Biology Answer the following questions in detail.

1. Natality is the birth rate of a population. Due to increased natality the population density rises.
2. Natality is a crude birth rate or specific birth rate.
3. Crude birth rate : Number of births per 1000 population/year gives crude birth rate. Crude birth rate is helpful in calculating population size.
4. Specific birth rate : Crude birth rate is relative to a specific criterion such as age. E.g. If in a pond, there were 200 carp fish and their population rises to 800. Then, taking the current population to 1000, the birth rate becomes 800/200 = 4 offspring per carp per year. This is specific birth rate.
5. Absolute Natality : The number of births under ideal conditions when there is no competition and the resources such as food and water are abundant, then it give absolute natality.
6. Realized Natality : The number of births under different environmental pressures give realized natality. Absolute natality will be always more than realized natality.

2. Mortality:

1. Mortality is the death rate of a population. It gives a measure of the number of deaths in a particular population, in proportion to the size of that population, per unit of time.
2. Mortality rate is typically expressed in deaths per 1,000 individuals per year.
   A mortality rate of 9.5 (out of 1,000) in a population of 1,000 would mean 9.5 deaths per year in that entire population or 0.95% out of the total.
3. Absolute Mortality : The number of deaths under ideal conditions when there is no competition, and all the resources such as food and water are abundant, then it gives absolute mortality.
4. Realized Mortality : The number of deaths under environmental pressures come into play gives realized mortality.
5. It must be remembered that absolute mortality will always be less than realized mortality.

3. Density:
The density of a population in a given habitat during a given period fluctuates due to changes in four basic processes, viz.

1. Natality i.e. birth rate (The number of births during a given period in the population that are added to the initial density).
2. Mortality i.e. death rate (The number of deaths in the population during a given period).
3. Immigration i.e. number of individuals of the same species that have come into the habitat from elsewhere during the time period under consideration.
4. Emigration i.e. the number of individuals of the population who left the habitat and gone elsewhere during the time period under consideration.
5. Natality and immigration increase in population density whereas mortality and emigration decrease it.

4. Sex ratio : Ratio of the number of individuals of one sex (male) to that of the other sex (female) is called sex ratio. In nature male, female ratio is always 1 : 1. This 1 : 1 ratio is called evolutionary stable strategy of ESS for each population.

5. Age distribution and age pyramid : This parameter is important for human population. Each population is composed of individuals of different ages. The age distribution is plotted for the population, the resulting structure is called an age pyramid. For making the age pyramid, the entire population is divided into three age groups as Pre-Reproductive (age 0-14 years), Reproductive (age 15-44 years) and Post-reproductive (age 45 -85+ years).

6. Growth : Growth of a population causes rise in its density. The size and density are dynamic parameters as they keep on changing with time, and various factors including food, predation pressure and adverse weather. From the density, one comes to know if the population is flourishing or declining.

1. Naturally all populations of any species always have limited resources to permit exponential growth. Due to this there is always competition between individuals for limited resources. The most fit organisms succeed by survival and reproduction.
2. A given habitat has enough resources to support a maximum possible number, but beyond a particular limit the further growth is impossible.
3. This limit is called nature’s carrying capacity (K) for that species in that habitat.
4. A population growing in a habitat with limited resources show following phases in a sequential manner, (a) A lag phase (b) Phase of acceleration (c) Phase of deceleration (d) An asymptote, when the population density reaches the carrying capacity.
5. A plot of N in relation to time (t) results in a sigmoid curve. This type of population growth is called Verhulst-Pearl Logistic Growth.
6. Since resources for growth for most animal populations are finite and become limiting sooner or later, the logistic growth model is considered as a more realistic one.
7. Logistic growth thus always shows sigmoid curve.

1. Global temperature rise or global warming is having great impact on natural habitats.
2. Aquatic habitats like oceans are worst affected as 90% of extra heat enters marine waters. These elevated temperatures cause adverse effects on marine habitat.
3. Coral reefs are also affected due to increased temperature. It causes bleaching of coral reefs. Fish populations are adversely affected.
4. Due to rising temperature, the tundra regions and polar regions are showing melting of snow. These habitats are disappearing and the animals from these areas such as polar bears are on the verge of extinction. Increased temperatures also cause desertification of the once green habitats.
5. Nearly 50% of the species are under threat of extinction due to climate change. Global warming and climate change thus reduces biodiversity.
6. Every plant and animal species is adapted to a specific temperature conditions. But due to global warming and associated climate change, these species are affected. Some species show migrations to cooler places.
7. Temperatures also alter the life cycles of plants and animals. When temperatures rise, many plants grow rapidly and bloom earlier in the spring and survive longer into the fall. Some animals leave hibernation sooner.

1. Environment of depths of ocean are characterized by high pressure, low temperature, absence of light, calmness of water, absence of phytoplankton and other producers, scarcity of food and thus animals staying here show many adaptations.
2. Due to extreme pressure the bodies of deep- sea fish and other animals are very much compressed.
3. The bony skeletons are much reduced except for jaws. They have watery muscles. Some deep-sea fishes exhibit greatly enlarged eyes which act like telescope.
4. They are highly effective as in depths there is less light. Their retina is composed of a number of tiers of rods, presumably arranged to absorb all the limited light that enters the eye. However, the eye-size is small.
5. Some benthic fishes have eyes located on only one side of the body. E.g. Sole fish.
6. Many deep-sea animals are bioluminescent, i.e. they produce their own light by means of luminous organs.
7. In anglerfish, the light is used as a bait to attract prey and also for species and sex recognition.
8. The mouth of deep-sea fish is the enormous, which enables them to gulp large sized prey.
9. Many of the deep-sea animals have long appendages, abundant spines, stalks or other

1. A niche describes how that organism is linked with its physical and biological environment.
2. Niche is described as a position of a species in the environment. It gives the idea about how the organisms are surviving and fulfilling their needs of shelter and food.
3. By studying niche one can get idea of the flow of energy from one organism to another. This helps to understand the feeding habits and interactions involving food chain and food web.
4. If any niche is left vacant, other organisms\fill that position.
5. The niche is specific to each species. Two species can never share the same niche. By having specific niche, every organism tries to reduce competition for resources.
6. E.g. In birds, each one is specific in their eating habits, some are insectivorous, while some are frugivorous. Some are omnivorous, in this way birds living in the same habitat differ in their niches because of different eating habits.

1. Brood parasitism is a type of parasitic behaviour shown by Asian Koel. Koel lays its eggs in the nest of crow.
2. Crow acts as a host bird and incubate the eggs of koel.
3. The eggs of koel show resemblance to the host’s egg in size and colour. This reduces the chances of the crow detecting koel’s eggs and ejecting them from the nest.
4. Eggs of koel hatch before the host’s eggs and hence parasitic bird is in advantage.

1. Mutualism is an obligatory and interdependent interaction. It is an association of two species in which both of them are benefited.
2. The classic example of mutualism is lichens. Lichen is an intimate, mutualistic relationship between a fungus and photosynthetic algae or cyanobacteria.
3. Most of the plant and animal interactions are of mutualistic type.
4. For pollination and seed dispersal, plants depend on the animals.
5. Animals in turn feed on pollen and nectar during pollination. During seed dispersal juicy and nutritious fruits are used by the animals.
6. In animal-animal interactions also mutualism is seen in many instances.

1. In nature, every species requires interactions with at least one other species for its food.
2. Even autotrophic plant species needs soil microbes to break down the organic matter in soil and return the inorganic nutrients for absorption.
3. The plants need animal agents . for pollination.
4. Animals, plants and microbes cannot live in isolation but interact in various ways to form a biological community.
5. Such interactions can be interspecific (within two different species) or intraspecific (within the same species).
6. Interspecific interactions are of broad four types viz, neutralism, negative or harmful, positive or beneficial, and both positive and negative interactions.
7. Interacting species live closely together in interactions such as predation, parasitism and commensalism.
8. Neutralism interaction have no significant effect on either species. Negative interactions are of competition or amensalism type. Positive interactions occur in the form of mutualism, protocooperation and commensalism. Parasitism and predation are both positive and negative type of interaction.

1. Mortality is the death rate of a population. It gives a measure of the number of deaths in a particular population, in proportion to the size of that population, per unit of time.
2. Mortality rate is typically expressed in deaths per 1,000 individuals per year.
   A mortality rate of 9.5 (out of 1,000) in a population of 1,000 would mean 9.5 deaths per year in that entire population or 0.95% out of the total.
3. Absolute Mortality : The number of deaths under ideal conditions when there is no competition, and all the resources such as food and water are abundant, then it gives absolute mortality.
4. Realized Mortality : The number of deaths under environmental pressures come into play gives realized mortality.
5. It must be remembered that absolute mortality will always be less than realized mortality.

1. Natality is the birth rate of a population. Due to increased natality the population density rises.
2. Natality is a crude birth rate or specific birth rate.
3. Crude birth rate : Number of births per 1000 population/year gives crude birth rate. Crude birth rate is helpful in calculating population size.
4. Specific birth rate : Crude birth rate is relative to a specific criterion such as age. E.g. If in a pond, there were 200 carp fish and their population rises to 800. Then, taking the current population to 1000, the birth rate becomes 800/200 = 4 offspring per carp per year. This is specific birth rate.
5. Absolute Natality : The number of births under ideal conditions when there is no competition and the resources such as food and water are abundant, then it give absolute natality.
6. Realized Natality : The number of births under different environmental pressures give realized natality. Absolute natality will be always more than realized natality.

1. Mammals inhabiting colder regions have shorter snout, ears, tail and limbs to minimize the loss of body heat. This is called Allen’s Rule.
2. Aquatic mammals such as whales and seals living in the polar seas, have a thick layer of fat which is called a blubber below their skin.
3. Blubber acts as an insulator and thus helps to keep the body warm by reducing loss of body heat.
4. Some animals like polar bears undergo hibernation and thus tide over the stressful winters.

1. The temperatures vary from subzero levels in polar areas and high altitudes, to about 50 °C in tropical deserts during summer.
2. There are also seasonal changes in the temperature.
3. Temperature also shows progressive decrease from the equator towards the poles and from plains to the mountain tops.
4. Some unique habitats such as hot springs may show very high temperatures of about 80 to 100 °C.
5. In deep-sea hydrothermal vents average temperatures may rise up to 400 °C.

The density of a population in a given habitat during a given period fluctuates due to changes in four basic processes, viz.

1. Natality i.e. birth rate (The number of births during a given period in the population that are added to the initial density).
2. Mortality i.e. death rate (The number of deaths in the population during a given period).
3. Immigration i.e. number of individuals of the same species that have come into the habitat from elsewhere during the time period under consideration.
4. Emigration i.e. the number of individuals of the population who left the habitat and gone elsewhere during the time period under consideration.
5. Natality and immigration increase in population density whereas mortality and emigration decrease it.

1. Endoparasites show loss of unnecessary sense organs as these are not needed for the parasite.
2. There are adhesive organs or suckers always present in the endoparasites which are needed to cling on to the host.
3. Endoparasites show loss of digestive system.
4. They have very high reproductive capacity.
5. The complex life cycles are seen in such parasites which involve intermediate hosts or vectors to facilitate transfer to the host.

1. Sunlight is essential for the plants for photosynthesis.
2. It is the only source of energy for the entire ecosystem.
3. Without sunlight the food chains will not exist.
4. Survival of plants is therefore dependent on sunlight.
5. In case of animals diurnal and seasonal variations in light intensity and duration decide the feeding, foraging and reproductive activities.
6. Migrations shown by certain animals also depend on light.
7. Almost all animals have behaviour based on photoperiod. The proportion of sunlight on land also decides the ambient temperature. Thus, life is dependent on light.

1. Homeostasis keeps the body in equilibrium.
2. All the internal functions are maintained due to homeostasis.
3. Survival, growth and reproduction can be achieved due to this steady state.
4. The external environment changes constantly but by homeostasis, organisms can cope up with this change.
5. Thus homeostasis is a way of adaptation for survival.

1. Global temperature rise or global warming is having great impact on natural habitats.
2. Aquatic habitats like oceans are worst affected as 90% of extra heat enters marine waters. These elevated temperatures cause adverse effects on marine habitat.
3. Coral reefs are also affected due to increased temperature. It causes bleaching of coral reefs. Fish populations are adversely affected.
4. Due to rising temperature, the tundra regions and polar regions are showing melting of snow. These habitats are disappearing and the animals from these areas such as polar bears are on the verge of extinction. Increased temperatures also cause desertification of the once green habitats.
5. Nearly 50% of the species are under threat of extinction due to climate change. Global warming and climate change thus reduces biodiversity.
6. Every plant and animal species is adapted to a specific temperature conditions. But due to global warming and associated climate change, these species are affected. Some species show migrations to cooler places.
7. Temperatures also alter the life cycles of plants and animals. When temperatures rise, many plants grow rapidly and bloom earlier in the spring and survive longer into the fall. Some animals leave hibernation sooner.

Gause’s ‘Competitive Exclusion Principle’:
(1) This principle states that two closely related species competing for the same resources cannot co-exist indefinitely and the competitively inferior one will be eliminated eventually.

(2) The Gause’s principle may be true if resources are limiting, but not otherwise. More recent studies do not support such gross generalisations about competition. The species during competition also show resource partitioning.

(3) In resource partitioning, the species facing competition might evolve mechanisms that promote co-existence rather than exclusion. If two species compete for the same resource, they could avoid competition by choosing, for instance, different times for feeding or different foraging patterns. E.g. Five closely related species of warblers living on the same tree were able to avoid competition and co-exist due to behavioural differences in their foraging activities. If there are two competing species and one is comparatively superior than the other, then the inferior one remains restricted to smaller geographical area. If this superior species is removed then only the inferior species expands its range.

1. Environment of depths of ocean are characterized by high pressure, low temperature, absence of light, calmness of water, absence of phytoplankton and other producers, scarcity of food and thus animals staying here show many adaptations.
2. Due to extreme pressure the bodies of deep- sea fish and other animals are very much compressed.
3. The bony skeletons are much reduced except for jaws. They have watery muscles. Some deep-sea fishes exhibit greatly enlarged eyes which act like telescope.
4. They are highly effective as in depths there is less light. Their retina is composed of a number of tiers of rods, presumably arranged to absorb all the limited light that enters the eye. However, the eye-size is small.
5. Some benthic fishes have eyes located on only one side of the body. E.g. Sole fish.
6. Many deep-sea animals are bioluminescent, i.e. they produce their own light by means of luminous organs.
7. In anglerfish, the light is used as a bait to attract prey and also for species and sex recognition.
8. The mouth of deep-sea fish is the enormous, which enables them to gulp large sized prey.
9. Many of the deep-sea animals have long appendages, abundant spines, stalks or other

To survive and propagate further in any environment, organisms show one of the four possible ways, viz. regulate, conform, migrate and suspend.
(1) Regulate : In this method, organisms maintain homeostasis by physiological and behavioural changes. Due to homeostatic regulation, they can perform thermoregulation or osmoregulation. E.g. All birds and mammals show constant body temperature and osmotic concentration irrespective of external temperature.

(2) Conform : Most of the animals and plants are unable to maintain a constant internal environment. Their body parameters change according to outside environment. E.g. Poikilothermic animals cannot maintain body temperature but they are simple conformers. In few aquatic animals, the osmotic concentration of the body fluids changes according to surrounding osmotic concentration. Few conformers can regulate the parameters in limited range.

(3) Migrate : When organism is unable to cope up with surrounding temperatures, they migrate temporarily from such stressful habitat to a more favourable habitat. After the stressful period is over, they return back. Birds show long-distance migrations during severe winter.

(4) Suspend : Suspending the life activities for particular period is one of the methods to cope up with stressful conditions. Seeds of plants remain dormant over unfavourable period and once favourable conditions are resumed they start growing. This state is called dormancy during which metabolic activities are suspended. Hibernation and aestivation seen in some animals is also for escaping severe winter or summer respectively. E.g. Polar bear shows hibernation while snails and fish show aestivation. These are also suspension measures.

1. A niche describes how that organism is linked with its physical and biological environment.
2. Niche is described as a position of a species in the environment. It gives the idea about how the organisms are surviving and fulfilling their needs of shelter and food.
3. By studying niche one can get idea of the flow of energy from one organism to another. This helps to understand the feeding habits and interactions involving food chain and food web.
4. If any niche is left vacant, other organisms\fill that position.
5. The niche is specific to each species. Two species can never share the same niche. By having specific niche, every organism tries to reduce competition for resources.
6. E.g. In birds, each one is specific in their eating habits, some are insectivorous, while some are frugivorous. Some are omnivorous, in this way birds living in the same habitat differ in their niches because of different eating habits.

1. Pest insects act as prey to predator birds or frogs.
2. The biological control method consists of releasing the predators in the farms so that they can control the pest population in the natural way.
3. This also eliminates the use of chemical pesticides.
4. Frogs are natural predators of locust, therefore the population of this hazardous insect is controlled by frogs and the produce from agricultural farm can be saved.

Protocooperation:

1. Protocooperation is a type of population interaction where two species interact with each other.
2. Both are benefited but they have no need to interact with each other.
3. They can survive and grow even in the absence of other species.
4. Therefore this interaction is purely for the gain that they receive in such type of interaction.
5. The interaction that occurs can be between different kingdoms.

1. Behavioural responses to cope with variations in their environment are shown by few animals.
2. Desert lizards manage to keep their body temperature fairly constant by behavioural adaptations. They bask in the sun and absorb heat, when their body temperature drops below the comfort zone, but move into shade, when the ambient temperature starts increasing. Even snakes also show basking during winter months.
3. Since they are ectothermic, this kind of behaviour saves them from extreme temperatures.
4. Many smaller animals show burrowing behaviour to adapt to the temperature extremes.
5. Some species burrow into the sand to hide and escape from the heat.
6. Migrations shown by the birds and mammals are also behavioural responses for adapting to severe winter temperatures.

1. Animals which are well-adapted to live in deserts are called xerocoles. These animals show adaptations for water conservation or heat tolerance.
2. These animals show low basal metabolic rate. They obtain moisture from succulent plants and rarely drink water. E.g Gazella and Oryx.
3. Desert animals like camel produce concentrated urine and dry dung.
4. Many other hot desert animals are nocturnal, seeking out shade during the day or dwelling underground in burrows.
5. Smaller animals from desert, emerge from their burrows at night.
6. Mammals living in cold deserts have developed greater insulation through warmer body fur and insulating layers of fat beneath the skin.
7. Few adaptations to desert life are unable to cool themselves by sweating so they shelter during the heat of the day. Many desert reptiles are ambush predators and often bury themselves in the sand, waiting for prey to come within range.
8. Other animals have bodies designed to save water. Scorpions and wolf spiders have a thick outer covering which reduces moisture loss. The kidneys of desert animals concentrate urine, so that they excrete less water.