Q.178 Zoology ⭐ 360° Option Elimination Active

NEET 2023 Zoology Question 178 Solution

Topic: Organisms and Populations · Official NTA Booklet Code G5

Question

Match List I (Interacting species) with List II (Name of Interaction). List I: A. A Leopard and a Lion in a forest/grassland; B. A Cuckoo laying egg in a Crow's nest; C. Fungi and root of a higher plant in Mycorrhizae; D. A cattle egret and a Cattle in a field. List II: I. Competition; II. Brood parasitism; III. Mutualism; IV. Commensalism. Choose the correct answer from the options given below:

✓

Verified Against NTA Final Answer Key

Option (2) : A-I, B-II, C-III, D-IV

📚 Organisms and Populations Easy

📋 Given Parameters & Problem Setup

Interacting Species Pairs Leopard & Lion, Cuckoo & Crow, Fungi & Roots (Mycorrhizae), Cattle Egret & Cattle

Interaction Types Competition, Brood parasitism, Mutualism, Commensalism

⚡

The 30-Second Exam Hall Shortcut: ⚡ Classic Ecological Interaction Pairings

⏱️ Save ~25 seconds

Match classic ecological case studies: Leopard & Lion = Interspecific Competition (I). Cuckoo egg in Crow's nest = Brood parasitism (II). Mycorrhizae = Mutualism (III). Cattle egret foraging near grazing cattle = Commensalism (IV)! Match Option (2)!

1 Leopard and Lion competing for prey in shared habitat -> Interspecific Competition -> A-I.

2 Cuckoo laying eggs in Crow nest for foster rearing -> Brood parasitism -> B-II.

3 Mycorrhizae (Glomus fungi + higher plant roots) -> Mutualism -> C-III.

4 Cattle egret foraging on stirred-up insects near cattle -> Commensalism (+, 0) -> D-IV.

5 Match combination: A-I, B-II, C-III, D-IV -> Option (2).

🛡️

Why You Can 100% Trust This Shortcut: Canonical NCERT Organisms and Populations population interactions case studies.

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Step-by-Step Rigorous Workflow & Mathematical Proof

Step 1

Ecological Mechanisms of Listed Interactions

Analyzing the ecological dynamics of each species pair:

\begin{aligned} \text{\textbf{A. Leopard \& Lion:}} & \quad \text{Top carnivores competing for overlapping ungulate prey} \implies \mathbf{\text{Competition (I)}} \\[4pt] \text{\textbf{B. Cuckoo \& Crow:}} & \quad \text{Parasitic bird lays eggs in host nest mimicking host egg} \implies \mathbf{\text{Brood Parasitism (II)}} \\[4pt] \text{\textbf{C. Mycorrhizae:}} & \quad \text{Fungi absorb minerals/phosphorus; plant supplies carbohydrates} \implies \mathbf{\text{Mutualism (III)}} \\[4pt] \text{\textbf{D. Cattle Egret \& Cattle:}} & \quad \text{Egret benefits from flushed insects (+); cattle unaffected (0)} \implies \mathbf{\text{Commensalism (IV)}} \end{aligned}

Step 2

Verbatim NCERT References

NCERT states under Population Interactions: - "Competition: In South American lakes, visiting flamingos and resident fishes compete for their common food... Leopard and lion compete for same prey." - "Brood parasitism in birds is a fascinating example... cuckoo (koel) and the crow." - "Mycorrhizae are associations between fungi and the roots of higher plants (Mutualism)." - "The cattle egret and grazing cattle in close association... a classic example of commensalism."

Step 3

Option Cross-Verification

A-I, B-II, C-III, D-IV corresponds directly to Option (2).

⭐

360° Option Elimination Engine Key Feature

Diagnose every choice: Know exactly why the right option works and why distractors fail.

4-Option Deep Scan

1 1

✗ Incorrect

Verdict & Scientific Reason:

Mismatches Leopard/Lion with brood parasitism.

⚠️

Student Fallacy (Why candidates pick this trap): Grossly misattributing avian reproductive parasitism to big cats.

2 2

✓ 100% Correct

Verdict & Scientific Reason:

Exact 1-to-1 match with all four canonical NCERT ecological interactions.

💡

Why this is airtight: None; textbook verbatim match.

3 3

✗ Incorrect

Verdict & Scientific Reason:

Inverts Mycorrhizae with commensalism and Egret/Cattle with mutualism.

⚠️

Student Fallacy (Why candidates pick this trap): Confusing obligate mutualism with facultative commensalism.

4 4

✗ Incorrect

Verdict & Scientific Reason:

Mismatches Leopard/Lion with mutualism.

⚠️

Student Fallacy (Why candidates pick this trap): Calling predator-predator conflict mutualism.

⚠️

NTA Trap Alert: Mutualism vs. Commensalism in Cattle Egret Trap

Students often wonder if the cattle benefit from the egret eating insects off their backs. NCERT explicitly states that the cattle are unaffected ( $0$ ), while the egret benefits ( $+$ ) by catching insects flushed out by moving vegetation, making it Commensalism.

🛡️ How to avoid the -1 mark: Cattle Egret & Grazing Cattle = Commensalism (+, 0). Mycorrhizae = Mutualism (+, +).

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Core NEET Syllabus Standard

NCERT Biology · Organisms and Populations Standard Benchmark

Core Scientific Principle Tested:

"Leopard and lion exhibit competition; Cuckoo and crow exhibit brood parasitism; Mycorrhizae is mutualism; Cattle egret and cattle is commensalism."

Syllabus Focus: Population Interactions

✓ Core NEET UG Syllabus Anchor Syllabus & Academic Standards ↗

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NEET 2023 Zoology Question 178 Solution

Question

The 30-Second Exam Hall Shortcut: ⚡ Classic Ecological Interaction Pairings

Step-by-Step Rigorous Workflow & Mathematical Proof

Ecological Mechanisms of Listed Interactions

Verbatim NCERT References

Option Cross-Verification

360° Option Elimination Engine Key Feature

NTA Trap Alert: Mutualism vs. Commensalism in Cattle Egret Trap

Core NEET Syllabus Standard

Ready to attempt under real exam pressure?

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