Which one of the following cause of biodiversity loss is reflected in…

The correct answer is Option (2) → Over-exploitation

Option (1) Habitat loss and fragmentation — Incorrect. Here the home of a species is destroyed or broken into small pieces, as when tropical rain forests are cleared. It is the most important cause of extinction, but it is about losing the place to live, not about taking too much from nature.

Option (2) Over-exploitation — Correct. Humans have always taken food and shelter from nature. When ‘need’ turns to ‘greed’, they take far more than they need, and species are used up. Steller’s sea cow and the passenger pigeon became extinct in this way.

Option (3) Alien species invasion — Incorrect. Here a species brought from another region turns invasive and drives out the native species. The Nile perch in Lake Victoria and Parthenium in India are examples. It is not about human greed for resources.

Option (4) Co-extinctions — Incorrect. When one species becomes extinct, the species that depend on it also die out, like the parasites of a host fish. It follows from another extinction, not from overuse by humans.

NCERT Extract:
Loss of Biodiversity – “… (ii) Over-exploitation: Humans have always depended on nature for food and shelter, but when ‘need’ turns to ‘greed’, it leads to over-exploitation of natural resources. Many species extinctions in the last 500 years (Steller’s sea cow, passenger pigeon) were due to overexploitation by humans.”