Question

Which of the following statements are correct?
i) Hydnora africana is parasitic on the roots of members of the Euphorbiaceae family and emits an odor of faeces to attract its natural pollinators.
ii) Okapi, despite having zebra-like stripes, is actually more closely related to horses.
iii) Welwitschia mirabilis is a plant consisting of only two leaves and a stem with roots. It is a long living plant, living between $400$ to $1500$ years.
iv) Lhasa apso was the largest known carnivorous marsupial of modern times. It was native to Tasmania and believed to have gone extinct in the ${20^{th}}$ century.
A. (i) and (iv) only
B. (ii), (iii) and (iv) only
C. (i) and (iii) only
D. (i) and (ii) only

Answer 1

Biogeography is a branch of ecological sciences that studies distribution of the world's many biodiversity i.e. flora and fauna. It is often considered a part of physical geography because it often relates to the study of the physical environment and how it influenced species and shaped their distribution across the globe. Different organisms have evolved from lots of years to adapt to their habitat.

Complete answer:
Before solving this question we will first check which statements in the option are correct.
Statement – i: Hydnora africana are parasitic plants on members of Euphorbiaceae.
Thus, the statement – i is correct.
Statement – ii: Okapis, like zebras, have stripes, although they are more closely related to giraffes and not horses. The okapi belongs to the Giraffidae family of animals.
Thus, the statement – ii is not correct.
Statement – iii: Welwitschia mirabilis is a plant endemic to Namibia desert and is pre-historic and has two leaves only.
Thus, the statement –iii is correct.
Statement – iv: The Tasmanian devil belongs to the Dasyuridae family of carnivorous marsupials. It is the size of a small dog and became one of the world's largest carnivorous marsupials once the thylacine became extinct. Thus, Lhasa apso is not the largest known carnivorous marsupial of modern times.
Thus, the statement – iv is not correct.
Now, based on our analysis of the statements we can find the correct option.
Option: A – It is incorrect because statement-iv is incorrect.
Option: B – It is incorrect because statement-ii and iv are incorrect.
Option: C – It is correct because statement-i and iii are correct.
Option: D – It is incorrect because statement-ii is incorrect.

So, option C. i and iii only is the correct answer

Note:
Adaptation is the process of changing one's behavior, physiology, or structure to better suit one's surroundings. They are necessary for the survival of the species. The adaptations might be structural (e.g., physical adaptive characteristics), behavioral (e.g., vocalizations, courting rituals, nesting, and mating), or physiological (e.g., vocalizations, courtship rituals, nesting, and mating) (e.g. developing resistance to diseases or to toxic chemicals).