Q. Elephants are landscape architects, creating clearings in the forest, preventing overgrowth of certain plant species and allowing space for the regeneration of others, which in turn provide sustenance to other herbivorous animals.
Elephants eat plants, fruits and seeds, propagating the seeds when they defecate in other places as they travel. Elephant dung provides nourishment to plants and animals and acts as a breeding ground for insects. In times of drought, they access water by digging holes which benefits other wildlife.
Q. Which one of the following statements best reflects the most logical and rational inference that can be drawn from the passage?
(a) The home range of elephants needs to be a vast area of rich biodiversity.
(b) Elephants are the keystone species and they benefit the biodiversity.
(c) Rich biodiversity cannot be maintained in the forests without the presence of elephants.
(d) Elephants are capable of regenerating forests with species as per their requirement.
Question from UPSC Prelims 2023 CSAT
Model Answer:
Q1: Correct Answer – (b) Elephants are the keystone species and they benefit the biodiversity.
Explanation –
The passage discusses various ways in which elephants contribute to the biodiversity of their habitats, including clearing vegetation, spreading seeds, providing nourishment and breeding grounds for other species, and accessing water during droughts. This suggests that they play a crucial role in their ecosystems, which is consistent with the definition of a keystone species. Therefore, option (b) is the most logical and rational inference that can be drawn from the passage.