Chapter 1 Living World Solutions

The biggest sacred grove in the Parinche valley belongs to Buvasaheb of Tonapewadi and spreads over an area of 4.80 hectares. The forest types are unique to the groves. Presence of key species in the sacred groves varies from region to region. Two key tree species, i.e. Terminalia bellerica and Ficus spp., are present in these sacred groves which have almost disappeared from the surrounding areas.

Large buttressed trees are another important feature of well-preserved sacred groves. The presence of these tree species indicates the vegetation of the past and also the type of potential vegetation that can be regenerated in these regions.
[Source: Waghchaure, C. K., Tetali, P., Gunale, V. R., Antia, N. H., & Birdi, T. J. (2006). Sacred Groves of Parinche Valley of Pune District of Maharashtra, India and their Importance. Anthropology & Medicine, 13(1), 55-761
[Students can refer the given answer and search for more information about other sacred groves on their own.]

11th Biology Digest Chapter 1 Living world Intext Questions and Answers

Can you recall? (Textbook Page No. 01)

Whether all organism are similar? Justify your answer.
Answer:
No, all organisms are not similar.

Can you tell? (Textbook Page No. 01)

Whether all organisms prepare their own food?
Answer:
No, all organisms do not prepare their own food. Organisms that prepare their own food are known as autotrophs (e.g. Green plants, certain microbes). These organisms prepare their own food in the presence of sunlight, water and carbon dioxide.

Can you recall? (Textbook Page No.01)

what is the difference between living and non-living things?
Answer:

Can we call? (Textbook Page No. 01)

Can we call reproduction as inclusive character of life?
Answer:
No, we cannot call reproduction as an inclusive character of life. Certain organisms like mules and worker bees do not reproduce and are still living. Thus, reproduction cannot be considered as an all inclusive defining characteristic of living organisms.

Can you tell? (Textbook Page No. 01)

Which feature can be considered as all-inclusive characteristic of life? Why?
Answer:
Metabolism can be considered as an all-inclusive (defining) feature of life since it is exhibited by all living organisms and does not take place in non-living things. Another all-inclusive characteristic of life is responsiveness or irritability. This is a unique property of living beings since all living beings are conscious of their surroundings.

Think about it. (Textbook Page No. 01)

(i) Can metabolic reactions demonstrated in a test tube (called ‘in vitro’ tests) be called living?
Answer:
(a) The sum total of all the chemical reactions occurring in the body is known as metabolism and no non-living object exhibits metabolism.
(b) However, metabolic reactions can be demonstrated outside the body in a test tube (cell-free medium).
(c) Thus, isolated metabolic reaction (s) outside the body of an organism, performed in a test tube is neither living nor non-living.
(d) Metabolic reactions occurring in vitro are living reactions but not living things.

(ii) Now a days patients are declared ‘brain dead’ and are on life support. They do not show any sign of self-consciousness. Are they living or non-living?
Answer:
The brain controls all life processes. Hence, when a patient is declared as ‘brain dead’, he does not carry out any of the inclusive defining characters of living things (e.g. metabolism, consciousness, etc.) and is completely dependent on machines. Since, such patients do not show any sign of self-consciousness, these patients cannot exactly be called as living.

Can you tell? (Textbook Page No. 01)

How can we study large number of organisms at a glance?
Answer:
Systematic study of organisms with the help of taxonomical aids can be used to study a large number of organisms at a glance.

Can you tell? (Textbook Page No. 03)

What are the essentials of a good herbarium?
Answer:
The essentials of a good herbarium are as follows:

Local names of plant specimens and name of the collector may be added. This information is given at lower right comer of sheet and is called ‘label’.

Why does the loss of biodiversity matter? (Textbook page no. 03)
Answer:

Find out. (Textbook Page No. 04)

Human being is at key position in maintaining biodiversity of earth. Find out more information about the following.

(i) Laws to protect and conserve biodiversity in India.
Answer:
a. Forest (Conservation) Act, 1980
b. Biological Diversity Act, 2002
c. Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972
d. Environment Protection Act, 1986
[Students can find out more laws to protect and conserve Biodiversity in India]

(ii) Environmental effects of ambitious projects like connecting rivers or connecting cities by constructing roads.
Answer:
Connecting rivers or connecting cities by constructing roads have the following environmental effects:
(a) They form barriers to animals.
(b) Construction of roads requires cutting down of trees and results in large scale deforestation.
(c) They occupy large land resources resulting in loss of habitat of various species.
(d) It can alter the water flow pattern and damage many ecosystems.
(e) Increase in air, water, soil and noise pollution can disturb various animals and birds, thus affecting their behavioural pattern.

(iii) Did bauxite mining in Western Ghats affect critically endangered species like – Black panther, different Ceropegia spp., Eriocaulon spp. ?
Answer:
(a) The Western Ghats, is one of the global biodiversity hotspots and retains more than 30% of all plant, aquatic, reptile, amphibian and mammal species found in India.
(b) Recently, this ecologically sensitive region has been subjected to various developmental activities that have adversely affected the flora and fauna of the region.
(c) Bauxite mining is one such activity which has had significant negative impact on the local environment. To access bauxite ore deposits, the above-ground vegetation needs to be completely removed, causing large scale deforestation. The vegetation in the adjoining area is also affected due to dumping.
(d) The major threats of this activity include vegetation loss, forest fragmentation and biodiversity loss.
(e) Since most mines fall in Eco-Sensitive Zones (ESZ), it has seriously affected the flora and fauna of the Western Ghats.
(f) Black panthers have frequently been spotted at various locations in the Western Ghats and mining in these areas can seriously affect their health and numbers.
(g) Certain species of Ceropegia and Eriocaulon that are endemic in the area have been reported to be critically endangered.
[Source: Chandore A. (2015) Endemic and threatened flowering plants of Western Ghats with special reference to Konkan region of Maharashtra. Journal of Basic Sciences. 2 (21-25)]
Hence it is most likely that bauxite mining in Western Ghats has adversely affected the critically endangered species like – Black panther, different Ceropegia spp., Eriocaulon spp.

Internet my friend. (Textbook Page No. 02)

Collect information about Prof. Almeida, Prof. V. N. Naik, Dr. A. V. Sathe, Dr. P. G. Patwardhan with reference to their taxonomic work and biodiversity conservation.
Answer:
1. Prof. Almeida:
Prof. (Dr.) Marselin R. Almeida was a renowned Plant Taxonomist and Medicinal Plant Consultant of India. He was a curator at the Blatter Herbarium (Mumbai). He discovered four new species of pteridophytes from Bombay presidency. His work includes – Pteridophytes of Maharashtra and Flora of Mahabaleshwar. He has contributed to the Flora of Maharashtra, Sawantwadi and its adjoining areas along with Dr. S. M. Almeida.

2. Prof. V. N. Naik:
Prof. V. N. Naik is a renowned ‘Angiosperms Taxonomist’ of India. He completed the Flora of Marathwada. He has produced 15 Ph.D., 110 research articles and 6 books. His book on ‘Taxonomy of Angiosperms’ (Tata McGraw-Hill Education, 1984) is widely used throughout the world. He is currently a faculty of Dr. Babasaheb Ambedkar Marathwada University, Aurangabad.

3. Dr. A. V. Sathe:
Collection and taxonomic studies of mushrooms in Maharashtra started around 1974. Prof. A.V. Sathe and his team were amongst the first to begin these studies. They recorded 75 species distributed in 43 genera. These species were collected from Maharashtra, Karnataka and Kerala. The collection of these species was documented in the form of a Monograph on Agaricales.
[Source: Borkar P., Doshi A., Navathe D. (2015) Mushroom diversity of Konkan region of Maharashtra, India. Journal of Threatened Taxa. 7(10): 7625-7640]

4. Dr. P. G. Patwardhan:
Dr. Patwardhan and his associates at the M.A.C.S. Research Institute, Pune-renamed as Agharkar Research Institute (ARI), Pune have performed detailed studies on lichens. His school is in possession of over 600 species of crustose lichens, obtained after intensive collection programmes. These specimens have been deposited in the Ajarekar Mycological Herbarium in the Department of Mycology and Plant Pathology at the M.A.C.S. Research Institute, Pune.
[Source:
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[Students are expected to find more information on their own.]

Can you tell? (Textbook Page No. 03)

Why should we visit botanical gardens, museums and zoo?
Answer:

They also harbour certain endangered animals and help us understand the role of biodiversity conservation. They can also be visited to study the food habits and behaviour of animals. Hence, we should visit botanical gardens, museums and zoos.

Can you tell? (Textbook Page No. 03)

What is ‘ex-situ’and ‘in-situ’ conservation?
Answer:
1. In situ conservation: It includes conservation of species in their natural habitats. Grazing, cultivation and collection of products from the forests is banned in such areas. Legally protected areas include national parks, wildlife sanctuaries and biosphere reserves.
2. Ex situ conservation: It includes conservation of species outside their natural habitats. Species are conserved in botanical gardens, culture collections and zoological parks.

Internet my friend. (Textbook Page No. 04)

(a) Collect information about botanical gardens, zoological parks and biodiversity hotspots in India.
Answer:
a. Botanical gardens in India:

b. Zoological Parks in India:

c. Biodiversity hotspots in India:

[Students are expected to use the given table as reference and collect more information on their own.]

(ii) Collect information of endemic flora and fauna of India.
Answer:
(a) Endemic flora:
Albizia sikharamensis (Mimosaceae), Argvreia arakuensis (Convolvulaceae), Arundinella setosa (Poaceae), Acacia diadenia (Mimosaceae), Citrus assamensis (Rutaceae), Magnolia bailloni (Magnoliaceae), etc.

(b) Endemic fauna:
Bare Bellied Hedgehog (Paraechinus nudiventris), Andaman Shrew (Crocidura andamanensis), Aruanchal Macaque (Macaca munzala), Car Nicobar Rat (Rattus palmarum), Peter’s Tube-nosed Bat (Harpiola grisea) etc.
[Source:
[Students are expected to use the given sources and find more information on their own.