Assertion (A) states that unlike temperate forests, tropical rainforests, if cleared, can yield productive farmland for several years without fertilizers. This is false. Tropical rainforest soils are typically nutrient-poor; most nutrients are locked up in the biomass and cycle rapidly. Clearing and burning the forest provides a temporary flush of nutrients from the ash, but the soil quickly degrades due to leaching and erosion, losing fertility within a few years, making intensive agriculture unsustainable without external inputs. Reason (R) states that the primary productivity of the tropical rainforest is very high compared to temperate forests. This is true; tropical rainforests have high temperatures, abundant rainfall, and year-round growth conditions, leading to very high rates of photosynthesis and biomass production.
Assertion (A): Unlike temperate forests, the tropical rain forests, if cleared, can yield productive farm-land that can support intensive agriculture for several years even without chemical fertilizers. Reason (R): The primary productivity of the tropical rain forest is very high when compared to that of the temperature forests.
Asked in UPPCS Prelims 2003 · Topic: Ecology (Ecosystem Functions: Productivity, Energy Flow, Trophic Levels)
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