CSP-2015: Ecology and Science and Technology Test-2 to 5 Dt.15.02.2015 KEY

1.	d	21.	b	41.	a	61.	b
2.	b	22.	a	42.	b	62.	a
3.	b	23.	c	43.	d	63.	b
4.	a	24.	b	44.	a	64.	a
5.	b	25.	c	45.	c	65.	d
6.	c	26.	c	46.	a	66.	a
7.	d	27.	a	47.	c	67.	c
8.	d	28.	c	48.	d	68.	d
9.	a	29.	a	49.	a	69.	d
10.	a	30.	d	50.	b	70.	d
11.	c	31.	d	51.	c	71	d
12.	b	32.	a	52.	c	72	a
13.	a	33.	b	53.	d	73	a
14.	d	34.	d	54.	a	74	c
15.	a	35.	a	55.	b	75	c
16.	b	36.	a	56.	a	76	b
17.	b	37.	b	57.	d	77	b
18.	a	38.	a	58.	c	78	a
19.	c	39.	a	59.	c	79	a
20.	d	40.	a	60.	a	80	b

Explanation:

2. A flagship species is a species from the plant or animal kingdom that is used to represent a certain environmental issue or cause. There are a number of types of issues that can be represented by a flagship species. For example, the Polar bear has been used as a species to raise awareness about what Global warming is doing to the planet. Dugong, a vulnerable marine mammal is the flagship mammal of the Gulf of Mannar Marine National Park. Very often a flagship species will be chosen because of its attractiveness or because it has unique features. In many cases, other species are overlooked because, for one reason or another, they are not seen as being sensational or do not seem to have the kind of appeal that will garner the the same sort of interest as a of large groups of whales. Although a vast number of species may stand to benefit or at least gain protection from a certain effort on the part of an organization, it is the flagship species of that organization that will be used to draw supporters.

3. The companies or concerns to which the Protected Areas [PA] are allotted have to pay some amounts towards to diversion of forest land for non-forest purposes. These levies are to be used for the compensatory afforestation programmes.

5. Rainbow appears always opposite to position of Sun. In the morning, the Sun would in the East. Hence, the boy must have seen the rainbow in the west side only.

7. Echinoderm is the common name given to any member of Phylum Echinodermata (from Ancient Greek echinos – "hedgehog",[as both hedgehog and echinoderms have spines in the skin] and, derma – "skin"). They are completely marine animals, i.e., no representatives in fresh water and land. The adults are recognizable by their (usually five-point) radial symmetry, ossified skin and arms radiating from the round body. Examples: Starfishes, Sea Cucumbers, Sea Urchins, Sand dollars as wells as Sea lilies or "stone lilies". They are found at every ocean depth, from the intertidal zone to abyssal zone. Sea cucumbers have been over-exploited and exported illegally out of India for the alleged therapeutic uses. Their numbers are dwindled to a great extent. Echinoderms are the highly evolved Invertebrates [those animals without backbone].

Sea Horse is a fish with unique shape and armor. It is special for its vertical movement and male carries the brood pouch to safe-guard the offspring.

8. The Zoological Survey of India (ZSI) is a premier Indian organization in Zoological research and studies. It was established on 1 July 1916 to promote the survey, exploration and research of the fauna in the region. The activities of the ZSI are coordinated by the Conservation and Survey Division in the Ministry of Environment and Forests, GOI.

The chief functions of ZSI are

ü Exploration and Survey of Faunal Resources

ü Taxonomic Studies

ü Status Survey of Endangered Species

ü Ex-situ conservation of fauna

ü Publication of Results through Departmental Journals

ü Publication of Fauna of India

ü Maintenance and Development of National Zoological Collections

ü Central Refernal, Information, Advisory and Library Services.

Secondary objectives

ü Maintenance of Museums at Headquarters and Regional Stations

ü Environmental Impact Studies wherever specially asked for by the Ministry of Environment & Forests.

[Additional information: The premier institution on animal taxonomy (the science of naming, describing and classifying organisms) under the ministry of environment, forests and climate change was established on July 1, 1916, to promote survey, exploration, research and documentation on animal taxonomy and has identified more than 96,000 species of animals. On July 1, 2015, when Prime Minister Narendra Modi attends the centenary celebration, he will also launch the e-access to ZSI's documents that date back to more than 200 years. The digitized documents will be put up on the ZSI website for public viewing.

ZSI maintains more than four million faunal specimens, which will also undergo hi-tech imaging as part of the digitization project. As of now, digitization of its 1,390-odd publications and its 400 rare books dating to 1,547 has been completed.

The Zoological Survey of India (ZSI) has drawn a year-long plan for its centenary year.

The organisation, which completed 100 years on Wednesday, will unveil sculptures and hold discussions with the aim of generating awareness on conservation of fauna.

As the institution gears up to celebrate the 100th anniversary, it is looking into fresh technologies and areas such as DNA bar coding and geo-referencing of species based on the geographical information system to protect the country’s wildlife.

“India is a mega bio-diversity country possessing eight per cent of the world’s fauna. So far we have identified 50 per cent of the fauna in the country.

[Ex-situ conservation is the preservation of components of biological diversity outside their natural habitats. This involves conservation of genetic resources, as well as wild and cultivated or species, and draws on a diverse body of techniques and facilities. This is covered elsewhere also]

09. The Botanical Survey of India (BSI) is an institution set up by the British India Government in 1890 to survey the plant resources of the Indian empire. Its role has been modified over the period of time. They are as under.

PRIMARY OBJECTIVES

1. Exploration, inventorying and documentation of Phyto-diversity (including non-flowering plants) in general and protected areas, hotspots, fragile ecosystems and sacred groves in particular; publication of National, State and District Floras.

Identification of Red list species and species rich areas needing conservation; ex situ conservation of critically threatened taxa in botanical gardens.
Survey and documentation of traditional knowledge (ethno-botany) associated with plants.
Develop a National database of Indian plants, including herbarium specimens, live specimens, botanical paintings illustrations etc.

SECONDARY OBJECTIVES

Revisionary/Monographic studies on selected plant groups.
Qualitative analysis of nutritive value of ethno-food plants and other economically useful species.
Capacity building in plant taxonomy through refresher courses and post M.Sc. certificate course.
Environment Impact Assessment of areas assigned to BSI for study.
Develop and maintain Botanical Gardens, Museum and Herbaria.
Preparation of Seed, Pollen and Spore Atlas of Indian Plants.
Repatriation of Indian Biodiversity Information held in herbaria/museums abroad.

10. The Geological Survey of India (GSI), established in 1851, is a government organization in India which is an office attached to the Ministry of Mines of Union Government of India for conducting geological surveys and studies. It is one of the oldest of such organizations in the world and the second oldest survey in the country. The GSI is the prime provider of basic earth science information to the government, industry and the general public, as well as responsive participant in international geo-scientific fora, the vibrant steel, coal, metals, cement and power industries.

The Archaeological Survey of India is an Indian government agency attached to the Ministry of Culture that is responsible for archaeological research and the conservation and preservation of cultural monuments in the country. It was founded in 1861 by Alexander Cunningham who also became its first Director-General. ZSI and BSI are covered supra.

11. All the statements are true. This tree is valued for the rich red color of its wood and high demand from China, Japan, Malaysia, Singapore and UAE. It is a non-aromatic tree. It is valued for its red colour and used in making furniture, chess coins etc.

12. Global negotiations on climate change are not going in right direction. The duly ratified framework convention on climate change demanding climate action by the signatory nations based on the principle of “common but differentiated responsibilities and respective capabilities” [CBDRs] has essentially been abandoned. Instead, the Paris talks seek “intended nationally determined contributions” (INDCs), from each signatory, towards climate actions without any specific global benchmark on what is adequate or needed for averting climate-change induced genocide of human and other species.

13. DNA Bar-coding:

DNA bar-coding is a taxonomic method that uses a short genetic marker in an organism’s DNA to identify it as belonging to a particular species. In it, they proposed a new system of species identification and discovery using a short section of DNA from a standardized region of the genome. That DNA sequence can be used to identify different species, in the same way a supermarket scanner uses the familiar black stripes of the UPC barcode to identify your purchases.

The gene region that is being used for almost all animal groups, a 648 base-pair region in the mitochondrial cytochrome c oxidase 1 gene (“CO1”), is proving highly effective in identifying birds, butterflies, fish, flies and many other animal groups. The advantage of using COI is that it is short enough to be sequenced quickly and cheaply yet long enough to identify variations among species. The COI barcode is not effective for identifying plants because it evolves too slowly, but two gene regions in the chloroplast, matK and rbcL, have been approved as the barcode regions for land plants.

[Additional information for clarity:

Objectives

The Using DNA Barcodes to Identify and Classify Living Things laboratory demonstrates several important concepts of modern biology. During the course of this laboratory, you will:

· Collect and analyze sequence data from plants, fungi, or animals – or products made from them.

· Use DNA sequence to identify species.

· Explore relationships between species.

Procedure:

· Collect plants, animals, or products in your local environment or neighborhood.

· Extract and purify DNA from tissue or processed material.

· Amplify a specific region of the chloroplast, mitochondrial, or nuclear genome by polymerase chain reaction (PCR), and analyze PCR products by gel electrophoresis.

· Use the Basic Local Alignment Search Tool (BLAST) to identify sequences in databases.

· Use multiple sequence alignment and tree-building tools to analyze phylogenetic relationships.

The sequencing results are then used to search a DNA database. A close match quickly identifies a species that is already represented in the database. However, some barcodes will be entirely new, and identification may rely on placing the unknown species in a phylogenetic tree with near relatives.]

14. Insects are the largest group of animals on this Earth. They belong to class Insecta of phylum Arthropoda [Arthro means joint; poda means legs, animals with jointed legs] in Animal Kingdom. The insects are mosquitoes, butterflies, cockroaches, ants, termites, moths, silk worms, honey bees, lac insects, book louse [also called as silver fish] etc. Ticks and Mites [blood sucking insects on cattle, including bed bug which suck blood of human beings] belong to the class Arachineda of phylum Arthropoda which also include Spiders and Scorpions.

15. Based on the maintenance of temperature of the body, the animals are grouped under tow categories. They are Poikilotherms or cold blooded animals and Homeotherms or warm blooded annmals. Most of the birds and Mammals maintain constant body temperature of their bodies irrespective of the outside temperature. The other animals which in a lower evolutionary ladder like Fishes, Amphibians and Reptiles adjust their body temperature and thus called as “Cold Blooded animals” or Poikilotherms.

The scientists have recently discovered Opah, a deepwater predatory fish, to keep its body warm by a unique mechanism and hailed as the first fish to be a “thermo regulator or warm blooded. The secret lies in a specially designed set of blood vessels in the fish’s gills, which allows the fish to circulate warm blood throughout its entire body.

16. Reptiles are Vertebrate animals [those with backbone] which generally crawl on the Earth. The Mighty extinct dinosaurs belonged to this class. The present living reptiles are grouped under Class Reptilia of Phylum Vertebrata. It is further has been divided into 4 orders. 1. Squamata, containing all types of Lizards such as wall lizards, garden lizards, Monitor lizards, geckos/ flying lizards, Chameleon [sub-order Lacertilia] and snakes [belonging to Ophidia.]. The Tautara Lizard or Sphenodon belongs to order Rhyncocephalia and it is the sole representative under the order. The Tortoises [term used for land dwelling ones], Turtles [term used for Sea/Ocean water dwelling ones and Terrapins [term used for fresh water dwelling ones] are grouped in the order “Chelonia” and finally, the Alligators and Crocodiles are grouped under order “Crocadilia”. Hence, correct option is “b”.

17. National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) is an agency of the MHA whose primary purpose is to coordinate response to natural or man-made disasters and for capacity-building in disaster resiliency and crisis response. NDMA was established through the Disaster Management Act, 2005. The PM is the de facto chairperson of NDMA. The agency is responsible for framing policies, laying down guidelines and best-practices and coordinating with the State Disaster Management Authorities (SDMAs) to ensure a holistic and distributed approach to disaster management. It monitors and develops guidelines for the local Firefighting Services across the country. It collaborates with the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare in developing emergency health and ambulance services. Specifically, it focuses on capacity building in dealing with mass casualty at local hospitals

20. India is a fourth largest emitter of GHGs if the European Union is taken as a group, otherwise third largest after China and USA. Hence, in absolute terms, the Green House Gas emissions of India are one of the highest in the World. However, due to 1.27 billion population, the the per capita Green House Gas emissions of India is one of the lowest in the World. Hence, both the statements are wrong.

22. National Board for Wild Life is a “Statutory Organization” constituted under the Wildlife Protection Act, 1972. Theoretically, the board is “advisory” in nature and advises the Central Government on framing policies and measures for conservation of wildlife in the country. However, it is a very important body because it serves as apex body to review all wildlife-related matters and approve projects in and around national parks and sanctuaries.
The National Board for Wildlife is chaired by India’s Prime Minister and its vice chairman is Minister of Environment. Further, the board is mammoth body with 47-members including Parliament Members, NGOs, eminent conservationists, ecologists and environmentalists, Government secretaries of various departments, Chief of the Army Staff, Director General of Forests, tourism etc. etc.

24. NIMBY is an an acronym for the phrase "Not In My Back Yard". Whenever a community is faced with the prospect of a hazardous waste facility being located in its midst, the response is usually, Not in my back yard! Such as response is dubbed as “NIMBY Principle”. It is characterization of opposition by residents to a proposal for a new development because it is close to them, often with the connotation that such residents believe that the developments are needed in society but should be further away.

26. All the 3 are recognized as forests by Forest Survey of India, Dehradun.FSI is the nodal agency of GOI responsible for the periodic assessment of the country’s forests. It has been reporting a steady increase in forest cover for more than a decade. It makes the biennial [once in two years] assessment of forests. As per the India State of Forest Report [SFR], 2013, India has 69.8 milllion ha of forests, amounting to 21% of the geographical area of the country as against desired 33%. As per SFR, India’s forest cover increased by 0.59 million hectares since 2010-11.

Out of the total forest of 69.8 m ha, 76% of forests are lying in original forest areas and the rest is mainly represented by plantations and afforestation done in private lands in the past few decades.

27. Only statement 1 is correct. As per the India State of Forest Report 2013, India has a forest cover of 697,898 sq. km. Out of this, 295,651 sq km are open forests, classified as patches of green cover having canopy density between 10 per cent and 40 per cent. This constitutes about nine per cent of the country’s geographical area. In the past two years, there has been an increase of more than 7,800 sq km of open forests. Simultaneously, there is a decrease of about 2,000 sq km of moderately dense forests (canopy density between 40 per cent and 70 per cent), indicating that either it has been deforested or has degraded into open forests. The existing National Forest Policy and the forest laws have discouraged commercial harvest of all the government forests irrespective of their canopy densities. However, the Centre has been contemplating to bring some changes and planning to harvest open forests (canopy cover less 40 per cent) in the country in order to create jobs and reduce the import of wood for paper industry and others.

The entire recorded forests are not covered by the Forests. It includes areas such as snow-covered high altitude mountains, deserts and rivers.

[Additional information: As per the SFR, 2013, released by the Union Ministry of Environment, Forests and Climate Change on July 8, 2014 the total forest cover in the country has increased by 5,871 square kilometre (sq km) between 2011 and 2013. The highest increase has been registered in West Bengal (3,810 sq km) and Odisha (1,444 sq km), followed by Bihar, Jharkhand and Tamil Nadu. Most of the north-eastern states and the states like Andhra Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh and Karnataka have shown considerable decrease in forest cover]

28. The solid and water waste creates the poisonous gas methane which is second most potent Green House Gas after, CO2 and therefore all the statements are correct.

29. Sea cucumbers belong to the phylum Echinodermata [Spines in the skin]. Frogs belong to the Phylum Amphibia that means those live both on water and earth. All the amphibians such as Frogs and Toads, Salamanders etc. were the first animals which had established successful life on earth. But they go back to water for reproduction. In their life cycle, the fish like gill breathing tadpole with tail, metamorphose into tailless lung breathing adult amphibian. Bats are flying mammals which are mostly nocturnal [active during night] and use ultrasonic sounds to detect their pathway during night time as well as to find the prey. They are different types based on their eating habits, such as fruit eating, insectivorous and blood sucking vampire bats. They cling to the branches or rock cliffs upside down. Pangolins are scaly mammals which rolls like a ball in case of danger and they are killed for their scales which are considered to be having medical value in traditional Chinese medicine.

33. The Goldman Environmental Prize [It is also called as Green Nobel] is a prize awarded annually to grassroots environmental activists, one from each of the world's six geographic regions: Africa, Asia, Europe, Islands and Island Nations, North America and South and Central America. The prize includes a no-strings-attached award of US$175,000 per recipient. Since the Goldman Environmental Prize was established in 1990, a total of $15.9 million has been awarded to 157 honorees from more than 79 countries, as of 2013. The Goldman Environmental Prize is headquartered in San Francisco, California, USA.

34. People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) is an American animal rights organization fighting for ethical treatment of animals. It is a nonprofit corporation with 300 employees, it claims that it has 3 million members and supporters and is the largest animal rights group in the world. Its slogan is "animals are not ours to eat, wear, experiment on, use for entertainment, or abuse in any other way. Today it focuses on four core issues—opposition to factory farming, fur farming, animal testing, and animals in entertainment. It also campaigns against eating meat, fishing, killing of animals regarded as pests, the keeping of chained backyard dogs, cock fighting, dog fighting and bull fighting.

38. Indian Rhino populations occur almost exclusively within and around protected areas. In India, the species occurs in Kaziranga National Park (World Heritage Site), Manas National Park (World Heritage Site in danger), Dudhwa National Park (re-introduced population), Karteniaghat Wildlife Sanctuary, Orang National Park, Pabitora Wildlife Sanctuary, Jaldapara Wildlife Sanctuary, and Gorumara National Park.

[Additional information: Jaldapara National Park is a situated at the foothills of the Eastern Himalayas in Alipurduar district of WB on the bank of the Torsa River. Jaldapara is situated at an altitude of 61 m and is spread across 216.51 km² (83.59 sq mi) of vast grassland with patches of riverine forests. Today, it has the largest population of Great Indian One-horned rhinoceros in the state. The nearby Chilapata Forests is an elephant corridor between Jaldapara and the Buxa Tiger Reserve. Nearby is the Gorumara National Park, known for its population of Indian rhinoceros.]

39. There is no requirement under the legislation for seeking permission for carrying out research, if it is carried out in India by Indians, as well as under collaborative research projects that have been drawn within the overall policy guidelines formulated by the Central Government of India. The only situations that would require permission of the NBA are: (i) when the results of any research which has made use of the country's biodiversity is sought to be commercialized, (ii) when the results of research are shared with a foreigner or foreign institution, and (iii) when a foreign institution/individual wants access to the country's biodiversity for undertaking research and (iv) when any intellectual property protection is sought on Indian biological resources.

40. India is party in all of these conventions. CITES (the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora) is an international agreement between governments. Its aim is to ensure that international trade in specimens of wild animals and plants does not threaten their survival.

The International Whaling Commission (IWC) is an international body which “provides for the proper conservation of whale stocks and thus makes possible the orderly development of the whaling industry.

42. Nine, out of 18 biospheres in India have been included in the World Network of Biosphere Reserves of UNESCO under “UNESCO's Man and Biosphere (MAB) programme ”. They are Niligiri (2000), Gulf of Mannar (2001), Sundarbans (2001), Nandadevi (2004), Nokrek (2009), Pachmarhi (2009), Simplipal (2009), Achanakmar-Amarkantak Bioshpere Reserve (2012) and Nicobar Islands (2013)

Please refer to all 18 Biosphere Reserves in India.

46. Bor Tiger Reserve is a Wild Life sanctuary which was declared as a tiger reserve in July 2014. It is located near Hingani in Wardha district in the Indian state of Maharashtra. It is a home to a variety of wild animals. The reserve covers an area of 138.12 km² which includes the drainage basin of Bor Dam. Bor Tiger Reserve is centrally located among several other tiger habitats including: Pench Tiger Reserve Maharashtra), 90 km² (35 sq mi) to the northeast; Nagzira Navegaon Tiger reserve, 125 km² (48 sq mi) to the east northeast; Umred Karhandla WLS, 75 km² (29 sq mi) to the east southeast; Tadoba-Andhari Tiger reserve, 85 km²(33 sq mi) to the southeast; Melghat tiger reserve, 140 km² (54 sq mi) to the west northwest and Satpura NP and Tiger reserve,160 km² (62 sq mi) to the northwest.

In-principle approval has been accorded by the National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA) for creation of reserves in Ratapani in Madhya Pradesh, Sunabeda in Odisha and Guru Ghasidas in Chhattisgarh, Union Environment Minister Prakash Javadekar informed the Lok Sabha on Tuesday.

Odisha is among the States where the tiger population has dwindled. The NTCA also accorded final approval to a proposal to declare Kudremukh National Park in Karnataka and Rajaji National Park in Uttarakhand as tiger reserves. Seeking to provide more protected spaces for the endangered species, State governments have been asked to send conservation proposals for the following areas: Suhelwa in Uttar Pradesh, Mhadei in Goa, Srivilliputtur Grizzled Squirrel Wildlife Sanctuary/ Meghamalai Wildlife Sanctuary/ Varushanadu Valley in Tamil Nadu, Dibang in Arunachal Pradesh and Cauvery-MM Hills in Karnataka.

47. Rani Ki Vav, Patan, Gujarat is not a natural World Heritage site though it is one of the World Heritage sites of UNESCO in India. It was built in the 3rd millennium BC in the memory of the kings, its an explicit example of fine Indian architecture. It is well known for its Stepped Corridors, Vishnu Sculptures and Stone Carvings in the Well. It is designed in an inverted temple and is divided into seven levels of wells each having it own importance as per the religious and mythological works mentioned in our literature. [The UNESCO heritage sites include natural sites and manmade ones]

49. No elephants in Punjab. In Haryana, elephant rescue centre has been set up and therefore Project Elephant is applied there [17 states including Haryana], but the elephant population does not naturally exist in Haryana. Hence, answer is option “a”.

50. There are 3 Biodiversity Hot spots in India. 1. The Eastern Himalayas [Not western Himalayas as given in the query], 2. The Western Ghats and 3. Indo-Burma Region. The Indo-Burma area includes portions of eastern India (including the Andaman and Nicobar Islands), eastern part of Bangladesh, southernmost China, most of Myanmar (excluding the northern tip), most of Thailand (excluding the southern tip), and all of Cambodia, Laos and Vietnam.

52. Eco-Sensitive Zones:

The National Environment Policy, 2006 defines Eco Sensitive Zones as areas/ zones, ‘with identified environmental resources having incomparable values which require special attention for their conservation’. The purpose of declaring Eco-sensitive Zone (ESZ) is to create some kind of “Shock Absorber” for the specialized Ecosystem, such as protected areas or other natural sites. The ESZ would act as transition zone from areas of high protection to areas involving lesser protection.

Objectives:

The objectives of the ESZ inter alia include:

ü To maintain the response level of an ecosystem within the permissible limits with respect to environmental parameters.

ü To notify the area as an Eco- sensitive zone based on its need for special protection because of its landscape, wildlife, historical value, etc. and to regulate the developmental activities in order to maintain the carrying capacity of that area and to ensure sustainable development taking into consideration the needs and aspiration of the local people.

53. Tiger population rising, India home to more than 2,000 big cats [Tiger census details]

India’s tiger population jumped 30% in four years. Latest estimates show 2,226 tigers roamed forest reserves in the country in 2014, up sharply from 1,706 in 2010. With this, India has around 70% of the world’s around 3,000 tigers."While tiger population is falling in the world, it is rising in India.

India’s tiger numbers dwindled to a low of 1,411 in 2006, when the first scientific census was conducted, as widespread poaching, shrinking habitats from deforestation, prey depletion and poor management of India’s 47 tiger reserves took its toll on the big cat.

Tiger organs and bones fetch high prices on the black market because of demand driven by traditional Chinese medicine practitioners.

The latest report -- based on camera traps and DNA testing of tiger scat --- found the tiger population had stabilised in most reserves that have almost reached the maximum number of felines they could sustain.

The study, details of which will be released in March, – covered five major landscapes – the Shivalik-Gangetic Plains, Central India and the Eastern Ghats, the Western Ghats, North-Eastern India and the Sunderbans.

Ravi Singh, secretary general of the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF), said the success story demonstrated the impact of political will, science and field effort coming together.

The model should be replicated to protect other wildlife species such as the great indian bustard, the snow leopard and the hangul, experts added.

Karnataka was home to the maximum number of tigers, the census said, emerging among the biggest gainers in big cat numbers alongside Kerala and Tamil Nadu. The 11,000 sq km of the Mudumalai-Bandipur-Nagarhole complex now has the world’s largest population of a particular species of tiger, 570, the report said.

The roar, however, seemed absent in the traditional home of the tiger, Madhya Pradesh. The state now has 308 tigers as compared to 406 in Karnataka and 340 in Uttarakhand.

“The population has also stabilised in the Sunderbans with 76 tiger estimated,” said Jhala said. He added that the highest tiger density was found in Uttarakhand’s Corbett National Park in and Assam’s Kaziranga National Park.

Bad news also came out of Odisha, Andhra Pradesh and Jharkhand that witnessed a dip in tiger population on account of poor management in habitats, especially in Maoist-affected areas.

The report said the increase in tiger numbers was far outpacing that of lions. “The annual increase in tiger population was about 6%, as compared to about 4-5% for lions in Gujarat’s Gir National Park. Six tiger reserves in India contribute between Rs 8.3 billion to Rs 17.6 billion in the form of monetary benefits to people every year.

54. The court had ordered trans-location of the big cats in 2013 to Kuno-Palpur Sanctuary in Madhya Pradesh observing that creating an alternative population of Asiatic lions was in the best interest of the species as its only subpopulation in Gujarat could face trouble in face of natural calamities or disease. The order is yet to be implemented. Hence, at present Asiatic Lions are restricted to Gir Forests in Gujarat only.

[Details of Lions Census, 2015: The population of Asiatic lions has been found to have increased considerably in the Gir wildlife sanctuary — from 411 during the last census in 2010 to 523 in 2015

There is more good news for wildlife enthusiasts in India. After a tiger census earlier this year found a jump in the numbers of the big cat, the population of Asiatic lions too has been found to have increased considerably in the Gir wildlife sanctuary — from 411 during the last census in 2010 to 523 in 2015.

The Gir forest is the only place in the whole of Asia where the Asiatic lion is now found.

The lion census, conducted by over 10 00 enumerators over five days, concluded on May 5. The enumerators found 109 adult males, 201 adult females, and 213 cubs and sub-adults distributed across four districts — Junagadh, Gir Somnath, Amreli, and Bhavanagar.

Pat for Maldharis

C.N. Pandey, Principal Conservator of Forests, Gujarat, told that the members of the Maldhari community living next to the forest area had been of great assistance to the Forest Department in their conservation efforts. He said under a government programme, some 300 Vanya prani saathis (friends of the forest animals) had been recruited to ensure that lions were not attacked if they strayed into any nearby villages. He said in order to avoid the danger of overestimation, new methods were adopted. The enumerators were GPS enabled and only recorded lions when they saw them physically and not through pugmarks or any other signs like hearing a roar.]

55. Hydro Floro carbons or HFS are produced mostly in developed countries to replace CFCs and HCFCs which contain chlorine and very harmful to Ozone layers. CFCs and HCFCs are banned by Montreal Protocol in 1992, but did not address HFCs as they are not ODS [Ozone depleting substances]. HFCs pose no harm to the ozone layer because, unlike CFCs and HCFCs, they do not contain chlorine. But, they are greenhouse gases, with a high global warming potential (GWP).

HFCs are one among the basket of six greenhouse gases under the Kyoto Protocol which deals with greenhouse gases and Global warming. Developed countries following the Kyoto Protocol report their HFC emission data to UNFCCC; parties to the Montreal Protocol have no such obligation.

56. As per NGT Act, 2010, the NGT has no powers or jurisdiction in taking up cases suo-motu. It has been so far understood that taking up cases suo-motu is the prerogative of higher courts like High Courts and Supreme Court.

57. Crocodiles have powerful muscles in jaws to give a strong bite on the prey, while gharials do not bite hard as their jaws are thin and fragile. Crocodiles can open their jaws fully prey on large animals, whereas gharials cannot open their jaws fully and feed on small preys. Indian Sub-continent include India, Bangladesh and Pakistan.

58. Due to historical GHG emissions made by developed countries, the poor nations are suffering on account of climate change. The demand of poor nations that developed countries or the polluters should shoulder the responsibility of reducing the effects of climate change on poor countries is called “the principle of damage and control”. India supported it, along with Least Developed Countries (LDCs) and the Alliance of Small Island States (AoSIS). This won the full backing of the G-77 and China at Warsaw climate talks in 2013. All other statements are correct.

61. The MOM was injected into the orbit of Mars by using “XL” version PSLV, not GSLV Mark II. The GSLV Mark II was used for putting low weight communication satellite, G-SAT14 into Geosynchronous orbit, GTO in January, 2014. This is the first successful flight of GSLV Mark II. It was done by using indigenous cryogenic upper stage. India is expert in PSLV technology and getting expertise in cryogenic technology based GSLV which has applications in defence, space and others. Answer is “b”. GSLV Mark III is under development and scheduled to be launched soon, in 2015 or 2016.

64. India has successfully demonstrated the technologies related to PSLV, Cryogenic engine and GSLV. Hence the answer is “a”. ISRO is trying to gain expertise in the field of Air breathing propulsion and reusable launch systems. ISRO has achieved complete expertise in PSLV technology and has been launching satellites of other countries. The Indian Regional Navigation Satellite System (IRNSS) satellites, Remote sensing satellites and MOM were launched by utilizing the PSLV only. India has indigenously developed cryogenic engine which is used in third stage of GSLV and become successful up to Mark II stage and Mark III is scheduled to be launched. India has not mastered or attained completed knowledge with regard to the Mark II and Mark III GSLV. It is said that 3 successive successful launches makes a nay country achieved the expertise.

[Additional information: A reusable launch system (or reusable launch vehicle, RLV) is a launch system which is capable of launching a launch vehicle into space more than once. This contrasts with expendable launch systems, where each launch vehicle is launched once and then discarded.

Launch vehicles use combustion of propellants consisting of oxidiser and fuel for deriving the energy. Air breathing propulsion systems use atmospheric oxygen, which is available up to about 50 km of earth’s surface to burn the fuel stored on-board thereby making the system much lighter, more efficient and cost effective. Air breathing propulsion is a solution for a powered long return cruise flight necessary for reusable launch vehicles. The collection and use of air involves challenges as the launch vehicle speeds through atmosphere at supersonic speeds. This calls for the development of ramjet or scramjet (supersonic combustion ramjet) technologies. The Dual Mode Ramjet (DMRJ), the ramjet-scramjet combination, is currently under development, which will operate during the crucial Mach 3 to Mach 9 ascend flight of the launch vehicle. An Advanced Technology Vehicle (ATV) based on sounding rocket was developed for DMRJ Flight Technology demonstration and one developmental flight, ATV-D01, was conducted. Further developmental flights are planned in the near future.]

65. The Information Technology (IT) Act, 2000 provides for legal recognition for transactions through electronic communication, also known as e-commerce. The Act also penalizes various forms of cyber crime. The Act was amended in 2009 to insert a new section, Section 66A which was said to address cases of cyber crime with the advent of technology and the internet.

What does Section 66(A) of the IT Act say?

Section 66(A) of the Act criminalises the sending of offensive messages through a computer or other communication devices. Under this provision, any person who by means of a computer or communication device sends any information that is:

1. Grossly offensive;

2. False and meant for the purpose of causing annoyance, inconvenience, danger, obstruction, insult, injury, criminal intimidation, enmity, hatred or ill will;

3. Meant to deceive or mislead the recipient about the origin of such messages, etc, shall be punishable with imprisonment up to three years and with fine.

Over the past few years, incidents related to comments, sharing of information, or thoughts expressed by an individual to a wider audience on the internet have attracted criminal penalties under Section 66(A).

66. There are several ways to print and all those available are additive, differing mainly in the way layers are build to create the final object. Some methods use melting or softening material to produce the layers. Selective laser sintering (SLS) and fused deposition modeling (FDM) are the most common technologies using this way of printing. Another method of printing is when we talk about curing a photo-reactive resin with a UV laser or another similar power source one layer at a time. The most common technology using this method is called stereo lithography (SLA).

67. Dhanush is a variant of the surface-to-surface/ship-to-ship Prithvi III missile, which has been developed for the Indian Navy. It is capable of carrying both conventional as well as nuclear warheads with pay-load capacity of 500 kg and can strike targets in the range of 350 km. The Missile was test-fired successfully on October 5, 2012, on November 23, 2013 and on April 9, 2015 from a naval ship in the Bay of Bengal off the Orissa coast. The Dhanush missile can be used as an anti-ship weapon as well as for destroying land targets depending on the range. The missile gives the Indian Navy the capability to strike enemy targets with great precision.

Nirbhay is India’s first indigenously designed and developed long-range sub-sonic cruise missile. We stumbled upon some cockpit video of the missile in flight, a first for any Indian weapon of the kind. It has an operational range of 1,000 -1500 km. It can carry both conventional and thermonuclear war heads.

68. What are Biopesticides?

Bio pesticides are certain types of pesticides derived from such natural materials as animals, plants, bacteria, and certain minerals. In 2014, there are more than 430 registered bio-pesticide active ingredients and 1320 active product registrations. "Bio-pesticides fall into three major classes:

1. Microbial pesticides consist of a microorganism (e.g., a bacterium, fungus, virus or protozoan) as the active ingredient. Microbial pesticides can control many different kinds of pests, although each separate active ingredient is relatively specific for its target pest[s]. For example, there are fungi that control certain weeds, and other fungi that kill specific insects.

The most widely used microbial pesticides are subspecies and strains of Bacillus thuringiensis, or Bt. Each strain of this bacterium produces a different mix of proteins, and specifically kills one or a few related species of insect larvae. While some Bt's control moth larvae found on plants, other Bt's are specific for larvae of flies and mosquitoes. The target insect species are determined by whether the particular Bt produces a protein that can bind to a larval gut receptor, thereby causing the insect larvae to starve.

2. Plant-Incorporated-Protectants (PIPs) are pesticidal substances that plants produce from genetic material that has been added to the plant. For example, in Bt. Cotton, the Bacillus gene produces Bt. pesticidal protein destroys the pest.

3. Biochemical pesticides are naturally occurring substances that control pests by non-toxic mechanisms. Conventional pesticides, by contrast, are generally synthetic materials that directly kill or inactivate the pest. Biochemical pesticides include substances, such as insect sex pheromones that interfere with mating as well as various scented plant extracts that attract insect pests to traps. Because it is sometimes difficult to determine whether a substance meets the criteria for classification as a biochemical pesticide, EPA has established a special committee to make such decisions.

Advantages of using bio-pesticides:

ü Biopesticides are usually inherently less toxic than conventional pesticides.

ü Bio-pesticides generally affect only the target pest and closely related organisms, in contrast to broad spectrum, conventional pesticides that may affect organisms as different as birds, insects, and mammals.

ü Bio-pesticides often are effective in very small quantities and often decompose quickly, thereby resulting in lower exposures and largely avoiding the pollution problems caused by conventional pesticides.

ü When used as a component of Integrated Pest Management (IPM) programs, bio-pesticides can greatly decrease the use of conventional pesticides, while crop yields remain high.

69. The plants can be broadly divided into Flowering and Non-flowering plants. The flowering plants are on higher pedestal from the evolutionary point of view. They are two types of flowering plants-Gymnosperms and Angiosperms. The Gymnosperms produce seeds which are naked not covered by the ovaries and that is the basis for their name, Gymno means naked, sperms means seed. Examples:- Conifers, cycads, Ginkgo and Gnetales. Gymnosperms have major economic uses. Pine, fir, spruce, and cedar are all examples of conifers that are used for lumber. Some other common uses for gymnosperms are soap, varnish, nail polish, food, gum, and perfumes. Their population in India is found in North Eastern India, Western and Eastern Ghats and A and N archipelago.

[The Angiosperms occupy the top position among the Plant Kingdom. All the flowering plants such as Tamarind, Banyan tree, Neem, Mango, Pongamia and all the grasses are angiosperms.]

70. A small DNA bit that inserts itself into another place in the genome

A transposon (or transposable element) is a small piece of DNA that inserts itself into another place in the genome. Geneticist Barbara McClintock discovered these genetic elements while studying corn in the 1940s.

Two types of small ribonucleic acid (RNA) molecules – micro RNA (miRNA) and small interfering RNA (siRNA) – are central to RNA interference. RNAs are the direct products of genes and these small RNAs can bind to other specific messenger RNA (mRNA) molecules and either increase or decrease their activity, for example by preventing an mRNA from producing a protein. RNA interference has an important role in defending cells against parasitic nucleotide sequences – Viruses and transposons.

71. Ecotourism is a form of tourism involving visiting fragile, pristine, and relatively undisturbed natural areas, intended as a low-impact and often small scale alternative to standard commercial (mass) tourism. Its purpose may be to educate the traveler, to provide funds for ecological conservation, to directly benefit the economic development and political empowerment of local communities, or to foster respect for different cultures and for human rights. Simply visiting to NP or sanctuary is not “Ecotourism”.

Medical tourism or health tourism is the travel of people to another country for the purpose of obtaining medical treatment in that country. India is visited by most of the foreigners including western countries for heart treatments, traditional medicine and surrogacy, hiring the Indian woman for carrying baby of a sterile couple.

Cultural tourism (or culture tourism) is the subset of tourism concerned with a country or region's culture, specifically the lifestyle of the people in those geographical areas, the history of those people, their art, architecture, religion(s), and other elements that helped shape their way of life. Cultural tourism includes tourism in urban areas, particularly historic or large cities and their cultural facilities such as museums or theatres. It can also include tourism in rural areas showcasing the traditions of indigenous cultural communities (i.e. festivals, rituals), and their values and lifestyle, as well as niches like industrial tourism and creative tourism.

72. All top fatal diseas such as Malaria [Plasmodium species spread by Anopheles mosquito], Kala Azar, Sleeping sickness and Chagas are caused by single cell animal parasites called “Protozoans”. [Proto means earliest and zoan means animals]. They are the earliest animals containing only single cell. The other members are Amoeba, Endameba etc.

Kala azar is caused by a protozoan parasite, Leishmania and the vector is Phlebotumus sand flies. This disease is the second-largest parasitic killer in the world (after malaria), responsible for an estimated 200,000 to 400,000 infections each year worldwide. The parasite migrates to the internal organs such as the liver, spleen (hence the name "visceral Leishmaniasis"), and bone marrow, and, if left untreated, will almost always result in the death of the host.

[Additional information:

Sleeping Sickness: African trypanosomiasis, also known as sleeping sickness, is a vector-borne parasitic disease. The parasites concerned are protozoa belonging to the Trypanosoma Genus. They are transmitted to humans by Tsetse fly bites which have acquired their infection from human beings or from animals harboring the human pathogenic parasites.

Chagas disease:

Chagas disease or American trypanosomiasis, is a tropical parasitic disease is caused by the protozoanTrypanosoma cruz. It is spread mostly by mammal blood sucking insects known as triatominae or kissing bugs. The symptoms change over the course of the infection. In the early stage, symptoms are typically either not present or mild and may include fever, swollen lymph nodes, headaches, or local swelling at the site of the bite

Leishmaniasis and HIV co-infection

One of the major threats to control of visceral leishmaniasis (VL) is its interaction with HIV infection. VL has emerged as an important opportunistic infection associated with HIV. In areas endemic for VL, many people have asymptomatic infection. A concomitant HIV infection increases the risk of developing active VL by between 100 and 2320 times. In southern Europe, up to 70% of cases of visceral leishmaniasis in adults are associated with HIV infection.

VL/HIV co-infection has important clinical, diagnostic and epidemiological implications. The two diseases are mutually reinforcing: HIV-infected people are particularly vulnerable to VL, while VL accelerates HIV replication and progression to AIDS. The risk of treatment failure for VL is high, regardless of the drug used, and all co-infected patients will relapse – and eventually die – unless they are given antiretroviral therapy (ART). Indirect methods of diagnosis such as serological tests for VL frequently fail; direct methods such as aspirations (bone marrow, lymph node or splenic) are reliable but are invasive, require skilled microscopy, and have less value in treated and relapsing patients. Further, co-infected patients can serve as human reservoirs, harbouring numerous parasites in their blood and becoming a source of infection for the insect vector.

73. The National Bureau of Fish Genetic Resources (NBFGR), Lucknow was established in December 1983 to undertake research related to the conservation of fish germplasm resources of the country. The genome of zebra fish has been completed and the genome of Rohu and Magur, a catfish is almost sequenced by NBFGR.

Labeo rohita, commonly known as 'Rohu', and Clarias batrachus (Linnaeus, 1758), commonly known as 'Magur', are two important and widely cultured food fish in India and adjoining countries. Rohu is the most widely cultured species in the country among the Indian major carps. Similarly, Magur is the most popular catfish owing to its characteristics such as taste, protein rich flavour, low fat content, presence of single central bone, medicinal value etc. This catfish fetches higher economic return and can thrive well in low oxygen. The endeavor would result in understanding of genes and genetic markers responsible for production traits and disease management, genetic maps, novel genes with regard to air breathing properties of catfishes, phylogenetic relationship and comparative genomics.

74. The macro-nutrients are Nitrogen, Phosphorus and Potash [NPK], Sulfur, Calcium and Magnesium. There are 7 essential plant nutrient elements defined as micronutrients [boron (B), zinc (Zn), manganese (Mn), iron (Fe), copper (Cu), molybdenum (Mo), chlorine (Cl)]. They constitute in total less than 1% of the dry weight of most plants.

76. Ex-situ conservation mechanisms or artificial homes

Examples: seed banks, zoo, botanical gardens, aquariums

Seed Banks: They store seeds at extremely low temperature and humidity. They can save large variety of plant species in a very small space.

Zoos: You can bring some endangered species in zoo, try to breed them, and reintroduce their offspring in the jungle. (Done in case of pandas, orangutans etc.)

CENTRAL ZOO AUTHORITY of India: Enforces minimum standards and norms for upkeep and health care of animals in Indian Zoos. Restrains mushrooming of unplanned and ill-conceived Zoos that were cropping up as adjuncts to public parks, industrial complexes and waysides.

77. Egg-laying Mammals lay eggs like reptiles and birds, but give milk to young ones like mammals after hatching from the eggs. There are only five living monotreme species: the duck-billed platypus and four species of echidna (also known as spiny anteaters). All of them are found only in Australia and New Guinea. Pangolin is a not a monotreme, it is an eutherian mammal living by eating ants. It has strong scales and in times of dangers, make a body like a ball and rolls on. Hence, the answer is “b”.

[Additional information: The pangolin's large scales are made of keratin, the same material of which our fingernails, rhino horns and bird talons are made - and account for 20% of its weight. The scales are very hard and protect pangolin against animal predators, yet in traditional Chinese medicine are dried and roasted as a method of relieving palsy, stimulating lactation and draining pus. As a result, pangolin scales can sell on the black market for over $3,000 a kilogram, and have even been used to make coats.]

80. Neutrinos are invisible and almost massless particles. Neutrinos have the potential to do amazing things like speed up global communication, detect the presence of nuclear weapons, and even confirm the presence of elusive dark matter. Astrophysicist Ray Jayawardhana, authored on neutrinos in his “Neutrino Hunters: The Thrilling Chase for a Ghostly Particle to Unlock the secrets of the Universe”.

The amazing things neutrinos could be used for:

1. A way to monitor nuclear proliferation.

Neutrinos are produced from radiation, so it might be possible for the International Atomic Energy Agency to use neutrino detectors to monitor which countries are following the treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons. While making a nuclear weapon a plutonium ring is used in an atomic bomb core.

In most nuclear reactors, uranium decays into plutonium. But in order to actually make a nuclear weapon, the reactor has to be shut down, the plutonium removed, and replaced with fresh uranium.

Scientists have already shown that it's possible to detect neutrinos emitted from the decay in nuclear reactors and have proposed using neutrino detectors to locate undocumented nuclear reactors or reactors that are secretly harvesting plutonium. The problem is developing a detector sensitive enough to detect fluctuations in neutrinos from far distances.

2. A way to 'x-ray' the Earth to find cavities of mineral and oil deposits.

Neutrinos change the way they spin depending on how far they have traveled and how much matter they have passed through. So geophysicists have proposed that analyzing the way a beam of neutrinos are spinning after passing through pockets of the Earth could reveal where mineral deposits are.

3. Faster global communication.

These particles can pass through pretty much anything and if you send a message, say from the U.S. to China on the other side of the globe, it would be faster to send the message through Earth rather than over it. It would also be an easy way to communicate with submarines submerged far below the surface.

But there are complications preventing this kind of communication from taking off. The particles are so hard to detect that the receiver would need a giant neutrino detector to get the message. The neutrino beam would also need to be extremely powerful to travel a long distance.

4. A way for scientists to finally detect dark matter.

The presence of dark matter has still not been directly observed by scientists, but neutrinos could be the missing link. Scientists have theorized that a certain type of neutrino might come from decaying dark matter.

The scientists have observed that some neutrinos come from space and are produced from things like supermassive black holes and particularly violent star deaths that produce gamma ray bursts. But the scientists also think these high-energy neutrinos could be coming from decaying dark matte in nearby galaxies or from the cores of the Sun or Earth.

5. Communication with extra-terrestrial life.

This one is a little far-fetched, but since it is possible to encode messages in neutrinos, theoretically those encoded neutrinos could be beamed into space. Currently, scientists don't have the ability to beam neutrinos that far, and any aliens on the receiving end would have to be able to decode the message.

*****

B. Yadagiri IRS

Thursday 20 August 2015

Best Wishes

Friday 14 August 2015

CSP-2015: Ecology and Science and Technology Test-2 to 5 Dt.15.02.2015 KEY