Free Biodiversity and Variety of Life MCQs with Answers

3,130 Biodiversity and Variety of Life MCQs from Biology, each with the correct answer and a written explanation of why it is correct. Free and unlimited, with no account needed.

Biological classification uses taxonomic ranks, binomial nomenclature and shared characteristics to organize life into kingdoms. The major groups include prokaryotes, protists, fungi, plants and animals, with comparisons based on cell type, cell wall, nutrition, body organization, reproduction and evolutionary relationships; prokaryotes lack a membrane-bound nucleus.

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  • A. Parasitic
  • B. Saprophytic
  • C. Symbiosis
  • D. Autotrophic

Explanation: The correct answer is Option D: Autotrophic. Fungi are heterotrophic organisms, meaning they obtain nutrients by absorbing them from other…

Correct answer: Autotrophic
  • A. Some fungi are active predators
  • B. Some fungi are mutualists
  • C. Facultative parasitic fungi are host specific
  • D. All fungi require mineral nutrients

Explanation: The correct answer is Option C: Facultative parasitic fungi are host specific.

Correct answer: Facultative parasitic fungi are host specific
  • A. Fungi
  • B. Bryophytes
  • C. Angiosperms
  • D. Algae

Explanation: The correct answer is Fungi. Haustoria are specialized structures used by parasitic fungi to invade host tissues and extract nutrients, a…

Correct answer: Fungi
  • A. Spore formation
  • B. They form fruiting bodies
  • C. They are all parasites
  • D. Their large surface area-volume ratio

Explanation: The correct answer is Option D: Their large surface area-volume ratio. Fungi absorb nutrients through their extensive network of hyphae…

Correct answer: Their large surface area-volume ratio
  • A. Algal partner
  • B. Fungal partner
  • C. Epidermis
  • D. Cuticle

Explanation: Lichens are symbiotic associations between fungi and photosynthetic organisms, usually algae or cyanobacteria.

Correct answer: Fungal partner
  • A. Soredia
  • B. Spore
  • C. Conidia
  • D. Ascospore

Explanation: The correct answer is Soredia. Soredia are specialized structures in lichens, which are symbiotic partnerships between fungi and…

Correct answer: Soredia
  • A. Algae
  • B. Lichens
  • C. Fungi
  • D. Bacteria

Explanation: Lichens are a symbiotic association between fungi and algae or cyanobacteria.

Correct answer: Lichens
  • A. Ascomycetes
  • B. Zygomycetes
  • C. Basidiomycetes
  • D. Imperfect fungi

Explanation: In lichens, the fungal partner is usually an Ascomycete, which forms a symbiotic relationship with an algal or cyanobacterial partner.

Correct answer: Ascomycetes
  • A. 5%
  • B. 100%
  • C. 95%
  • D. A few

Explanation: The correct answer is 95%. Most vascular plants, about 95%, exhibit a mutualistic association with fungi known as mycorrhizae.

Correct answer: 95%
  • A. Help in absorption of mineral nutrients
  • B. Fungal hyphae penetrate and branch out in root cells
  • C. Mostly found in non-vascular plants
  • D. Plants show better growth

Explanation: The correct answer is Option C: 'Mostly found in non-vascular plants.' Mycorrhizae are primarily associated with vascular plants, such as…

Correct answer: Mostly found in non-vascular plants
  • A. Dry
  • B. Moist
  • C. Very hot
  • D. Very cold

Explanation: Fungi thrive in moist environments because moisture facilitates the absorption of nutrients through their cell walls, and provides the…

Correct answer: Moist
  • A. Asexual reproduction
  • B. Sexual reproduction
  • C. Resting stage
  • D. Active stage

Explanation: The correct answer is the 'Resting stage.' During this stage, fungi often produce spores or other dormant structures that are adapted to…

Correct answer: Resting stage
  • A. pH from 2 to 9
  • B. Wide temperature range
  • C. Without organic matter
  • D. High osmotic pressure

Explanation: Fungi are heterotrophic organisms that require organic matter to derive nutrients and energy, making it impossible for them to grow…

Correct answer: Without organic matter
  • A. Starch
  • B. Oil and glycogen
  • C. Glucose
  • D. Fat

Explanation: Fungi store energy primarily in the form of oils and glycogen. This differs from plants, which use starch as their main storage…

Correct answer: Oil and glycogen
  • A. Budding
  • B. Fragmentation
  • C. Binary fission
  • D. Spores

Explanation: The correct answer is binary fission. This method of asexual reproduction involves the division of a single organism into two parts, each…

Correct answer: Binary fission
  • A. Spores
  • B. Budding
  • C. Conidia
  • D. All these

Explanation: Fungi primarily reproduce through the production and release of spores, which can be spread by wind, water, or other organisms.

Correct answer: Spores
  • A. Spore
  • B. Conidia
  • C. Bud
  • D. Ascospores

Explanation: The correct answer is Conidia. Conidia are a type of non-motile asexual spore that fungi produce at the end of specialized hyphae called…

Correct answer: Conidia
  • A. Spores
  • B. Conidia
  • C. Basidiospore
  • D. Ascospore

Explanation: The correct answer is spores, as they are the reproductive structures produced inside sporangia following meiosis in many fungi…

Correct answer: Spores
  • A. Ascospores
  • B. Conidia
  • C. Zygospores
  • D. Basidiospores

Explanation: The correct answer is Conidia. Conidia are asexually produced spores that are formed without the fusion of gametes, commonly observed in…

Correct answer: Conidia
  • A. Smut fungi
  • B. Yeast
  • C. Mushrooms
  • D. Puccinia

Explanation: The correct answer is Yeast. Yeast is a unicellular fungus that reproduces asexually by a process called budding, where a small new cell…

Correct answer: Yeast