Question

Loss of biodiversity in a region may lead to …..

(a) Increase in plant production

(b) Increase resistance to drought

(c) Increased variability in plant productivity

(d) Both (a) and (b) above

Answer 1

Hint: Biodiversity is the variety of life forms present on earth. It includes every single living organism that is plants, bacteria, animals and human beings. 

Complete answer:

Biodiversity loss is defined as the extinction of species worldwide, as well as the local reduction or loss of species in a certain habitat, resulting in a loss of biological diversity.

So by the definition we can say that the loss of biodiversity will not lead to the increase in plant production as plants are also a part of biodiversity.

And there is no explanation for how loss of biodiversity can lead to increased resistance to drought. 

So we can say that loss of biodiversity in a region may lead to increased variability in plant productivity as an example decrease in the population of grazing animal or pests results in variability of plant productivity. 

The cause of biodiversity losses can be due to certain factors which include habitat loss and fragmentation which is large-scale deforestation for human activities and fragmentation of habitat into small parts which result in habitat loss. Overexploitation is one of the reasons for biodiversity loss as the human requires natural resources which results in over-exploitation of natural resources and the species of plants and animals become extinct due to it. 

So, the correct answer is 'increased variability in plant productivity’.

Additional information:

The extinction of more than 2000 species is due to the colonisation of tropical Pacific Islands by humans and some taxa are more vulnerable towards extinction than other taxa. It has led to mass extinction of the species which include $12\%$ of the bird species and 23% of the mammal species. About some percentage of all gymnosperm species and the amphibian species are at threat of extinction. It is estimated that half of the species on earth will be wiped out within the next hundred years by ecologists. The loss of biodiversity in a region may lead to a decrease in plant production and a lowering of resistance towards environmental perturbations which includes drought. 

Note:

$8\%$ of the world's biodiversity is the home for species in India. Biodiversity helps us in many ways which include water cycling and soil formation. Also, it provides resistance against invasive species and the pollution that are controlled by the ecosystems.