What term is used to describe plant and animal species exclusive to the Western Ghats and not found anywhere else?
Answer & explanation
Correct answer: option 1
The correct answer is Option (1) → Endemic
A species that is found only in one region and nowhere else is called endemic, and this property is called endemism. Regions with very many species and a high degree of endemism are chosen as biodiversity hotspots for strict protection. The Western Ghats, together with Sri Lanka, form one of the three hotspots that cover India, so many of its plants and animals are endemic.
NCERT Extract:
How Do We Conserve Biodiversity? – “… On a global basis, this problem has been addressed by eminent conservationists. 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). … Three of these hotspots – Western Ghats and Sri Lanka, Indo-Burma and Himalaya – cover our country’s exceptionally high biodiversity regions.”