Question

Match List-I with List-II

List-I (Types of ecology)	List-II (Explanation)
(A) Ecosystem ecology	(I) The units of study are interactions between different communities of area.
(B) Community ecology	(II) The units of study are pure stands of individuals of a single species.
(C) Biome ecology	(III) The units of study are groups of individuals belonging to different species of plants as well as animals.
(D) Population ecology	(IV) The most complicated synecological approach to the ecology of an area.

Choose the correct answer from the options given below:

• (A) - (I), (B) - (II), (C) - (III), (D) - (IV)
• (A) - (III), (B) - (I), (C) - (IV), (D) - (II)
• (A) - (I), (B) - (III), (C) - (IV), (D) - (II)
• (A) - (IV), (B) - (III), (C) - (I), (D) - (II)

Hint:

Start from the narrowest scale, a single species population, and build up to the broadest, the whole ecosystem.

Answer 1

The Correct Option is D

The four branches of ecology in List-I sit at four different scales of study, and each pairs with the definition that describes its scope.

1. Ecosystem ecology: Covers living communities together with the non living environment, making it the widest and most tangled, or synecological, level of study. This fits definition (IV).
2. Community ecology: Looks at several species of plants and animals sharing one area and how they interact. This fits definition (III).
3. Biome ecology: Looks at how different communities across a large region interact with each other. This fits definition (I).
4. Population ecology: Focuses on just one species at a time, essentially a pure stand of individuals from that single species. This fits definition (II).

Combining these gives (A)-(IV), (B)-(III), (C)-(I), (D)-(II).

Let's summarize:

• Population ecology is the narrowest, single species scale.
• Community, then biome, ecology widen the scale to many species and many communities.
• Ecosystem ecology is the broadest, combining biotic and abiotic factors.

So option (4) is the correct match.