Match List-I with List-II
| LIST-I | LIST-II |
|---|---|
| Population interactions | Features |
| (A) Commensalism | (I) Both the species are at loss |
| (B) Mutualism | (II) One species is harmed and the other is unaffected |
| (C) Amensalism | (III) Both the species benefitted |
| (D) Competition | (IV) One species benefitted and other is neither harmed nor benefited |
Choose the correct answer from the options given below:
Answer & explanation
Correct answer: option 2
The correct answer is Option (2) → (A) - (IV), (B) - (III), (C) - (II), (D) - (I)
(A) Commensalism — this matches (IV) One species benefitted and other is neither harmed nor benefited. The sign is (+, 0). An orchid growing on a mango branch gains support, and the mango tree is not affected.
(B) Mutualism — this matches (III) Both the species benefitted. The sign is (+, +). A lichen, where a fungus and an alga live together, is an example.
(C) Amensalism — this matches (II) One species is harmed and the other is unaffected. The sign is (-, 0). One species is hurt and the other neither gains nor loses.
(D) Competition — this matches (I) Both the species are at loss. The sign is (-, -). Both species use the same limited resource, so each loses some fitness.
Note: A similar question was also asked in CUET (UG) 2026 on 06-06-2026 (Slot 1), in CUET (UG) 2025 on 23-05-2025 (Slot 2), and in CUET (UG) 2023 on 27-05-2023 (Slot 3).
NCERT Extract:
Population Interactions – “… Assigning a ‘+’ sign for beneficial interaction, ‘-’ sign for detrimental and 0 for neutral interaction, let us look at all the possible outcomes of interspecific interactions (Table11.1). 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.”