The correct option is
B Only III
Tropical rainforests are found near the equator and have moderate temperature and humidity (the amount of water vapour in the air). Availability of temperature and water are high here. They receive the highest rainfall. Since tropical rainforests have so many plants, there is lots of transpiration (loss of water in the form of water vapour). Water vapour hovering over rainforests leads to more rain.
A graph with mean annual temperature against mean annual precipitation, shows that an almost constant temperature is maintained in tropical rainforests. This biome is very warm with an average daily temperature of 28°C. Therefore, statement I is incorrect.
Figure : Tropical forest
Microbes are organisms that are too small to be seen with the naked eyes and are found almost everywhere. They can be found in thermal springs and deep sea hydrothermal vents where average temperature is higher than 100℃. Even the human intestine is a unique habitat for many species of microorganisms. Examples include Escherichia coli. Some microorganisms live in symbiotic relationships with humans and synthesise vitamin B
12 for the body. Therefore, statement II is incorrect.
Temperature is an important abiotic environmental factor which varies seasonally from cold winters to hot summers. From the equator to the poles the average temperature decreases progressively with sub zero levels in polar areas and high altitudes to >50
°C in tropical deserts in summer. Animals are adapted to their habitat. For example, camels are desert animals and cannot survive in cold climate of the arctic region, similarly polar bears cannot stay in deserts.
This is because temperature affects the kinetics of enzymes (rates of enzyme-catalysed chemical reactions), thereby affecting the metabolic activity and physiological functions.
Enzymes are bio-catalysts that help in increasing the rate of metabolic reactions. With rise in temperature the activity of enzymes increases which in turn increases the rate of metabolic reactions. This is because increase in temperature increases the kinetic energy of the enzymes and substrate molecules, which causes them to collide more often and bind to each other. This continues until the optimum temperature is attained, at which the activity of the enzyme is maximum.
Rise in temperature beyond this causes the enzymes to be destroyed, as they are made up of proteins, thus reducing the rate of metabolic reactions. Therefore, statement III is correct.
Figure : Enzyme kinetics