Answer: A

Explanation:

Ecosystem diversity refers to the variety of ecosystems found in a region or landscape. India as a whole has immense ecological diversity. Yet if we consider only the Thar Desert region you will find very little ecological diversity. There are three spatial scales for measuring biodiversity – alpha, beta and gamma diversity. Alpha diversity refers to the diversity within a particular region or ecosystem and is usually expressed by the number of species in that ecosystem. Hence, pair 1 is not correctly matched.

Beta diversity compares diversity across ecosystems. It counts the total number of unique species found in the compared ecosystems. Hence, pair 2 is not correctly matched.

Gamma diversity is a measure of overall diversity for different ecosystems within a region. It counts the total number of unique species found in the entire region. Hence, pair 3 is correctly matched.

Answer: C

Explanation:

Bioinformatics is a field of science in which biology, computer science and information technology merge into a single subject. The main goal of this field is to discover new biological insights and to create a perspective in which the unified principles of biology can be seen and understood. Hence, statement 1 is correct.

In simple terms, bioinformatics is the application of information technology in the management of biological information. Bioinformatics converts large amounts of raw data into useful knowledge using bioinformatics technology. Hence, statement 2 is correct.

Answer: C

Explanation:

Endemic species are found in one geographical location and do not occur anywhere else. A species may be native to an area but may not be endemic to that area if it is found elsewhere . For example, the lion-tailed macaque and the Nilgiri langura and Nilgiri Tahr are endemic to the Western Ghats of India. Hence, option (c) is the correct answer.

Answer: C

Explanation:

Ground water in the Ganga plains of India suffers greatly from arsenic pollution. Ground water in 7 states of India - West Bengal, Jharkhand, Bihar, Uttar Pradesh, Assam, Manipur and Chhattisgarh are highly affected by arsenic pollution. Hence, option (c) is correct.

Answer: C

Explanation:

A keystone species is one that has a disproportionately large impact on the communities in which it occurs. In fact it determines the survival ability of a large number of other species living in the community. When a keystone species goes extinct it may trigger a chain of extinctions of other species. Hence, both statement 1 and 2 are correct.