Questions

Q2.

The passage describes the consequences of air pollution.

Complete the passage by writing a suitable word or words on each dotted line.
(8)
The release of the gas sulfur ................................................................................... into the atmosphere

is an example of air pollution because the gas dissolves in water in air

to form ................................................................................... rain. This rain can kill trees on land

and fish in lakes.

Other gases that pollute the atmosphere are greenhouse gases such as

........................................................................

and nitrous oxide from the burning of ................................................................................... fuels,

and ................................................................................... from the digestive system of cattle.

These gases increase the ................................................................................... effect and may lead to a

problem

known as ................................................................................... in which the air temperature may rise.

This rise in air temperature may destroy the place where a species lives

known as its ................................................................................... .

(Total for question = 8 marks)

Q3.

The photograph shows a mammal called a mountain hare.

Mountain hares eat plants.

Foxes, cats and eagles are predators that eat mountain hares.

(a) (i) Use this information to draw a food web.

(2)

(ii) Give the name used to describe animals that eat plants.
(1)
.............................................................................................................................................

(b) Scientists want to find out which type of plant habitat mountain hares prefer.
They use quadrats to sample seven habitats.
Each habitat contains a different type of plant.
The scientists calculate the percentage of quadrats in each habitat where mountain hare faeces are
found.
The graph shows the results.
 (i) Name the type of plant habitat that the mountain hares like best.
(1)
.............................................................................................................................................

(ii) Suggest three reasons why mountain hares may prefer to eat the plants in some habitats rather
than plants in other habitats.
(3)
1 ..........................................................................................................................................

.............................................................................................................................................

2 ..........................................................................................................................................

.............................................................................................................................................

3 ..........................................................................................................................................

.............................................................................................................................................

(c) The scientists use 700 quadrats in one plant habitat and find that 224 quadrats contain mountain hare
faeces.

(i) Calculate the percentage of quadrats containing mountain hare faeces in this habitat. Show your
working.
(2)
 percentage of quadrats = .............................................. %
(ii) Name the type of plant habitat where the scientists collected these results.
(1)
.............................................................................................................................................

(d) The scientists use a large number of quadrats to make sure the data collected is reliable.
Describe a procedure they should follow to make sure the data collected using quadrats is valid.
(1)
.............................................................................................................................................

.............................................................................................................................................

.............................................................................................................................................

(Total for question = 11 marks)

Q4.

The diagram shows a food web from a forest.

(a) Use information from the food web to complete the table.
The first one has been done for you.
(3)
(b) Plant cell walls are made of cellulose.
Cellulose is an insoluble molecule made from the same simple sugar as starch.
The rabbit's intestine contains bacteria that can digest cellulose.
Suggest why this is an advantage for the rabbit.
(2)
.............................................................................................................................................

.............................................................................................................................................

.............................................................................................................................................

.............................................................................................................................................
(Total for question = 5 marks)
Q5.

The passage describes the study of organisms and their ecosystems.

Complete the passage by writing a suitable word in each of the spaces.

(8)
Ecology is the study of the interaction of the organisms in an ecosystem with

their ........................................................... This is made up of biotic or living factors and

abiotic or non–living factors.

In an ecosystem a group of organisms of the same species living in one place is a

........................................................... Different groups of species living in the same place or

habitat is called a ...........................................................

To study the number and distribution of plants in an area, a wooden or metal frame is used. This

is called a ........................................................... To compare numbers of organisms in two areas

several frames need to be placed at ........................................................... places in each area.

The numbers in each frame are combined and then divided by the total number of frames.
This is done to calculate the ........................................................... for each area. By using several

frames we improve the ........................................................... of the data and make it easier to

detect any ........................................................... results.

(Total for question = 8 marks)

Q7.

Read the passage below. Use the information in the passage and your own knowledge to answer the
questions that follow.

Desert plants
(a) Explain how having few or no leaves helps cacti to reduce water loss (line 5).
(2)
.............................................................................................................................................

.............................................................................................................................................

.............................................................................................................................................

.............................................................................................................................................

(b) Suggest how a desert plant may benefit from having extremely long roots (line 14).
(1)
.............................................................................................................................................

.............................................................................................................................................

.............................................................................................................................................

(c) Many desert trees or shrubs have very small leaves (lines 12 and 13).
(i) Explain why having small leaves would be a disadvantage for non-desert plants.
(2)
.............................................................................................................................................

.............................................................................................................................................

.............................................................................................................................................

.............................................................................................................................................
(ii) Suggest why having small leaves is less of a disadvantage for desert plants.
(1)
.............................................................................................................................................

.............................................................................................................................................

.............................................................................................................................................

(Total for question = 6 marks)

Q8.

Plants produce their own food by photosynthesis.

(a) Give the balanced chemical symbol equation for photosynthesis.

(2)

.............................................................................................................................................
(b) The table gives data from an investigation that measured the mass of carbon dioxide (CO2) released
globally between 1990 and 2014.

(i) Plot a line graph to show the mass of CO2 released globally between 1990 and 2014.
Use a ruler to join your points with straight lines.
(5)
 (ii) Calculate the percentage increase in the mass of CO2 released globally between 1990 and 2014.
(2)

percentage increase = ........................................................... %

(d) The concentration of CO2 in the atmosphere has increased.

Explain how plants may limit this increase.
(2)
.............................................................................................................................................

.............................................................................................................................................

.............................................................................................................................................

.............................................................................................................................................

.............................................................................................................................................

.............................................................................................................................................

(Total for question = 11 marks)

Q10.

The diagram shows a food chain.

(a) (i) How many consumers are shown in this food chain?
(1)
.............................................................................................................................................
(ii) What term describes the trophic level of the snake?
(1)
.............................................................................................................................................

(b) Light is an abiotic (non-living) factor that affects the growth of maize.
(i) Explain the role of light in helping the growth of maize.
(2)
.............................................................................................................................................

.............................................................................................................................................

.............................................................................................................................................

.............................................................................................................................................

.............................................................................................................................................

.............................................................................................................................................

(ii) Scientists measured the average (mean) daily increase in mass of maize in a square metre of a
field in two different regions of the world.
They also measured the daily light energy available in a square centimetre of each of the two
regions.
The table shows their results.

The scientists expected that the same light energy would produce the same average daily increase
in mass of maize in each region of the world.
However, the results show that the average daily increase in mass of maize produced in the UK was
less than they expected.

Calculate the average daily increase in mass the scientists expected to be produced in the UK.
(2)
 Average increase in mass = ........................................................... g

(iii) The scientists concluded that factors other than light must be limiting the growth of maize in the
UK.
Name two other abiotic factors that could limit the growth of maize.
(2)
1 ..........................................................................................................................................

2 ..........................................................................................................................................

(c) Give three reasons why not all of the energy available in the maize is transferred to the snake.
(3)
1 ..........................................................................................................................................

.............................................................................................................................................

2 ..........................................................................................................................................

.............................................................................................................................................

3 ..........................................................................................................................................

.............................................................................................................................................

(Total for question = 11 marks)

Q11.

A student investigates the populations of two plant species in two fields, A and B.
The student uses a 0.5 m × 0.5 m quadrat to count the number of plants of each species in each field. He
takes five quadrat samples for each field.

The tables show the student's results.

Field A

Field B

(a) (i) Calculate the average (mean) number of plantain per m2 in field B.
Show your working.
(2)

average number of plantain per m2 = ...........................................................

(ii) Explain how the student should decide where to place the quadrats in each field.
(2)
.............................................................................................................................................

.............................................................................................................................................

.............................................................................................................................................

.............................................................................................................................................
(iii) Describe the differences in the plant populations shown by the student's results.
(3)
.............................................................................................................................................

.............................................................................................................................................
.............................................................................................................................................

.............................................................................................................................................

.............................................................................................................................................

.............................................................................................................................................

.............................................................................................................................................

.............................................................................................................................................

.............................................................................................................................................

(b) Abiotic (non-living) factors could be the reason for the differences in the plant populations in the two
fields.
Explain how two abiotic factors could cause differences in plant populations.
(4)
1 ..........................................................................................................................................

.............................................................................................................................................

.............................................................................................................................................

.............................................................................................................................................

.............................................................................................................................................

2 ..........................................................................................................................................

.............................................................................................................................................

.............................................................................................................................................

.............................................................................................................................................

.............................................................................................................................................

(Total for question = 11 marks)