Species confined to one region and not found anywhere else are called as:
Answer & explanation
Correct answer: option 3
The correct answer is Option (3) → Endemic species
The word endemism is used for species that are confined to one region and found nowhere else. A biodiversity hotspot is a region with a very high level of species richness and a high degree of endemism.
(1) Alien species — Incorrect. These are species brought into a region where they do not naturally live. They are the opposite of species confined to their own region.
(2) Co-existing species — Incorrect. This is not a term for species restricted to one region. Species that live together in a habitat co-exist, and they may also live in many other places.
(3) Endemic species — Correct. They occur only in that region.
(4) Molecular species — Incorrect. There is no such category of species.
NCERT Extract:
How Do We Conserve Biodiversity? – “… They identified for maximum protection certain ‘biodiversity hotspots’ regions with very high levels of species richness and high degree of endemism (that is, species confined to that region and not found anywhere else).”