Lakhmir Singh Solutions For Class 8 Science

Chapter 7 Conservation Of Plants And Animals

Very Short Answer Type Questions

1. (a) Which gas in the atmosphere is used by the trees and plants in photosynthesis?
(b) Which gas in the atmosphere traps the heat rays reflected by the earth?
Answer
(a) Carbon dioxide present in the atmosphere is used by the trees and plants in the process of
photosynthesis.
(b) Carbon monoxide gas in the atmosphere traps the heat rays reflected by the earth.

2. Write one word for: Variety of plants, animals, and microorganisms found in an area.
Answer
Biodiversity is the one word given for a variety of plants, animals, and microorganisms found in an area.

3. What name is given to that part of the earth in which living organisms exist (or which
supports life)?
Answer
The part of the earth in which all living organisms exist (or which supports life) is the biosphere.

4. What the three types of protected area which have been earmarked for the conservation of
forest and wildlife.
Answer
Wildlife sanctuaries, National parks and Biosphere are the three types of protected area which have
been earmarked for the conservation of forest and wildlife.

5. Name one Wildlife Sanctuary and one National park which is contained in Pachmarhi
Biosphere Reserve.
Answer
Bori Sanctuary, Panchmarhi sanctuary and Satpura national park are located in Panchmari bioreserve,

6. Name any five threatened wild animals that are protected and preserved in our wildlife
Sanctuaries.
Answer
Tiger, Lion, Leopard, Indian rhinoceros, and Indian monkeys are the threatened wild animals that are
protected and preserved in our wildlife sanctuaries.
 Lakhmir Singh Solutions For Class 8 Science
Chapter 7 Conservation Of Plants And Animals

7. For what purpose are National Parks in our country established?

Answer
The purpose of National parks in our country is to conserve and protect the endangered species. To
maintain the ecological balance and also to give the shelter to the endemic species.

8. Name the first Reserve Forest of India.

Answer
The first reserve forest of India is Satpura National Park.

9. Name the objects of historical significance found in Satpura National Park.

Answer
The objects of historical significance found in Satpura National Park are called rock shelters. These
rock shelters are the evidence of prehistoric human life in this jungle. Approximately 55 rock shelters
have been identified in this park.

10. Name two animals that have vanished from Satpura National Park and two animals which are
still found there.
Answer
Two animals that have vanished from Satpura National Park are White buffalo and Swamp deer. Two
animals that are still found in Satpura National Park are Leopard and Tiger.

11. What name is given to those species

(a) that are on the verge of vanishing from earth?
(b) that have died out completely?
Answer
(a) Species that are on the verge of vanishing from the earth are called endangered species.
(b) Species that have died out completely are called extinct species.

12. Name the publication which contains a record of all the endangered species (plants and
animals, etc).
Answer
The publication which contains a record of all the endangered species (plants and animals, etc) is the
IUCN Red List of Threatened species.
 Lakhmir Singh Solutions For Class 8 Science
Chapter 7 Conservation Of Plants And Animals

13. Name any five endangered species of animals listed in the Red Data Book of India.
Answer
Five endangered species of animals listed in the Red Data Book of India are
● Asiatic lion
● Bengal tiger
● Blue whale
● Central Kashmir Vole
● Banteng

14. What is the answer to deforestation?

Answer
The answer to deforestation is afforestation. It means planting of trees in an area where there was no
previous tree cover. The other answer can be reforestation. It implies re-establishment of forest either
naturally or artificially.

15. Name the various old paper products which can be recycled.
Answer
Various old paper products that can be recycled are:
● Paper towels and napkins
● Magazines
● Greeting cards
● Old gift tags
● Cardboard

16. How many full-grown trees are needed to make 1 tonne of paper?
Answer
Twenty-five full-grown trees are needed to make one tonne of paper.

17. State one way in which we can reuse paper.

Answer
Old newspapers can be used as a paper bag to carry lightweight things. It can also be used to pack
vegetables and store in the refrigerator.
 Lakhmir Singh Solutions For Class 8 Science
Chapter 7 Conservation Of Plants And Animals

18. Fill in the following blanks with suitable words

(a) Deforestation increases the level of___________in the atmosphere.
(b) Species found only in a particular area are known ___________ species.
(c) A place where animals are protected in their natural habitat is called___________
(d) Satpura National Park is a part of___________ Biosphere Reserve.
(e) Rd Data Book contains a record of___________ species.
(f) Migratory birds fly to faraway places because of___________ changes.
(g) In reforestation, the planted trees should be of the same___________ Which were cut down
in that forest.
(h) Paper can be recycled___________ to___________times.

Answer

(a) Deforestation increases the level of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere.

(b) Species found only in a particular area is known as endemic species.

(c) A place where animals are protected in their natural habitat is called a wildlife sanctuary.

(d) Satpura National Park is a part of the Pachmarhi Biosphere Reserve.

(e) Rd Data Book contains a record of endangered species.

(f) Migratory birds fly to faraway places because of climatic changes.

(g) In reforestation, the planted trees should be of the same species which were cut down in that forest.

(h) Paper can be recycled five to seven times

Short Answer Type Questions

19. What is meant by deforestation? What are the causes of deforestation?

Answer
Removal of trees and plant life from a particular area for the construction of industries, agriculture, and
other purposes is termed as deforestation. The causes of deforestation are as follows:
● Procuring land for cultivation
● Building houses and factories
● Making furniture or using wood as fuel
● Natural causes such as forest fire and severe drought can also cause deforestation

20. What are the consequences of deforestation?

Answer
 Lakhmir Singh Solutions For Class 8 Science
Chapter 7 Conservation Of Plants And Animals

Consequences of deforestation are:

● Deforestation increases the temperature and pollution levels on the earth
● It increases the level of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere
● It also reduces the level of groundwater

21. What is desertification? Name one human activity which may lead to desertification.
Answer
Desertification is a process of degradation of the land. Desertification is the degradation process by
which a fertile land changes itself into a desert by losing its flora and fauna, this can be caused by
drought, deforestation, climate change, human activities, or improper agriculture. Overgrazing, climatic
change, and deforestation can lead to desertification.

22. Explain how, deforestation makes the soil infertile leading to desertification.
Answer
The soil particles are held together in a place by the roots of the plants, trees, and other vegetation. In
the event of water flow or a high-speed wind over the top layer of the soil, the soil particles get removed
easily as there are no plants to hold it in place. Thus, Soil erosion is increased by deforestation
activities. Soil loses fertility and loses humus. Hence, a fertile land, fit for agriculture turns into a desert.

23. What is global warming? Name the gas responsible for causing global warming.
Answer
Global warming is a gradual increase in the earth’s temperature generally due to the greenhouse effect
caused by increased levels of carbon dioxide, CFCs, and other pollutants. The gases responsible for
causing global warming are carbon dioxide, methane carbon monoxide.

24. How does deforestation reduce rainfall on the one hand and lead to floods on the other?
Answer
Deforestation leads to reduced rainfall because it leads to a reduction in natural recycling of moisture
from the soils. This recycling takes place through vegetation and returns back in the form of rainfall.
Deforestation also leads to floods. This is because the water holding capacity of the soil is dependent
on the number of trees. As the number of tresses reduces, the soil structure changes, and the soil the
particles that are held firmly gets disturbed. When there is heavy rainfall, the rainwater does not seep
down into the ground and is not absorbed by the tress. Hence, it leads to flooding.
 Lakhmir Singh Solutions For Class 8 Science
Chapter 7 Conservation Of Plants And Animals

25. Define the term ‘biosphere’.

Answer
The biosphere is defined as the global ecological system consisting of all the living organisms and
these are protected from human intervention. These help in the protection of endangered species.

26. Define
(i) biodiversity
(ii) ecosystem
Answer
(i) Biodiversity is the variation among living organisms from different sources including terrestrial,
marine and desert ecosystems, and the ecological complexes of which they are apart.
(ii) An ecosystem is a group or community composed of living and non-living things and their
interactions with each other. They can be natural as well as artificial. Every ecosystem has two
components, namely, biotic components and abiotic components.

27. What will happen if the natural habitat of a wild animal is destroyed?
Answer
The plant life forms an integral part of the ecosystem and these plants form the natural habitat of
various animals of that ecosystem. All the basic necessities for an animal, like food, water, shelter, and
protection is provided by the habitat in which the animal lives-in disturbing the habitat of the animal
forces it to move to another place in search of food, water, shelter and protection. The animal, in due
course, may get killed by other animals. Destroying the natural will ultimately threaten the existence of
animals in that particular ecosystem and may lead to their extinction.

28. What is the purpose of establishing several Biosphere Reserve, Wildlife Sanctuaries and
National Parks in India?
Answer
The purpose of establishing several Biosphere Reserve, Wildlife Sanctuaries and National Parks in
India to conserve and protect the endangered species. To maintain the ecological balance and also to
give the shelter to the endemic species.

29. State the role of the Biosphere Reserve.

Answer
Biosphere reserves are areas that protected from human intervention. These areas help in the
conservation of endangered species. Each biosphere reserve is supposed to fulfill three harmonizing
functions:
 Lakhmir Singh Solutions For Class 8 Science
Chapter 7 Conservation Of Plants And Animals

Conservation function: To conserve genetic resources, species, ecosystems, and landscapes

Development function: To promote sustainable human development and economic
Logistic support function: To provide support for research and analyzing the issues of conservation and
sustainable development.

30. What is meant by the ‘flora’ and ‘fauna’ of an area? Give two examples of flora and two
examples of the fauna of the Pachmarhi Biosphere Reserve.
Answer
Flora is a collective term for a group of plant life found in a particular region. The whole plant kingdom is
represented by this name. Fauna represents the animal life indigenous to a region. In a nutshell, the
term flora relates to all plant life and the term fauna represents all animal life. Let us dive deeper into
these terms, exploring their origins and etymologies.
Flora in Pachmarhi Biosphere Reserve: Mango and Silver ferns
Fauna in Pachmarhi Biosphere Reserve: Wild boar and Tiger

31. What is meant by the ‘flora’ and ‘fauna’ and which belong to ‘flora of the Pachmarhi
Biosphere Reserve? Sal, Arjun, Cheetal, Teak, Leopard, Fern, Blue bull, Barking deer, Mango,
Wolf.
Answer
The term flora relates to all plant life and the term fauna represents all animal life.
Flora: Arjun, Teak, Fern, Mango, Sal
Fauna: Cheetal, Leopard, Blue bull, Barking deer, Wolf.

32. What is the difference between ‘flora’ and ‘fauna’?

Answer
Flora refers to the plant life found in a particular region. It is the naturally occurring or the indigenous
native plant life.
The term fauna represents all the animal species found in a particular region at a particular time. These
are the naturally occurring animal species of a particular area.

33. What is meant by ‘Species’ ? Give any five examples of species.

Answer
Species are often defined as a group of individuals with similar characteristics, where they can
interbreed to produce fertile offsprings.

Examples:
 Lakhmir Singh Solutions For Class 8 Science
Chapter 7 Conservation Of Plants And Animals

● Alpaca - Vicugna pacos.

● Anole lizard - Anolis carolinensis.
● Armadillo - Dasypus novemcinctus.
● Bushbaby - Otolemur garnettii.
● Cat - Felis catus.
● Chicken - Gallus gallus

34. What’s do you understand by ‘endemic species’? Name two plant species and two animal
species endemic to the Pachmarhi Biosphere Reserve area.
Answer
Endemic species are those species of plants and animals which are found exclusively in a particular
area.
Two endemic plant species found in the Pachmarhi Biosphere Reserve area are: Acacia nilotica and
Anogeissus latifolia.
Two endemic animal species found in the Pachmarhi Biosphere Reserve area are: Chinkara and nilgai.

35. Name two man-made causes of deforestation and two natural causes of deforestation.
Answer
Man-made causes of deforestation are:
● Over expansion of population
● Construction of industries and factories by cutting down forest
Natural causes of deforestation are:
● Forest fire
● Natural calamities like floods and draughts

36. What is a Wildlife Sanctuary? Name any two Wildlife sanctuaries in India. Where are these
Sanctuaries located?
Answer
A wildlife sanctuary is an area where animal habitats and their surroundings are protected from any sort
of disturbance. The capturing, killing and poaching of animals is strictly prohibited in these regions.
They aim at providing a comfortable living to the animals. India has beautiful wildlife sanctuaries, with
dense forests, large rivers, high and beautiful mountains.

Few wildlife sanctuaries located in India are:

● Periyar wildlife sanctuaries in Kerala
● Govind wildlife sanctuaries in Uttarakhand
● Gir National Park and wildlife sanctuaries in Gujarat
 Lakhmir Singh Solutions For Class 8 Science
Chapter 7 Conservation Of Plants And Animals

37. Name any two Bird Sanctuaries in India. Where are these located?
Answer
Bird sanctuaries in India:
● Bharatpur bird sanctuary in Rajasthan
● Sultanpur bird sanctuary in Haryana

38. What is the difference between a Biosphere Reserve & a Wildlife Sanctuary?
Answer

Biosphere reserve Wildlife Sanctuary

An area constructed for the conservation of An area where the animals are protected and
biodiversity is called the biosphere. preserved is called wildlife sanctuary.

The adequate habitat and protection are provided Several life forms of flora and fauna are protected
for each and every species residing there. from hunting and conservation is done.

Example: Niligir biosphere Example: Gir wildlife sanctuary

39. State the difference between Wildlife Sanctuary and Zoo.

Answer

Wildlife Sanctuary Zoo

An area where the animals are protected and Animals are kept in artificially constructed
preserved is called wildlife sanctuary. facilities for public exhibition.

Several life forms of flora and fauna are protected It is an artificial habitat and the animals may or
from hunting and conservation is done. may not adapt to the new conditions.

40. What is a National Park? Name any two National Parks of India. Where are these National
Park located?
Answer
 Lakhmir Singh Solutions For Class 8 Science
Chapter 7 Conservation Of Plants And Animals

National parks are areas that aim to protect the natural environment. In a national park, the landscapes
and its flora and fauna are present in their natural state.
National parks located in India are:
● Bandipur National Park in Karnataka
● Bandhavgarh National Park in Madhya Pradesh

41. What are the differences between a Wildlife Sanctuary and a National Park?
Answer

Wildlife sanctuary National Park

An area where the animals are protected and It can include flora, fauna, or any other objects of
preserved is called wildlife sanctuary. historical significance.

There are no fixed boundaries Boundaries are fixed and identified.

Example: Gir wildlife sanctuary Example: Jim Corbett National park

42. What do the rock painting found in rock shelters of Satpura National Park depict?
Answer
The objects of historical importance called Rock Shelters are found inside the Satpura National Park.
This rock shelter is the evidence of prehistoric human life in the Jungle they give us an idea of the life of
the primitive people who live in this area long ago. A total of 55 Rock Shelters have been identified in
this area

43. What is ‘Project Tiger’? What was the aim of these projects?
Answer
Project tiger is the conservation of tiger launched by the government of India in 1973. It aims at
conserving the Bengal tigers and conserving this is the biological and national heritage of our country.
 Lakhmir Singh Solutions For Class 8 Science
Chapter 7 Conservation Of Plants And Animals

44. Why even protected forests are not safe for wild animals?
Answer
The protected forests are not safe for wild animals as they hunters in the neighboring areas, come in
sources of resources like food, water, and other raw materials. By this hunting process some of the
animals are killed and now are in the verge of extinction.

45. What is meant by extinct species? Name any two extinct animals?
Answer
The species of animals or plants that no longer exist are called Extinct species.
Example: Caribbean monk seal, Great Auk, Passenger pigeon.

46. What is meant by endangered species? Name any two endangered animals?
Answer
The species which are on the verge of extinction are called as Endangered species.
Example: Bengal Tiger, Blue Whale, etc.

47. Different between ‘endangered species’ and extinct species.

Answer
The species which are on the verge of extinction are called as Endangered species.
Example: Bengal Tiger, Blue Whale, etc.

The species of animals or plants that no longer exist are called Extinct species.
Example: Caribbean monk seal, Great Auk, Passenger pigeon.

48. By taking the example of snakes, explain how by killing small animals, we are actually
harming ourselves.
Answer
The killing of small animals disturb the life cycle and food chain. For example if we kill snakes, rodents
that are eaten by snakes will increase in number and destroy the crop at the mass level. In another
case, if we kill frogs then the number of insects that destroy our crops and are eaten by frogs will again
damage our crops in such a way the food chain is disturbing and our food will destroy.
 Lakhmir Singh Solutions For Class 8 Science
Chapter 7 Conservation Of Plants And Animals

49. What is Red Data Book?

Answer
Red data book is basically a sourcebook that has an international list of all plant and animal species
that are endangered, that is, on the verge of extinction. The International Union for Conservation of
Nature and Natural resources (IUCN) maintains the books and adds/ removes the names of the
species by conducting a comprehensive survey.

50. State one advantage of maintaining the Red Data Book.

Answer

The advantage of maintaining the Red Data Book is that it contains information regarding the
endangered species of flora and fauna. By knowing this data it helps the agencies in conserving and
giving protection to these species. The track record of all the organisms is mentioned and helps in
protecting the plant and animal life forms.