Match List-I with List-II
| List-I Interspecific interaction | List-II Species A and B respectively |
|---|---|
| (A). Commensalism | (I). - ; - |
| (B). Amensalism | (II). + ; - |
| (C). Competition | (III). + ; 0 |
| (D). Predation | (IV). - ; 0 |
'+' beneficial interaction; '-' = detrimental interaction; '0' = neutral interaction
Choose the correct answer from the options given below:
Answer & explanation
Correct answer: option 4
The correct answer is Option (4) → (A)-(III), (B)-(IV), (C)-(I), (D)-(II)
(A) Commensalism — this matches (III) + ; 0. One species gains and the other is neither harmed nor helped. An orchid growing on a mango branch gets support, and the mango tree is not affected.
(B) Amensalism — this matches (IV) - ; 0. Here one species is harmed and the other is unaffected. The harmed species gains nothing from the other in return.
(C) Competition — this matches (I) - ; -. Two species use the same limited resource, such as food or space. Each takes away what the other needs, so both lose.
(D) Predation — this matches (II) + ; -. The predator gains food and the prey is killed, as when a tiger eats a deer.
Note: A similar question was also asked in CUET (UG) 2025 on 02-06-2025 (Slot 2) and on 29-05-2025 (Slot 1).
NCERT Extract:
Population Interactions – “Both the species benefit in mutualism and both lose in competition in their interactions with each other. In both parasitism and predation only one species benefits (parasite and predator, respectively) and the interaction is detrimental to the other species (host and prey, respectively). The interaction where one species is benefitted and the other is neither benefitted nor harmed is called commensalism. In amensalism on the other hand one species is harmed whereas the other is unaffected.”