Daily Quiz #6 UPSC Prelims Marathon – July 6, 2019

Explanation: Realizing the importance of Environmental Information, the Government of India, in December, 1982, established an Environmental Information System (ENVIS) as a plan program. The focus of ENVIS since inception has been on providing environmental information to decision makers, policy planners, scientists and engineers, research workers, etc. all over the country.
Objective of Environmental Information System:
Long-term objectives:
•To build up a repository and dissemination centre in Environmental Science and Engineering.
•To gear up the modern technologies of acquisition, processing, storage, retrieval and dissemination of information of environmental nature; and .
•To support and promote research, development and innovation in environmental information technology.
Short-term objectives:
•To provide national environmental information service relevant to present needs and capable of development to meet the future needs of users, originator, processors and disseminators of information;
•To build up storage, retrieval and dissemination capabilities with the ultimate objectives of disseminating information speedily to the users;
•To promote, national and international cooperation and liaison for exchange of environment related information;
•To promote, support and assist education and personnel training programmes designed to enhance environmental information processing and utilization capabilities.

Explanation: The Kudremukh National Park is located at a distance of 96 km from the district of Chikmagalur in the state of Karnataka in India. Nestled in the Western Ghats, the park is spread over an area of over 600 sq km at an altitude of 1,894 m above sea level. The Kudremukh National Park derives its name from a hill top that resembles the shape of the head of a horse. The park houses four ranges named Kudremukh, Kerekatte, Kalasa, and Shimoga. The entire park is covered by thick forests with various species of flora. It is also surrounded by tea and coffee plantations. The Kudremukh National Park falls under the Global Tiger Conservation Priority-I, under the format developed by the Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS) and World Wide Fund-USA. It is also the origin of three very well known rivers – the Nethravathi, the Tunga and the Bhadra. A statue of Lord Varaha at a height of six feet can be found inside an ancient cave and a temple of goddess Bhagavathi is also present here. These attract many tourists, mainly pilgrims, here. Kudremukh National Park is home to several species of flora and fauna. Eucalyptus, casuarinas, acacia auriculiformis and Grevillea Robusta are some of the species of flora found here. Together with a wide array of wildlife consisting of tigers, leopards, wild dogs, Malabar giant squirrels, common langurs, sloth bears, gaurs, porcupines, sambar, spotted deer, barking deer, jackals, giant flying squirrels and mongoose found here.

Explanation: grasslands are found on every continent except Antarctica. These terrestrial ecosystems occupy roughly 19% of the earth’s surface. They are characterized by treeless herbaceous plant cover, dominated by a wide variety of grass species.
Features of grassland ecosystems:
•Land is dominated by grasses. Large shrubs or trees are not there.
•Grasslands have a rich variety of animals.
•Grasslands have been the home for grazing animals for Millions of years. Since the grass height is low and trees are few, animals found in their areas are exposed to the stress of sun and sweeping winds.

Explanation: Grasslands are located on every continent with the exception of Antarctica. Some locations of temperate grasslands include:
•Argentina – pampas
•Australia-downs
•Central North America-plains and prairies
•Hungary-pustza
•New Zealand-downs
•Russia-steppes
•South Africa-veldts

Explanation: An estuary is a partially enclosed body of water formed where fresh water from land meets and mixes with salt water from the ocean. Estuaries come in all shapes and sizes and can be called bays, lagoons, harbors, inlets, sounds, wetlands and swamps.
Estuarine ecosystems:
•These are areas where both ocean and land contribute to a unique ecosystem.
•A basic feature is the instability of an estuary due to the ebb and flood of the tide.
•Plant and animal wastes are washed away, sediment is shifted and fresh and salt water are mixed.
•Estuaries provide a calm refuge from the open sea for millions of plants and animals.
•The diversity of habitats enclosed in estuaries supports enormous abundance and diversity of species e.g. fish, shellfish, lobsters, marine worms, reeds, seagrasses, mangroves, algae, and phytoplankton.
•Visiting species include birds which roost and feed, pelagic fish to spawn and use as nurseries.
•Estuaries are among the most productive environments on earth.
•4 times more productive in plant matter than a rye grass pasture and 20 times more productive than the open sea. Extremely rich in organic matter and nutrients.
•Photosynthesis occurs throughout the water column and on the sediment surface – very productive.
•The margins of the estuary contain the food webs important producers e.g. algae, eelgrass, rushes and mangroves providing a huge amount of organic matter. Marshes and mangroves produce up to ten tones of plant detritus per hectare per year – considered organic factories.
•Sediments are important as they store organic matter and are the site of microbial activity.
•Micro organisms decompose complex organic compounds into useable forms – ammonia, nitrates and phosphates. This becomes the basic food for primary consumers like crabs, shellfish, snails, and marine worms. These burrowing invertebrates – especially sediment feeders continually turn over the deposited material.