MPSC PYQ

Ecology & Ecosystems — MPSC PYQ

Every Ecology & Ecosystems question MPSC has actually asked in Environment, 2013–2025 — 18 questions, each with the correct answer from the official MPSC key and a full explanation. Newest papers first.

ज्या पोषण प्रणालीमध्ये जीव मृत व अपघटित पदार्थांचे अन्न म्हणून सेवन करतो, ती पोषण प्रणाली म्हणजे ______. The nutrition mode in which organism consume their daily food in the form of dead and decomposed matter is ______.

1)परोपजीवी पोषण / Parasitic nutrition
2)सॅप्रोफायटीक पोषण / Saprophytic nutrition✓ Correct
3)सहजीवी पोषण / Symbiotic nutrition
4)होलोझोइक पोषण / Holozoic nutrition

Saprophytic nutrition is feeding on dead and decaying organic matter, as fungi and many bacteria do. Parasites feed on living hosts, symbiotic organisms live in mutual partnership, and holozoic organisms ingest and digest solid food.

मृत उत्पादकांच्या पेशीमधील जैविक संयुगांचे विघटन करण्याची प्रक्रिया म्हणजे __________. The breakdown of organic compounds of cells from dead producer by the process known as __________.

(a)आत्मसात करणे (Assimilation)

(b)जैवर्धन (Biomagnification)

(c)संचयन (Accumulation)

(d)अपघटन (Decomposition)

1)अ फक्त
2)अ आणि ब फक्त
3)क फक्त
4)ड फक्त✓ Correct

Decomposition (अपघटन) is the biological process by which dead producers and consumers are broken down into simpler organic/inorganic compounds.

पाण्याच्या पृष्ठभागावळ आढळणारे प्राथमिक भक्षक म्हणजे __________. Primary consumers found near the surface of water are __________.

(a)फायटोप्लॅक्टॉन

(b)पिकोप्लॅक्टॉन

(c)झूप्लॅक्टॉन

(d)बॅक्टेरिओप्लॅक्टॉन

1)अ व ड फक्त
2)क फक्त✓ Correct
3)ब आणि क फक्त
4)ड फक्त

Zooplanktons (झूप्लॅक्टॉन) feed on phytoplanktons near water surfaces, functioning as primary consumers in aquatic ecosystems.

रिकामी जागा भरा. गोड्या पाण्यामधील परिसंस्थेतील ________ घटकांमध्ये सूर्यप्रकाश, तापमान, विरघळलेला ऑक्सिजन, पोषक द्रव्ये, खोली व पाण्याचा प्रवाह यांचा समावेश होतो. Fill in the blank. The ________ parts of freshwater ecosystem, include sunlight, temperature, dissolved oxygen, nutrients, depth and water flow.

(a)जैविक

(b)युफोटिक

(c)प्रीबायोटिक

(d)अजैविक

1)अ व क फक्त
2)ब आणि क फक्त
3)क फक्त
4)ड फक्त✓ Correct

Sunlight, temperature, dissolved oxygen, nutrients, depth, and water flow are non-living physical and chemical components, which are abiotic (अजैविक) factors.

गोड्या पाण्यातील तलावातील सजीव भागाचे उपविभाजन हे ________ आहे. वरीलपैकी कोणते विधान (विधाने) बरोबर आहेत ? The subdivision of living part of the freshwater pond is ________. Which of the statement given above is /are correct ?

(a)जीवांच्या कार्यानुसार / According to function of organism

(b)जीवांच्या दर्जानुसार / According to status of organism

(c)जीवांच्या सेवानुसार / According to service of organism

(d)जीवांच्या जीवमानुसार / According to life of organism

1)अ फक्त✓ Correct
2)अ आणि ब फक्त
3)अ, ब आणि ड
4)अ, ब, क आणि ड

The living parts of a freshwater pond ecosystem are subdivided primarily according to the function of organisms (producers, consumers, decomposers).

On top of nuclear war, in the coming decades humankind will face a new existential threat that hardly registered on the political radars in 1964 : ecological collapse. Humans are destabilising the global biosphere on multiple fronts. We are taking more and more resources out of the environment, while pumping back into it enormous quantities of waste and poison, thereby changing the composition of the soil, the water and the atmosphere. We are hardly even aware of the myriad ways in which we disrupt the delicate ecological balance that has been shaped over millions of years. Consider, for example, the use of phosphorus as a fertiliser. In small quantities it is an essential nutrient for the growth of plants. But in excessive amounts it becomes toxic. Modern industrial farming is based on artificially fertilising the fields with plenty of phosphorus, but the high-phosphorus run-off from the farms subsequently poisons rivers, lakes and oceans, with a devastating impact on marine life. A farmer growing corn in Iowa might thus inadvertently kill fish in the Gulf of Mexico. As a result of such activities, habitats are degraded, animals and plants are becoming extinct, and entire ecosystems such as the Australian Great Barrier Reef and the Amazon rainforest might be destroyed. For thousands of years Homo sapiens behaved as an ecological serial killer; now it is morphing into an ecological mass murderer. If we continue with our present course it will cause not just the annihilation of a large percentage of all life forms, but it might also sap the foundations of human civilisation. Most threatening of all is the prospect of climate change. Humans have been around for hundreds of thousands of years, and have survived numerous ice ages and warm spells. However, agriculture, cities and complex societies have existed for no more than 10,000 years. During this period, known as the Holocene, Earth's climate has been relatively stable. Any deviation from Holocene standards will present human societies with enormous challenges they never encountered before. It will be like conducting an open-ended experiment on billions of human guinea pigs. Even if human civilisation eventually adapts to the new conditions, who knows how many victims might perish in the process of adaptation.

Which threat was not recognized by global politicians during the second half of the 20th Century ?

1)Nuclear war threat
2)Ecological destruction✓ Correct
3)Threat of degradation of human life
4)None of the above

Global politicians in the latter half of the 20th century primarily focused on nuclear threats and Cold War politics, while modern ecological and climate crises were largely unrecognized or ignored.

19. खालीलपैकी कोणता परिस्थितीकी मनोऱ्याचा प्रकार नाही ? Which of the following is not the type of Ecological pyramid ?

a)संख्येचा मनोरा / Pyramid of number
b)जैविक वस्तुमानाचा मनोरा / Pyramid of biomass
c)अन्नजाळी मनोरा / Pyramid of food web✓ Correct
d)उर्जेचा मनोरा / Pyramid of energy

Ecological pyramids are graphical representations of trophic levels in an ecosystem. The three main types are pyramids of number, biomass, and energy. Food web is a network of food chains, not a pyramid type.

20. काही प्रजाती नष्ट झाल्या तर पर्यावरणावर गंभीर परिणाम करतात त्यांना _______ म्हणतात. Some species if eliminated seriously affect the ecosystem. These are called _______.

a)निळा दगड / Blue stone
b)लाल दगड / Red stone
c)पिवळा दगड / Yellow stone
d)किस्टोन / Keystone✓ Correct

A keystone species is a species that holds together an ecosystem; if removed, the ecosystem undergoes drastic changes or collapses, much like a keystone in an arch.

“पर्यावरण म्हणजे सजीवांच्या किंवा जीवसमूहांच्या जीवन, वाढ, विकास व मृत्यूवर परिणाम करणारी सर्व परिस्थिती, तिची कारके व त्यांचा प्रभाव होय'' . पर्यावरणाची ही व्याख्या कोणी केली ? “Environment means the sum total of all conditions agencies and influences which affect the development, growth, life and death of an organism, species or race”. Who created this definition of environment ?

a)विश्वकोष / Universal Encyclopedia✓ Correct
b)ब्रिटानिका विश्वकोष / Britanica Encyclopedia
c)ए. सी. टान्सले / A. C. Tansley
d)जॅकी स्मिथ / Jackie Smith

This is a classic standard definition of environment often cited in academic literature and encyclopedias to explain the total sum of external conditions affecting organisms.

रासायनिक पर्यावरणात खालीलपैकी कोणत्या घटकांचा समावेश होतो ? (a) तापमान व माती (b) जल व माती (c) वनस्पती व जल (d) मानवी क्रिया व जैवघटक वरीलपैकी कोणते विधान/विधाने बरोबर आहेत ? (Which of the following factors are included in chemical environment ? (a) Temperature and soil (b) Water and soil (c) Vegetation and water (d) Human functions and Biological components Which of the statements given above is/are correct ?)

(a)तापमान व माती

(b)जल व माती

(c)वनस्पती व जल

(d)मानवी क्रिया व जैवघटक

1)फक्त (a) आणि (b) / Only (a) and (b)
2)फक्त (b) / Only (b)
3)फक्त (c) आणि (d) / Only (c) and (d)
4)यापैकी नाही / None of the above✓ Correct

Chemical environment includes chemical factors of the environment such as nutrients, salinity, and pH of water and soil, making none of the standard pairs exclusively representative of pure chemical environment without biological/physical overlap in the options.

परिसंस्था ही निसर्गाचा स्वयं नियामक व स्वयं शाश्वत संरचनात्मक व कार्यात्मक संच आहे. जेथे जैविक व अजैविक घटक एकमेकांमध्ये गुंतलेले असतात ज्यामध्ये खालील क्रिया घडतात : (a) उत्पादकता (b) कुजणे (c) पोषण चक्र (d) उर्जा प्रवाह वरीलपैकी कोणते विधान/विधाने बरोबर आहेत ? Ecosystem is a self-regulatory and self-sustained structural and functional unit of nature where biotic and abiotic components are linked together with the following processes : (a) Productivity (b) Decomposition (c) Nutrient cycling (d) Energy flow Which of the statements given above is/are correct ?

(a)उत्पादकता / Productivity

(b)कुजणे / Decomposition

(c)पोषण चक्र / Nutrient cycling

(d)उर्जा प्रवाह / Energy flow

1)फक्त (a) / Only (a)
2)फक्त (a) आणि (b) / Only (a) and (b)
3)(a), (b), (c) आणि (d) / (a), (b), (c) and (d)✓ Correct
4)(a), (b) आणि (d) / (a), (b) and (d)

An ecosystem functions as a self-regulatory and self-sustained unit through four primary functional processes: productivity, decomposition, energy flow, and nutrient cycling.

🏛️ The Maharashtra angle

Applicable to studying Western Ghats ecosystems and forest reserves in Maharashtra.

"परिस्थेची रचना व तिच्या कार्याचा अभ्यास म्हणजे पारिस्थितिकी" ही व्याख्या 1969 मध्ये कोणी केली ? "Ecology is the study of structure and function of ecosystem" who defined in 1969?

1)क्रेबस / Krebs
2)अँड्रेवार्था / Andrewartha
3)टेलर / Taylor
4)ओडम / Odum✓ Correct

Eugene Odum, often called the father of modern ecology, defined ecology as the study of the structure and function of ecosystems in his influential works.

इकोलॉजी (Ecology) हा शब्द खालीलपैकी कोणत्या शास्त्रज्ञाद्वारे शोधण्यात आला ?

1)चार्लस् क्रेब्ज / Charles Krebs
2)अर्नस्ट हेनरीच हॅकेल / Ernst Heinrich Haeckel✓ Correct
3)ए.जी. टॅन्सली / A.G. Tansley
4)व्हीक्टर शेफर्ड / Victor Shelford

The term 'Ecology' (Oekologie) was coined by the German biologist Ernst Haeckel in 1866.

पर्यावरणाशी संबंधित निम्नलिखित योग्य जोड्या लावा. In relation to Environment match the following.

(a)बायोस्फ़ीअर / Biosphere - (i) महासागर, समुद्र, नद्या, तळे ई. / Oceans, Seas, River, Lakes etc.

(b)लीथोस्फिअर / Lithosphere - (ii) वनस्पती, प्राणी, सूक्ष्मजीव ई. / Plants, Animals, Microbes etc.

(c)हाइड्रोस्फिअर / Hydrosphere - (iii) पृथ्वीच्या सभोवतालचे, वायु आवरण / Thick gaseous cover surrounding the Earth

(d)अटॅमॉस्फिअर / Atmosphere - (iv) पृथ्वीचा घन (खडकांचा) घटक / Solid Component of Earth

1)(iii) (ii) (i) (iv)
2)(iv) (iii) (ii) (i)
3)(ii) (iv) (i) (iii)✓ Correct
4)(iii) (ii) (iv) (i)

Biosphere represents living organisms, Lithosphere is the solid component, Hydrosphere includes water bodies, and Atmosphere is the gaseous cover around Earth.

🏛️ The Maharashtra angle

Standard syllabus topic for MPSC General Studies Paper 1 (Environment).

दोन लगतच्या जीव समुदायामधील संक्रमणत्मक प्रदेश ________ म्हणून ओळखला जातो. The transitional area between two living organisms is known as

1)इको-झोन / Ecozone
2)इको-पॉज / Ecophos
3)इको-टोन / Ecotone✓ Correct
4)इको-टाईप / Ecotype

An ecotone is a transitional area between two different biomes or ecosystems, containing species from both overlapping communities as well as some unique ones.

अन्नसाखळीमध्ये प्रत्येक ऊर्जास्तरावर विषारी पदार्थाच्या प्रमाणात सलग्न होणाऱ्या वाढीस _________ म्हणतात. The continuous increase in concentration of a toxicant at successive trophic levels in food chain is :

a)जैवनिम्नीकरण / Biodegradation
b)जैवआवर्धन / Biomagnification✓ Correct
c)जैवसंचयन / Bioaccumulation
d)जैवउपचारीकरण / Bioremediation

Biomagnification refers to the progressive increase in the concentration of toxic substances (like DDT or mercury) at higher trophic levels of a food chain.

bacteria into humus. The process involved in the early stages of this transformation depends throughout on oxidation : afterwards it takes place in the absence of air. The process is entirely sanitary. There is no nuisance of any kind - no smell, no flies, no dustbins, no incinerators, no artificial sewage system, no water - borne diseases, no town councils, and no rats. On the contrary, the forest affords a place for the ideal summer holiday with sufficient shade and an abundance of pure fresh air. All over the surface of the woods the conversion of vegetable and animal wastes into humus is never so rapid as during the holiday months - July to September. The mineral matter needed by the trees and the undergrowth is obtained from the subsoil. This is collected in dilute solution in water by the deeper roots, which also help in anchoring the trees. Even in soils markedly deficient in phosphorus, trees have no difficulty in obtaining ample supplies of this element. Potash, phosphate, and other minerals are always collected in situ and carried by the transpiration current for use in the green leaves. Afterwards they are either used in growth or deposited on the floor of the forest in the form of vegetable waste being one of the constituents needed in the synthesis of humus. This humus is again utilized by the roots of the trees. Nature’s farming, as seen in the forest, is characterized by two things, a constant circulation of the mineral matter absorbed by the trees and a constant addition of new mineral matter from the vast reserves held in the subsoil.

खालीलपैकी कोणते विधान चुकीचे आहे ? Which of the following statements is incorrect ?

(a)वनखते प्रक्रिया निरंतर चालू असते / Natural forest manuring goes on round the clock.

(b)पावसाळ्यात ती अतिशय शीघ्र असते / It is quicker during monsoons.

(c)वने येथे, उत्पादक, पुरवठादार व उपभोक्ता असतात / Forest acts therein as manufacturer, distributor and consumer.

(d)मानवाचा हस्तक्षेप त्यात नसतो / Man's interference therein is absent

1)(a)
2)(c)
3)(d)
4)वरील कोणतेही नाही / none of the above✓ Correct

All statements (a, b, c, d) regarding natural forest manuring and ecosystems are scientifically accurate, meaning none of them are incorrect.

खालील विधाने पहा : आता सांगा : Consider the following statements : Now state whether

(a)पोटॅश व फॉस्फेट इतर ठिकाणाहून आणली जातात. / Potash and phosphate are brought from elsewhere

(b)त्यांचा उपयोग केवळ खत निर्मितीत होतो. / They are used only in the formation of humus.

1)दोन्ही विधाने बरोबर / Both are correct
2)दोन्ही विधाने चूक / Both are incorrect✓ Correct
3)(a) बरोबर तर (b) चूक / (a) is correct (b) is not
4)(b) बरोबर तर (a) चूक / (b) is correct (a) is not

In a natural forest ecosystem, potash and phosphate are derived from natural soil minerals and organic matter recycling, not imported from elsewhere (Statement a is false). They serve multiple physiological and structural roles in plants, not just humus formation (Statement b is false).