Which of the following statements are correct? A. The Amazon rainforest being cut and cleared for cultivation of soyabeans is an example of habitat loss. B. Steller's sea cow and passenger pigeon became extinct due to over-exploitation by humans. C. The Nile perch introduced into Lake Victoria in East Africa helped in population growth of cichlid fish in the lake. D. Water hyacinth is an invasive species. E. When a species becomes extinct, the plant and animal species associated with it are not affected. Choose the correct answer from the options given below: (NEET 2026)

Solution & Explanation

Answer: (2) A, B and D only. [option B] Solution: A is correct - clearing the Amazon for soya bean cultivation is the textbook habitat-loss example. B is correct - Steller's sea cow and passenger pigeon went extinct due to over-exploitation. D is correct - water hyacinth (Eicchornia) is a named invasive species. C is wrong - the Nile perch introduced into Lake Victoria caused the extinction of more than 200 cichlid species, it did not aid their growth. E is wrong - co-extinction means associated species ARE affected when a species goes extinct. Hence only A, B and D are correct. NCERT: NCERT Class XII Biology, Ch 13 Biodiversity and Conservation, p.222, lines 37-40: "The Amazon rain forest ... is being cut and cleared for cultivating soya beans"; p.223, lines 3-5: "Many species extinctions in the last 500 years (Steller's sea cow, passenger pigeon) were due to overexploitation by humans"; p.223, lines 12-14: "The Nile perch introduced into Lake Victoria ... led eventually to the extinction of an ecologically unique assemblage of more than 200 species of cichlid fish"; p.223, lines 22-23: "When a species becomes extinct, the plant and animal species associated with it in an obligatory way also become extinct."