Static Quiz 11 July 2024 (Environment)

Autotrophs comprise those species which produce their food themselves. These include:
• Phototrpohs – which prepare food through photosynthesis using solar radiation
• Chemotrophs – which prepare food through chemosynthesis from inorganic substances by oxidation

Heterotrophs include:
• Saprophytes – depend on organic compounds in solution derived from dead plants and animals
• Holozoic nutrition- is a type of heterotrophic nutrition that is characterized by the internalization (ingestion) and internal processing of liquids or solid food particles. Protozoa, such as amoebas, and most of the free living animals, such as humans, exhibit this type of nutrition. Parasites – depend on living organisms.

The World Meteorological Organization (WMO) released its annual State of the Global Climate for 2020 ahead of the Leaders’ Summit on Climate, hosted by the US.

Both the statements are correct.

Hydrological Cycle: The hydrologic cycle is a conceptual model that describes the storage and movement of water between the biosphere, atmosphere, lithosphere, and the hydrosphere. Water moves from one reservoir to another by way of processes like evaporation, condensation, precipitation, deposition, runoff, infiltration, sublimation, transpiration, melting, and groundwater flow. The oceans supply most of the evaporated water found in the atmosphere. Of this evaporated water, only 91% of it is returned to the ocean basins by way of precipitation. Sunlight strikes the tropics almost straight on, producing intense solar energy that keeps temperatures high, between 21° and 30°C (70° and 85°F). High temperatures keep the air warm and wet, with an average humidity of between 77% and 88%. Such humid air produces extreme and frequent rainfall, ranging between 200-1000 centimeters (80-400 inches) per year. In tropical forests upto 75% of annual rainfall is returned to the atmosphere by plants.

Advantages of Ethanol Blending
• Use of ethanol-blended petrol decreases emissions such as carbon monoxide (CO), hydrocarbons (HC) and nitrogen oxides (NOx). Hence statement 1 is correct.
• The unregulated carbonyl emissions, such as acetaldehyde emission were, however, higher with E10 and E20 compared to normal petrol. However, these emissions were relatively lower.

Increased use of ethanol can help reduce the oil import bill. India’s net import cost stands at USD 551 billion in 2020-21. The E20 program can save the country USD 4 billion (Rs 30,000 crore) per annum.
• The oil companies procure ethanol from farmers that benefits the sugarcane farmers. Hence statement 3 is correct.
• Further, the government plans to encourage use of water-saving crops, such as maize, to produce ethanol, and production of ethanol from non-food feedstock.

It isn’t as effective a fuel as traditional gasoline:
Compared to petroleum-based gasoline, ethanol is a less effective fuel. It takes up to 1.4 gallons of ethanol to replicate the mileage that 1 gallon of gasoline can provide. Flex-fuel vehicles that can run on E85 fuel have found that their gas mileage rates are over 25% lower, with some models seeing a 30% reduction with city miles. Hence statement 2 is incorrect.

Both the statements are correct.

An indicator species is a species whose presence, absence or abundance, and changes therein, can indicate certain environmental conditions. Changes in indicator species’s populations are used to monitor changes in particular ecosystems and sometimes trends affecting the environment as a whole.
• Tubifex tubifex, also called the sludge worm, or sewage worm, is a species of tubificid segmented worm that inhabits the sediments of lakes and rivers on several continents.
• Tubifex tubifex is used as a water quality indicator because of its ability to tolerate low oxygen conditions, the presence of heavy metals, and other environmental conditions.
• Mosses are reliable indicators of air pollution risks to ecosystems, because they get most of their nutrients direct from the air and rain, rather than the soil. Ecosystems dominated by mosses and lichens are amongst the most sensitive to nitrogen pollution. Because mosses are so good at absorbing nitrogen they prevent it from leaching into ground water, but if they get overloaded they quickly deteriorate. Some moss species are especially sensitive to increased levels of nitrogen.