Question

Assertion (A): Species is an ecological unit. Reason (R): It shares the same ecological niche.

• A. Both (A) and (R) are true. (R) is the correct explanation for (A)
• B. Both (A) and (R) are true. (R) is not the correct explanation for (A)
• C. (A) is true. But (R) is false
• D. (A) is false. But (R) is true

Hint:

A niche is the "profession" of an organism; members of the same species share the same one!

Answer 1

The Correct Option is A

Step 1: Understand what is being asked.
The question links a species with the idea of an ecological unit and a niche. We must decide if both lines are true and if the second line explains the first.

Step 2: What a species means in ecology.
A species is a group of organisms that look alike, breed among themselves, and live in a similar way. In ecology we treat this group as one working unit because all its members behave in the same ecological manner.

Step 3: What a niche means.
A niche is the full role an organism plays in nature. It includes where it lives, what it eats, when it is active, and how it interacts with others. Think of it as the organism's complete "job" in the environment.

Step 4: Connect species and niche.
All members of one species need the same food, the same space, and the same conditions. So they all fill the same niche. Sharing one niche is exactly why we can call the species a single ecological unit.

Step 5: Check the Assertion and Reason.
The Assertion (species is an ecological unit) is true. The Reason (it shares the same niche) is also true. And the Reason is the very cause of the Assertion, so it correctly explains it.

Step 6: Pick the matching option.
Both statements are true and the Reason explains the Assertion. This matches the first option.
\[ \boxed{\text{Both (A) and (R) are true. (R) is the correct explanation for (A)}} \]