Which of the following is the most important cause of animals and plants being driven to extinction?
Answer: (C) Habitat loss and fragmentation. Answer: (C) Habitat loss and fragmentation.
- A.Over-exploitation
- B.Alien species invasion
- C.Habitat loss and fragmentation✓
- D.Co-extinctions
Correct Answer
(C) Habitat loss and fragmentation
Solution & Explanation
Answer: (C) Habitat loss and fragmentation. Solution: Of the four causes in 'The Evil Quartet', NCERT explicitly names habitat loss and fragmentation as the most important cause driving animals and plants to extinction, with tropical rain forest destruction as the most dramatic example. Over-exploitation, alien species invasion and co-extinctions are real causes but are listed as secondary in importance, so they are incorrect here. NCERT: NCERT Class XII Biology, Ch 13 Biodiversity and Conservation, p.222, lines 30–32: "Habitat loss and fragmentation: This is the most important cause driving animals and plants to extinction."