Match List-I with List-II:
| List-I | List-II |
|---|---|
| Causes of biodiversity loss | Examples |
| (A) Habitat loss and fragmentation | (I) Nile perch in Victoria Lake |
| (B) Over-exploitation | (II) Parasites of host fish |
| (C) Invasion of alien species | (III) Tropical rain forest |
| (D) Co-extinction | (IV) Steller’s sea cow |
Choose the correct answer from the options given below:
Answer & explanation
Correct answer: option 3
The correct answer is Option (3) → (A)-(III), (B)-(IV), (C)-(I), (D)-(II)
(A) Habitat loss and fragmentation — this matches (III) Tropical rain forest. Tropical rain forests once covered 14 per cent of the land surface of the earth and now cover no more than 6 per cent. The loss of these vast forests has driven many species to extinction.
(B) Over-exploitation — this matches (IV) Steller’s sea cow. It was hunted too much by humans and became extinct in the last 500 years.
(C) Invasion of alien species — this matches (I) Nile perch in Victoria Lake. The Nile perch was brought into Lake Victoria in east Africa. This alien fish caused the extinction of more than 200 species of native cichlid fish.
(D) Co-extinction — this matches (II) Parasites of host fish. When a host fish species becomes extinct, the parasites that live only on it also become extinct.
NCERT Extract:
Causes of Biodiversity Losses – “… (i) Habitat loss and fragmentation: This is the most important cause driving animals and plants to extinction. The most dramatic examples of habitat loss come from tropical rain forests. Once covering more than 14 per cent of the earth’s land surface, these rain forests now cover no more than 6 per cent.”
Causes of Biodiversity Losses – “… Many species extinctions in the last 500 years (Steller’s sea cow, passenger pigeon) were due to overexploitation by humans.”
Causes of Biodiversity Losses – “… The Nile perch introduced into Lake Victoria in east Africa led eventually to the extinction of an ecologically unique assemblage of more than 200 species of cichlid fish in the lake.”
Causes of Biodiversity Losses – “… (iv) Co-extinctions: When a species becomes extinct, the plant and animal species associated with it in an obligatory way also become extinct. When a host fish species becomes extinct, its unique assemblage of parasites also meets the same fate.”