Question

Consider the following statements concerning food chains.
1. Removal of 80 percent tigers from an area resulted in greatly increased growth of vegetation.
2. Removal of most of the carnivores resulted in an increased population of deers.
3. The length of food chains is generally limited to 3–4 trophic levels due to energy loss.
4. The length of food chains may vary from 2 to 8 trophic levels.

Which of the above statements are correct?

• A. 1, 4
• B. 1, 2
• C. 2, 3
• D. 3, 4

Answer 1

The correct option is C 2, 3

The incorrect statements are:

$\bullet$ First statement- This is incorrect as removal of tigers from an area will decrease the vegetation growth, this will increase the deer population, that will consume plants and decrease the vegetation cover.
$\bullet$ Fourth statement- This is incorrect as the food chain limits itself to maximum of four trophic levels to minimize the loss of energy.

The correct statements are:
$\bullet$ Second statement- This is correct as removal of most of the carnivore will directly increase the deer population as no one is there to kill them.
$\bullet$ Third statement- This is correct as the food chain limits to 4 trophic level to reduce the loss of energy.

Hence, the correct option is "c".