance between carbon dioxide and oxygen so cutting down trees would adversely affect the life of all the living species. That is why the paper should be saved to protect trees.
Following are the ways to save papers:
- Collection and recycling of used paper.
- Using both sides of a paper for writing.
- Spreading awareness about the importance of paper among school children and youth.
- Intelligent and proper use of paper.