Medium Level – GK Questions

Photochemical smog forms when sunlight triggers reactions between NOx and VOCs, producing ozone and other secondary pollutants.

The Lion-tailed Macaque is endemic to the Western Ghats and serves as an umbrella species; protecting it conserves the entire rainforest ecosystem.

Habitat fragmentation due to roads, dams, and urbanization isolates populations, reducing genetic diversity and increasing extinction risk.

Critically Endangered is the highest risk category assigned by IUCN for wild species before Extinct in the Wild and Extinct.

In-situ conservation protects species within their natural ecosystems, such as through national parks and wildlife sanctuaries.

Tamil Nadu, particularly the Western Ghats region, harbors a high number of endemic plant species due to its unique topography and climate.

The tundra biome has permanently frozen subsoil (permafrost), short growing seasons, and supports mosses, lichens, and small shrubs.

Symbiosis includes mutualism (both benefit), commensalism (one benefits, other unaffected), and parasitism (one benefits, other harmed).

Photosynthesis uses sunlight, carbon dioxide, and water to produce glucose and oxygen, forming the base of most food chains.

Keystone species, like sea otters or wolves, maintain ecosystem structure; their removal can cause dramatic changes or collapse.

The pyramid of numbers can be inverted in some ecosystems, such as a tree supporting many insects and birds, where producers are fewer than consumers.

A typical food chain flows from producer (grass) to primary consumer (deer) to secondary consumer (wolf) and finally to decomposers (bacteria).

Humus improves soil fertility, structure, and its ability to retain moisture and nutrients.

The United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) organizes the annual COP conferences to negotiate climate agreements.

Appiko (meaning 'hug' in Kannada) was inspired by Chipko and aimed to save the natural forests of the Western Ghats from clear-felling.

The movement successfully opposed a dam on the Kunthipuzha River that would have submerged the pristine Silent Valley evergreen forest.

Medha Patkar led the Narmada Bachao Andolan, protesting against the large dam projects across the Narmada river and displacement of tribals.

The World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) publishes the Living Planet Report, measuring the state of global biological diversity.

IUCN, the global authority on the environment and sustainable development, has its secretariat in Gland, Switzerland.

Greenpeace was founded in Vancouver, Canada, in 1971 by activists protesting US nuclear testing at Amchitka.