Cycles within Ecosystems (Edexcel GCSE Biology)

Figure 1 shows a diagram of the water cycle.

(i) Describe how clouds are formed at X in Figure 1.

(3)

(ii) Suggest how water is returned to the water table from the atmosphere with reference to process Y in Figure 1.

(1)

The map in Figure 2 shows the location of the Marshall Islands, an archipelago situated close to Hawaii in the Pacific Ocean.

Figure 2

In 2016, a drought hit the Marshall Islands leading to a severe shortage of drinking water for the inhabitants of the island.

(i) Explain why an island, such as those in the Marshall Islands, can suffer from the effects of a drought despite being surrounded by the ocean.

(1)

(ii) Describe a method which could be used to obtain potable drinking water from saline water. (2)

The data in Figure 3 shows the relative volumes of water transferred through each part of the water cycle annually.

Figure 3

Calculate the percentage of the total water transferred that falls through precipitation.

Figure 1 shows an outline of the carbon cycle.

Figure 1

Describe the roles of living organisms in the cycling of carbon.

Suggest a consequence to the living world of substances such as carbon not being recycled. 

Figure 1 shows the carbon cycle.

Figure 1

(i) Identify the processes labelled A, B, C, D and E.

(5)

(ii) Give the letter of the process that reduces the carbon dioxide in the atmosphere.

(1)

Deforestation has an impact on both the carbon cycle and the water cycle.

Describe and explain the effect of deforestation on levels of carbon and water in the atmosphere.

Figure 2 shows the carbon dioxide concentration of the atmosphere between 1955 and 1995.

Figure 2

(i) Calculate the difference in atmospheric carbon dioxide concentration in Europe between 1980 and 1990.

(2)

(ii) Suggest an explanation for the fluctuations in carbon dioxide concentration during a year as seen in Figure 2.

(3)

Nitrogen is an essential element for plant growth. Most plants can only use nitrogen in the form of nitrate ions. Only legumes that have bacteria living in root nodules, as shown in Figure 1, can use nitrogen from the air.

Figure 1

(i) Explain how nitrate ions help plants to grow.

(1)

(ii) Outline how nitrogen in the air is converted into nitrates which can be used by the plants.

(2)

Figure 2 shows the nitrogen cycle. Different stages have been numbered 1 to 8.

Figure 2

(i) Complete the table to match up the stages in the nitrogen cycle with the corresponding number, or numbers, from Figure 2.

The first row has been done for you.

(ii) Explain how nitrates are absorbed into plants at stage 8.

(3)

Earthworms are invertebrates that live in the soil. As they move through the soil, they create air pockets between the soil particles.

Suggest why this may lead to an increase in nutrients in the soil.

The effect of temperature on decomposition was investigated.

30 leaves were collected.
The mass of five leaves was recorded and the leaves were placed into a net bag.
This was repeated five more times.

Figure 1 shows one of these bags.

Figure 1

The net bags were then put in trays and covered in soil as shown in Figure 2.

Figure 2

Which type of tray should be used so that the leaves are in the best conditions for decomposition?

Each tray was kept at a different temperature.

The mass of the leaves was recorded again after 25 days.

Figure 3 shows the results of this investigation.

(i)

Figure 3

Calculate the percentage decrease in mass for the leaves at 85 °C.

Give your answer to two significant figures.

(2)

(ii) Explain which temperature was the best for the decomposition of the leaves.

(2)

(iii) State two improvements to the method for this investigation.

(2)

Plants use nitrate ions to make proteins and chlorophyll.

(i) What effects will a low nitrate ion concentration in soils have on plants?

(1)

(ii) Which organisms convert nitrogen to nitrate ions during the nitrogen cycle?

(1)

Figure 1 shows part of a root as seen using a light microscope.

Figure 1

Figure 2 shows information about the two types of cell labelled in Figure 1.

Figure 2

(i) Calculate the surface area to volume ratio of the root hair cell.

(2)

(ii) Explain the benefit to the plant of having root hair cells.

(2)

Algae are green plants.

Figure 3 shows the number of algae in a lake in the United Kingdom during one year.

Figure 3

Explain the changes in the number of algae in the lake from February to June.

A student investigated the effect of nitrate ion concentration on plant growth.

She placed barley seedlings in three test tubes containing different concentrations of nitrate fertiliser.

Test tube 1 contained distilled water with 1 pellet of nitrate fertiliser.
Test tube 2 contained distilled water with 2 pellets of nitrate fertiliser.
Test tube 3 contained distilled water with 3 pellets of nitrate fertiliser.

After 7 days, the lengths of the seedlings were measured.

Figure 1 shows an example of the apparatus used.

Figure 1

(i) Describe a control for this investigation.

(2)

(ii) The nitrate fertiliser contains the chemical compound potassium nitrate. The hazard symbol on the bag of potassium nitrate fertiliser is shown in Figure 1.

Figure 1

Which hazard does this symbol represent?

(1)

(iii) Give a method, other than measuring the change in length, that would show the growth of the seedlings.

(1)

Figure 2 shows the results of this investigation.

Figure 2

(i) Explain why there are differences in the change in the lengths of the seedlings.

(2)

(ii) Explain how nitrate ions were absorbed by the seedling in test tube 3.

(3)

Farmers use crop rotation to reduce the need to add nitrate fertilisers to the soil.

Plants such as peas and beans have a mutualistic relationship with nitrogen-fixing bacteria.

Explain why farmers use these plants in their crop rotation cycle.

Explain how cabbages, earthworms and squirrels contribute to the carbon cycle.

Figure 1 shows the global movement of carbon into or out of the atmosphere.

Figure 1

Calculate the net mass of carbon added to the atmosphere each year.

Joseph Priestley was a scientist who investigated how green plants and combustion affected the carbon cycle.

Figure 2 shows his first experiment.

Figure 2

(i) State why the candle was not burning after three minutes.

(1)

(ii) Joseph Priestley continued the investigation but placed a plant inside the bell jar as shown in Figure 2.

Figure 2

He observed that the candle stayed alight for two minutes more than the candle in the bell jar in the first experiment.

Explain his observation.

(2)

(iii) State two variables that would need to be controlled to compare these two experiments.

(2)

Nitrogen is cycled through the environment.

Describe the roles of bacteria in the nitrogen cycle.

State three ways the concentration of nitrates in soil can be increased.

A student investigated the decomposition of leaves from different types of tree.

Decomposers in the soil convert...

The student collected and weighed some fresh leaves from a beech tree.

• The leaves were placed on top of soil in a tray.

• This was repeated for leaves from three other types of tree.

• The trays were kept in the same abiotic conditions for 40 days.

• The leaves were reweighed after 40 days.

(i) State two abiotic factors that should be kept the same in this investigation.

(2)

(ii) Explain how this investigation could be improved to make the results more comparable.

(2)

Figure 1 shows the mean rate of decomposition for this investigation.

Figure 1

(i) Which leaves would produce compost in the least time?

(1)

(ii) The same investigation was extended to include the leaves of a silver birch tree.

The starting mass of the leaves was 28.2 grams.

After 40 days the mass of the leaves was 19.7 grams.

Calculate the rate of decomposition of the leaves of the silver birch tree.

Give your answer to three significant figures and include the units.

(3)

Explain how the concentration of oxygen in a compost bin would affect the rate of decomposition.

In Ireland during the 19th century, a mould caused potato plants to rot.

Explain how this mould affected food security in Ireland.

A group of pupils investigated the effect of temperature on mould growth on bread.

Figure 1 shows the bread after being kept at different temperatures for seven days.

Figure 1

(i) Which is the best estimate of the percentage cover of mould on the bread at 40 °C?

(1)

(ii) State two conclusions that can be made about the growth of mould on the bread from 0 °C to 40 °C shown in Figure 1.

(2)

(iii) Explain why there was no mould growing on the bread kept at 60 °C.

(2)

Figure 2 shows some part-baked bread in a sealed bag.

The gas in the bag is nitrogen, which prevents the bread from going mouldy.

Figure 2

If the bag is opened, the bread goes mouldy within days.

State why the bread goes mouldy.

Explain why keeping food in a fridge slows down the growth of mould.

A gardener wants to use some compost to maximise the vegetable growth in his garden. He has decided to use natural compost and has been told that he should aim for an optimum carbon to nitrogen ratio of 25:1 for the most fertile compost.

Using the Internet, the gardener found the following information (in Figure 1) about the nutrient content of some different types of natural compost.

Figure 1

(i) Calculate the ratio of carbon to nitrogen for sheep manure as shown in Figure 1.

(1)

(ii) Explain which type of compost would be the best for the gardener to use on his garden.

(2)

Explain how nitrogen containing compounds in organic material is recycled into the growth of new plants.

Once fruit has been harvested from a plant, it must be stored in suitable conditions to limit the rate of decay.

Describe the optimum conditions for storage of fruit, such as strawberries, once they have been picked from the plant.

Figure 2 shows the development of mould on some bread over the period of 15 days.

Figure 2

(i) Calculate the daily rate of mould growth between days 4 and 14 on Figure 3.

(2)

(ii) The company producing the bread suggested that a good way to keep the bread fresh would be to store it in an airtight container.

Suggest why this may help to reduce the rate mould growth on the bread.

(2)

Table 1 shows the approximate masses of carbon contained within carbon-containing compounds in various parts of the Earth's crust and atmosphere.

Table 1

1 gigatonne is 1 billion (1 000 000 000) metric tonnes.

Calculate the total mass of carbon in carbon-containing compounds in all reservoirs except for sedimentary rocks. Give your answer in kg in standard form. 

Name one process by which carbon in sedimentary rock (the largest sink shown in Table 1) is returned directly to the atmosphere. 

Carbon transfers from the 'land organisms' sink to the 'soil' sink.

Give two ways in which this transfer takes place. 

Nitrogen is an essential element for plant growth. Most plants can only use nitrogen in the form of nitrate ions from the soil. Only legumes that have bacteria living in root nodules, as shown in the Figure 1 below, can use nitrogen from the air.

Figure 1

(i) Explain how nitrate ions help plants to grow.

(2)

(ii) Describe how nitrogen in the air is converted into nitrates which can be used by the plants.

(2)

(iii) The relationship between the plant and the root-nodule bacteria in the diagram above is described as 'mutualistic', meaning that both organisms in the relationship benefit from living together.

Use the information in the diagram to explain how the relationship between the plant and the bacteria is mutualistic.

(2)

Figure 2 shows the nitrogen cycle. Different stages have been numbered 1 to 8.

Figure 2

(i) Complete the table to identify the stages in the nitrogen cycle that correspond to each number from the diagram.

One stage has been filled in for you.

(4)

(ii) Explain how nitrates are absorbed into plants at stage 8.

(3)

Earthworms are invertebrates that live in the soil. As they move through the soil they create air pockets between the soil particles.

Suggest why this may lead to an increase in nutrients, such as nitrates, in the soil.