Organisation of an Ecosystem (AQA GCSE Biology: Combined Science)

Exam Questions

2 hours11 questions
1a
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1 mark
a)

Name the process carried out by all ecological producers. 

[1 mark]

1b
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2 marks
b)

In a woodland food chain, the following events occur, as set out in Table 1.

Table 1

Event Description
A Woodland birds feed on ladybirds
B Aphids feed on tree sap
C Birds of prey feed
D Trees photosynthesise and produce food
E Ladybirds feed on aphids

Reorder events A - E into chronological order.  

1st 2nd 3rd 4th 5th
         
[2 marks]
1c
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3 marks
c)

Complete the missing words in the passage below from the list of words in Figure 1. You may not need to use all the words in Figure 1.

wordfill-mcq

[3 marks]

1d
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1 mark
d)
Which of the ecological terms A - D best describes a grazing animal?
  • Primary consumer

  • Secondary consumer

  • Producer

  • Herbivorous predator

1e
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1 mark
e)

Which of the sketch graphs (A - D shown below) best represents the fluctuations in numbers of predators versus the numbers of prey in a feeding relationship?

predators-v-prey-sketch-graph-mcq-1

[1 mark]

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    2a
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    1 mark
    a)

    Ecologists use a sampling method in which quadrats are laid down along a straight line in order to sample how the area's wildlife varies along that line.

    State the name of this type of sampling method. 

    [1 mark]
    2b
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    2 marks
    b)

    For an area of 10 000 m2, calculate the number of 1m2 quadrats needed to sample 2% of the overall area.

    [2 marks]

    2c
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    3 marks
    c)

    A single 50cm × 50cm quadrat is represented in Figure 2 below. The quadrat contained grass, clover and an area of bare ground. 

    Figure 2

    quadrant--cover-1

    Estimate the percentage cover of clover in the quadrat shown in Figure 2.

    [3 marks]

    2d
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    1 mark
    d)

    A scientist decided to use quadrats to investigate species in a field.

    Which technique of A - D is the best one for deciding where to place the quadrats to collect the sample?
    • Place quadrats down in areas where the species under study is present in large numbers.

    • Pick the sunniest areas because more life will grow there. 

    • Close your eyes, throw the quadrat and sample the area where it lands. 

    • Create a grid of the field and use a random number generator to find coordinates to place the quadrat down. 

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    3a
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    2 marks
    a)

    Figure 3 contains a number of biological keywords.

    Identify the two keywords from Figure 3 that are defined by the phrases A and B below.

    Figure 3

    frequency          biodiversity          abundance          range     

    distribution          ecosystem          community          niche

    A. The number of individuals of one species found in a sample.

    B. The geographical locations of all the members of a population.

    [2 marks]

    3b
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    2 marks

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    b)

    The wildebeest (shown in Figure 4) is a large grazing herbivore that lives on the plains of Africa. For much of the year, the plains are dry and arid, although rain falls more in certain seasons. 

    Figure 4

    wildebeest-1

    The number of wildebeest in one area of the African plains is shown in Table 2.

    Table 2

    Month Monthly rainfall in mm Number of wildebeest (estimate)
    January 95 1 560
    April 210 2 350
    July 60 840
    October 100 1 210


    Use the data in Table 2 to calculate the mean number of wildebeest present in the area throughout the year. 

    3c
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    2 marks

    Higher Tier only

    c)

    Plot the data from Table 2 on the axes below. A copy of Table 2 is repeated here for convenience. 

    Table 2

    Month Monthly rainfall in mm Number of wildebeest (estimate)
    January 95 1 560
    April 210 2 350
    July 60 840
    October 100 1 210


    Graph area

    wildebeest-axes-2

    [2 marks]

    3d
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    2 marks

    Higher Tier only

    d)

    Describe the link between monthly rainfall and the number of wildebeest found in this particular area of Africa. 

    Suggest a reason for the pattern of data that is seen. 

    [2 marks]

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    4a
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    1 mark
    a)

    Which of the processes A - D is the one by which carbon enters the carbon cycle by being incorporated into the biomass of producers?

    [1 mark]

    • Decomposition

    • Photosynthesis

    • Aerobic respiration

    • Evaporation

    4b
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    2 marks
    b)

    Part of the carbon cycle is shown in Figure 5.

    Figure 5

    carbon-cycle-2

    Name processes X and Y.

    X ________________

    Y ________________

    [2 marks]

    4c
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    3 marks
    c)

    Over 97% of the Earth's water is salty so will not sustain life on land, which requires fresh (unsalted) water. 

    With reference to the water cycle, explain how salty ocean water is converted to reach land as fresh water in nature. 

    [3 marks]

    4d
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    1 mark
    d)

    Which of the factors listed A - D is not a factor that affects the rate of decay of dead biomass by microorganisms?

    [1 mark]

    • Temperature

    • Light intensity

    • Water availability

    • Oxygen availability

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    1a3 marks

    The intertidal zone is the area along a coast which is underwater at high tide and above water (exposed) when the tide is low.

    A group of students on a field trip in Asia wanted to investigate the distribution of two species of seaweed (C. racemosa and C. microphysa) along a rocky shore to establish whether they could live at certain positions. 

    Seaweeds are multicellular algae that produce glucose. 

    (a)

    Describe the role that seaweeds play in an ecosystem as producers.

    [3 marks]

    1b6 marks

    (b)

    Describe and explain a method that the students could use to investigate the distribution of the two species of seaweed along the rocky shore using a quadrat and a tape measure. 

    You should explain how the students would collect valid data.

    [6 marks]

    1c4 marks

    (c)

    How could the students alter their method if they wanted to investigate the abundance of each type of seaweed along the coastline by measuring percentage cover?

    [4 marks]

    1d3 marks

    (d)

    Another group of students carried out the same investigation the year before.

    Their results are shown in Figure 1 below.

    Figure 1

    seaweed

    Suggest and explain a conclusion that the students could draw from their results using information from Figure 1.

    [3 marks]

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    2a3 marks

    (a)

    Microorganisms play a vital role in cycling nutrients through ecosystems.

    Explain how.

    [3 marks]

    2b1 mark

    (b)

    Carbon in dead biomass is converted into carbon dioxide by the action of certain bacteria and fungi.

    Name these microorganisms.

    [1 mark]

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    3a
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    4 marks

    A group of students investigated the abundance of daisies in a field behind their school.

    The dimensions of the field were 200 metres × 100 metres.

    The students:

    • Chose areas where the daisies were growing
    • Placed 20 quadrats in these areas where daisies were growing
    • Counted the number of daisies in each of the 20 quadrats

    Each quadrat was 0.25 × 0.25 metres in size.

    Table 1 shows their results.

    Table 1

    Quadrat Number Number of daisy plants Quadrat number Number of daisy plants
    1 5 11 3
    2 3 12 14
    3 4 13 3
    4 1 14 1
    5 3 15 10
    6 2 16 2
    7 4 17 2
    8 1 18 3
    9 5 19 5
    10 6 20 1

    (a)

    Using the students' results from Table 1, calculate the estimated number of daisy plants in the whole field.

    [4 marks]

    3b2 marks

    (b)

    It is unlikely that it is possible to calculate a valid estimate of the number of daisy plants in the field using the students' method. 

    Suggest two improvements that could be made to the students' method.

    For each suggested improvement, give a reason why your method would produce more valid results than the students' method. 

    [2 marks]

    3c2 marks

    (c)

    Explain how systematic sampling differs from random sampling in a quadrat study.

    [2 marks]

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    4a6 marks

    Figure 2 shows an outline of the carbon cycle.

    Figure 2

    q4a_organisation-of-an-ecosystem_ecology_gcse_aqa_biology

    (a)

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

    [6 marks]

    4b2 marks

    (b)

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

    [2 marks]

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    1a
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    2 marks
    a)

    It has been found, through DNA sequencing, that many extremophile organisms share a higher-than-normal proportion of guanine and cytosine (G and C) in their DNA.

    Guanine and cytosine are joined by 3 hydrogen bonds across a molecule DNA, whereas the other two bases (adenine and thymine) are joined by just 2 hydrogen bonds. 

    Suggest and explain the property that having a high G-C content gives those organisms. 

    [2 marks]

    1b
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    3 marks
    b)

    List three extreme conditions that extremophile microorganisms have been found in and for each one, describe the adaptations that allow the microorganisms to survive in those extreme conditions.

    [3 marks]

    1c
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    1 mark
    c)

    One group of extremophile microorganisms are the barophiles.

    Which extreme condition of A - D is the one to which barophiles are well-adapted? 

    [1 mark]

    • High/low pressure

    • Low temperature (below 0°C)

    • Low pH (acid conditions)

    • High salinity eg. in salt marshes

    1d
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    2 marks
    d)

    Figure 2 below shows four species of extremophile microorganisms, along with their individual extreme adaptations.

    For each one, link the adaptation to the organisms' preferred habitat using straight lines.

    Figure 2

    extreme-adaptations-q-2

    [2 marks]

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    2a
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    2 marks

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    a)

    Ecologists carried out a study into the effect of soil moisture level on the distribution of certain species of wildflower in a large meadow.

    Figure 3 shows the meadow from the study, bounded by a river to the north and east and by farmland to the west and south.

    The meadow slopes down to the river, with the south end of the meadow elevated approximately 10 metres above the north end. 

    Figure 3

    meadow-soil-moisture-1

    A quadrat study was carried out to determine the abundance and distribution of wildflowers in the meadow, alongside a measurement of soil moisture levels using a soil moisture probe of the sort shown in Figure 4.

    Samples were analysed in four areas of the meadow, W, X, Y and Z as shown in Figure 3.

    Figure 4

    soil-moisture-probe-1

    The data found by the ecologists is shown in Table 1.

    Table 1

    Area Soil moisture level in % by mass No of wildflower species identified in quadrats Predominant species found
    W 28 23 Succisa pratensis, Lychnis flos-cuculi, Centaurea nigra
    X 13 15 Chrysanthemum segetum, Centaurea nigra
    Y 31 21 Lychnis flos-cuculi, Silaum silaus
    Z 41 26 Succisa pratensis, Lythrum salicaria


    Suggest reasons for the differing soil moisture levels at W, X, Y and Z.

    [2 marks]

    2b
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    3 marks

    Higher Tier Only

    b)

    Using the data in Table 1, assign a rank order 1 - 6 to each of the wildflower species named below in ascending order of being adapted to living in dry conditions. 

    Species

    Rank 1 - 6

    6 = best adapted to dry conditions

    Centaurea nigra  
    Chrysanthemum segetum  
    Lychnis flos-cuculi  
    Lythrum salicaria  
    Silaum silaus  
    Succisa pratensis  

    [3 marks]

    2c
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    2 marks

    Higher Tier Only

    c)

    Suggest why the answer you gave in part 3(b) may not be the the most accurate rank order of adaptation to dry conditions. 

    [2 marks]

    2d
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    2 marks
    d)

    Identify and explain two structural adaptations of wildflowers that would benefit the plant living in a dry soil environment.

    [2 marks]

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    3a
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    1 mark
    a)

    The carbon cycle is built around the constant exchange of carbon between carbon dioxide (CO2) in the air and carbon in other forms, including in biomass.

    There is one other carbon-containing gas that plays an important role as it is exchanged between living organisms and the atmosphere.

    Name this other gas.

    [1 mark]

    3b
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    3 marks
    b)

    Table 2 shows the approximate masses of carbon contained within carbon-containing compounds in various parts of the Earth's crust and atmosphere.

    Table 2

     Reservoir   Mass of carbon in gigatonnes 
     Sedimentary rocks (including fossil fuels) 50 000 000
     Deep oceans  38 000
     Soil  1 580
     Surface oceans  970
     Atmosphere  750
     Land organisms  610
     Ocean organisms  3

    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. 

    [3 marks]

    3c
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    1 mark
    c)

    Name one process by which carbon in sedimentary rock (the largest sink shown in Table 2) is returned directly to the atmosphere. 

    [1 mark]

    3d
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    2 marks
    d)

    Carbon transfers from the 'land organisms' sink to the 'soil' sink. Give two ways in which this transfer takes place. 

    [2 marks]

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