Question

Siberian cranes are facing threat of extinction mainly due to

• A. diseases
• B. ruralization
• C. bad weather
• D. habitat loss or fragmentation

Answer 1

The correct option is D habitat loss or fragmentation

Habitat loss and fragmentation occurs due to increasing demand for land to meet the requirements of a geometrically increasing population. Destruction of forest land leads to loss of habitat for several species. For example, the Amazon rainforest which harbours the largest variety of species on Earth used to cover 14% of the land in the past and now covers less than 6%. Thus the habitat for several thousand species of organisms got destroyed and destruction of such large habitats leads to fragmentation. Birds (especially migratory birds like Siberian cranes) and mammals that require large territories are affected by habitat loss and fragmentation leading to population decline.