Question

Ecosystem services include processes that increase the quality of the abiotic environment.

Which of the following processes would fall under this category?

I) Keystone predators have a marked effect on species diversity.
II) Green plants produce the oxygen we breathe.
III) The presence of land plants builds soil.
IV) The presence of diverse wetlands helps in flood control.

A) only II and IV
B) only I and III
C) only I, II, and IV
D) only II, III, and IV

Answer 1

D) only II, III, and IV

Step-by-step explanation:

Green plants perform the process of photosynthesis. During this process, molecular oxygen is produced in the light-dependent phase. This by-product of photosynthesis is released by plants into the air. This is how oxygen balance is maintained in the air.

During soil formation, the litter produced by plants is decomposed by the soil microbes. This adds organic matter and makes the soil fertile. Plants are one of the biotic factors responsible to trigger the process of soil formation.

Wetlands connect the aquatic and terrestrial ecosystems and hold the excess of the water when the rivers overflow. Therefore, the presence of wetlands store the excess water and return it to the rivers or other aquatic bodies later and control floods.