Biodiversity Hotspots (Global and Indian)

Attempt the quiz above first, then review every question with its correct answer and a short explanation below.

1. Q1.Who introduced the concept of 'Biodiversity Hotspots' in 1988 as a way to identify priority areas for conservation?

   • A.Edward Wilson
   • B.Norman Myers✓ Correct Answer
   • C.Robert May
   • D.Paul Ehrlich

   Explanation: The concept of biodiversity hotspots was developed by British ecologist Norman Myers in 1988. He defined them as areas characterized by high levels of plant endemism and high levels of habitat loss.

2. Q2.What are the two primary criteria used for designating a region as a biodiversity hotspot?

   • A.High agricultural productivity and low human population
   • B.High levels of species richness and high degree of endemism, under severe threat of habitat loss✓ Correct Answer
   • C.Extreme cold temperatures and absence of insect species
   • D.High density of freshwater lakes and low soil acidity

   Explanation: To qualify as a biodiversity hotspot, a region must meet two strict criteria: (1) It must contain at least 1,500 species of vascular plants as endemics (>0.5% of the world's total); (2) It must have lost at least 70% of its original primary vegetation (high degree of threat).

3. Q3.How many biodiversity hotspots were initially identified globally, and how many are recognized today?

   • A.Initially 12, currently 25
   • B.Initially 25, currently 36✓ Correct Answer
   • C.Initially 5, currently 12
   • D.Initially 50, currently 100

   Explanation: NCERT Class 12 Biology Chapter 15 states: 'Initially 25 biodiversity hotspots were identified but subsequently nine more have been added to the list, bringing the total number of biodiversity hotspots in the world to 34.' Currently, with recent additions (like the North American Coastal Plain), 36 hotspots are recognized globally.

4. Q4.All the biodiversity hotspots in the world put together cover what percentage of the Earth's land area?

   • A.Less than 2 percent✓ Correct Answer
   • B.Approximately 10 percent
   • C.Around 25 percent
   • D.Exactly 50 percent

   Explanation: NCERT Class 12 Biology emphasizes: 'Although all the biodiversity hotspots put together cover less than 2 per cent of the earth's land area, the number of species they collectively harbour is extremely high...'

5. Q5.Strict protection of the world's biodiversity hotspots is estimated to reduce the ongoing mass extinction rate by almost:

   • A.10 percent
   • B.30 percent✓ Correct Answer
   • C.70 percent
   • D.95 percent

   Explanation: NCERT Chapter 15 states that strict protection of these hotspots could reduce the ongoing mass extinction rate by almost 30 per cent, making them high-priority areas for global conservation budgets.

6. Q6.Which of the following regions covering parts of India is officially designated as a global biodiversity hotspot?

   • A.Gangetic Plains
   • B.Western Ghats and Sri Lanka✓ Correct Answer
   • C.Deccan Plateau scrub forests
   • D.Thar Desert

   Explanation: NCERT Class 12 Biology notes: 'Three of these hotspots – Western Ghats and Sri Lanka, Indo-Burma and Himalaya – cover our country's exceptionally high biodiversity regions.'

7. Q7.Which endemic primate species, characterized by a silver-white mane surrounding its face, is highly endangered and restricted to the Western Ghats hotspot?

   • A.Nilgiri Tahr
   • B.Lion-tailed Macaque (Macaca silenus)✓ Correct Answer
   • C.Golden Langur
   • D.Gibbon

   Explanation: The Lion-tailed Macaque is a key endemic species of the Western Ghats rain forest. It is arboreal, feeding on fruits and seeds, and is threatened by habitat fragmentation due to tea and coffee plantations.

8. Q8.The Nicobar Islands of India form a part of which larger global biodiversity hotspot?

   • A.Himalaya Hotspot
   • B.Sundaland✓ Correct Answer
   • C.Western Ghats
   • D.Indo-Burma

   Explanation: The Nicobar Islands are geographically part of the Sundaland hotspot, which covers Malaysia, Singapore, Brunei, and western Indonesia. The Andaman Islands, on the other hand, are grouped under the Indo-Burma hotspot.

9. Q9.Which of the following is a primary reason why the Western Ghats are designated as a hotspot, despite covering a relatively small land area?

   • A.Presence of large coal reserves.
   • B.Extremely high concentration of endemic species, especially amphibians and woody plants, facing high habitat loss.✓ Correct Answer
   • C.High frequency of monsoonal floods.
   • D.Absence of human settlements.

   Explanation: The Western Ghats harbor a massive portion of India's endemic amphibians (such as the purple frog) and endemic plants. Because of rapid urbanization, agriculture, and mining, more than 70% of its original evergreen forest cover has been cleared, meeting the criteria for a hotspot.

10. Q10.In Norman Myers' analysis, how many hotspots (including Western Ghats-Sri Lanka) were designated as the 'Hottest Hotspots' due to extreme threat and concentrations of endemics?

    • A.Only 1
    • B.8✓ Correct Answer
    • C.15
    • D.25

    Explanation: Myers identified 8 'hottest hotspots' based on five factors (endemic plants, endemic vertebrates, species/area ratios, and habitat loss). The Western Ghats / Sri Lanka region is listed as one of these 8 critical areas.

11. Q11.Which of the following endemic wild goats is restricted to the high-altitude grasslands of the Western Ghats (specifically Nilgiri Hills) and is the state animal of Tamil Nadu?

    • A.Himalayan Ibex
    • B.Nilgiri Tahr (Nilgiritragus hylocrius)✓ Correct Answer
    • C.Markhor
    • D.Chiru (Tibetan Antelope)

    Explanation: The Nilgiri Tahr is an endangered wild ungulate endemic to the montane grasslands and shola mosaics of the Western Ghats. It is threatened by habitat loss and poaching.

12. Q12.Which marine regions, recognized as the marine counterparts of terrestrial biodiversity hotspots, are identified by Mission Blue for conservation?

    • A.Marine sanctuaries
    • B.Hope Spots✓ Correct Answer
    • C.Salt flats
    • D.Coral coves

    Explanation: Hope Spots are special places in the ocean that are critical to the health of the marine environment. Coined by oceanographer Sylvia Earle (Mission Blue), they are the marine equivalents of biodiversity hotspots.

13. Q13.What is the primary ecological difference between a biodiversity 'hotspot' and a biodiversity 'coldspot'?

    • A.Coldspots have no living organisms.
    • B.Coldspots have lower species richness but may contain highly unique, evolutionary distinct lineages.✓ Correct Answer
    • C.Hotspots occur only in cold climates.
    • D.Coldspots are protected, while hotspots are not.

    Explanation: A coldspot is an area that lacks high species richness (the criteria for a hotspot) but holds high conservation value because it supports rare, evolutionary unique species or ecosystem processes that are not found anywhere else.

14. Q14.The Indo-Burma biodiversity hotspot covers which part of India?

    • A.The entire Indo-Gangetic plain
    • B.North-Eastern India (except Assam valley) and Andaman Islands✓ Correct Answer
    • C.The desert of Rajasthan
    • D.The Malabar coast

    Explanation: The Indo-Burma hotspot extends over Eastern Bangladesh, North-Eastern India (south of the Brahmaputra River, excluding the plain of Assam), Myanmar, Thailand, Laos, Cambodia, and Vietnam.

15. Q15.Which of the following plants, endemic to the Western Ghats montane grasslands, blooms once every 12 years, turning the hills blue?

    • A.Rhododendron
    • B.Neelakurinji (Strobilanthes kunthiana)✓ Correct Answer
    • C.Pitcher Plant
    • D.Sandalwood

    Explanation: Neelakurinji is a shrub endemic to the shola forests and grasslands of the Western Ghats (Nilgiri Hills, meaning Blue Mountains, are named after it). It exhibits gregarious flowering once in 12 years (NCERT Class 12 Biology, Chapter 1).

16. Q16.The Himalayas biodiversity hotspot is characterized by which of the following conservation values?

    • A.Absence of vascular plants.
    • B.An exceptionally high diversity of alpine flora, medicinal herbs, and endemic birds.✓ Correct Answer
    • C.High density of coral reefs.
    • D.Having no threat from human activities.

    Explanation: The Himalayas hotspot spans Pakistan, India, Nepal, Bhutan, and China. It has exceptional vertical zonation of forest types and holds thousands of endemic plants (such as orchids and rhododendrons) and threatened fauna (like the Snow Leopard and Red Panda).

17. Q17.Sacred groves in India, such as those in Meghalaya or Rajasthan, act as important refugia in hotspots because they:

    • A.Are used for commercial logging.
    • B.Serve as the last remaining patches of pristine forest where rare and threatened plants are protected by local beliefs.✓ Correct Answer
    • C.Are artificial crop fields.
    • D.Do not contain any endemic species.

    Explanation: NCERT Class 12 Biology states that in Meghalaya (Khasi and Jaintia Hills), sacred groves are the last refuges for a large number of rare and threatened plants. Local cultural taboos forbid anyone from cutting trees or harming wildlife in these areas.

18. Q18.How many mega-diversity countries, which collectively contain a major portion of the Earth's species, are recognized globally?

    • A.5
    • B.12✓ Correct Answer
    • C.25
    • D.50

    Explanation: India is one of the 12 mega-diversity countries in the world (as listed in NCERT). These countries (including Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador, China, etc.) are located mostly in the tropics and contain the highest densities of global species.

19. Q19.Which of the following is a major threat causing degradation to the Himalayas biodiversity hotspot?

    • A.Complete lack of tourism
    • B.Unplanned infrastructure development, road construction, and tourism-related pollution✓ Correct Answer
    • C.Decreasing atmospheric temperatures
    • D.Excessive growth of coniferous trees

    Explanation: The Himalayas hotspot faces severe ecological stress due to deforestation, shifting cultivation (Jhum), soil erosion, and construction of large dams and roads in ecologically fragile terrains, compounded by climate change melting glaciers.

20. Q20.Endemic species are highly vulnerable to extinction because they:

    • A.Are found globally in all biomes.
    • B.Are restricted to a narrow geographic range and cannot be found elsewhere.✓ Correct Answer
    • C.Reproduce faster than other species.
    • D.Feed only on decomposers.

    Explanation: Endemic species have restricted distributions. If their specific habitat is destroyed (e.g. clearing a patch in Western Ghats), the entire species can go extinct immediately because there are no wild populations anywhere else in the world.