Question

According to the May's global estimates how many species of plants and animals, respectively, are yet to be discovered and described from India?
A. 50,000 and 90,000
B. 3,00,000 and 90,000
C. 3,00,000 and 1,00,000
D. 1,00,000 and 3,00,000

Answer 1

Hint: Robert Bob May was an Australian scientist who’s subject of expertise was theoretical physics. In a later career, he started to research ecology. The earth comprises a very high diversity of species. Among this huge diversity, only a portion of species is recognized and named.

Complete answer: If the estimation of Robert Bob May is considered, then only the species which are recognized are 22% of total species. Considering May's discovery proposal there are more than 1,00,000 species of flora and 3,00,000 species of fauna are yet to be recognized and described.
So, the correct answer is option D. There are nearly 1,00,000 floral species and 3,00,000 fauna species are not yet discovered.

Additional Information:
The characteristic of the ecosystem that shows the variety of plants, animals and other living organisms including all the possible habitats like aquatic, terrestrial, or inter alia is called Biodiversity. Biodiversity has a great role in maintaining ecosystem functions like oxygen supply, water supply, pollution control, pest control, waste management, etc. Biodiversity not only maintains ecological functions but also boosts the productivity of the ecosystem. Biodiversity includes four major components: species diversity, genetic diversity, ecological diversity, and functional diversity.
Nowadays the major concern of ecology is the loss of biodiversity. Loss of biodiversity occurs due to the extinction of flora and fauna. Extinctions of species are the results of either natural or human activities. It is necessary to save the species which are still present on the earth for a better ecosystem.

Note:
Nearly 4.6 million years ago the earth was formed. In this huge period, several species originated. It is hard to recognize or estimate all the species. Though scientists are continuously researching and trying to discover new species. Robert Bob May was a person who estimated that the earth comprises 7 millions of species among them only 1.5 million are estimated.