Match List-I with List-II
| List-I Population interactions | List-II Affected species |
|---|---|
| (A) Competition | (I) One species is benefitted, while the other is neither benefited nor harmed |
| (B) Parasitism | (II) Both species are in loss |
| (C) Amensalism | (III) Only one species is benefitted |
| (D) Commensalism | (IV) One species is harmed, the other is unaffected |
Choose the correct answer from the options given below.
Answer & explanation
Correct answer: option 3
The correct answer is Option (3) → (A)-(II), (B)-(III), (C)-(IV), (D)-(I)
(A) Competition — this matches (II) Both species are in loss. When two species need the same limited resource, each one gets less of it because of the other. So the interaction is harmful to both (−/−).
(B) Parasitism — this matches (III) Only one species is benefitted. The parasite gets food and shelter from the host and harms it, as Cuscuta does to the hedge plants it grows on (+/−).
(C) Amensalism — this matches (IV) One species is harmed, the other is unaffected. One species suffers while the other neither gains nor loses (−/0).
(D) Commensalism — this matches (I) One species is benefitted, while the other is neither benefited nor harmed. An orchid growing on a mango branch gets support, and the mango tree is not affected (+/0).
Note: A similar question was also asked in CUET (UG) 2026 on 06-06-2026 (Slot 1) and on 26-05-2026 (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.”