UPSC Prelims 2012 · GS Paper I
Question 94: Environment and Ecology
The Millennium Ecosystem Assessment describes the following major categories of ecosystem services—provisioning, supporting, regulating, preserving and cultural. Which one of the following is supporting service?
AnswerUPSC’s answer is (c).
In the Millennium Ecosystem Assessment, supporting services are the basic processes that other services depend on, such as nutrient cycling, soil formation and primary production. Of the options, the one with nutrient cycling is the supporting service. Production of food and water is provisioning, control of climate and disease is regulating, and maintenance of diversity is the 'preserving' category named in the question.
Why each option is right or wrong
- (a) Wrong: food and water production is a provisioning service.
- (b) Wrong: control of climate and disease is a regulating service.
- (c) Correct: nutrient cycling is the classic supporting service.
- (d) Wrong: maintenance of diversity is the preserving category.
Worth knowing: The Millennium Ecosystem Assessment lists crop pollination under regulating services, so option (c) is only partly accurate, though it is the only one containing a supporting service.
Answer: UPSC’s key. Explanation: written by UPSC Grade, not by UPSC.
Source: UPSC, Civil Services (Preliminary) Examination 2012, General Studies Paper I, Series A. The paper on upsc.gov.in.