Langtree School

Q1.On a rocky shore, when the tide goes in and out, organisms are exposed to the air for
different amounts of time.

(a) On hot, windy days when the tide is out the concentration of the salt solution in rock
pools may become very high.

What term is used to describe organisms that can survive in severe conditions such
as very high concentrations of salt solution?

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(1)

(b) Periwinkles are types of snail.

Students surveyed the different types of periwinkle living on a rocky shore.

The diagram shows the results of the students’ survey.

The highest position that the sea water reaches on the shore is called the high tide
level.
Each bar represents the range of habitats for each type of periwinkle.

(i) Which two types of periwinkle are likely to compete with each other to the
greatest extent?

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(1)

(ii) Explain your answer to part (b)(i).

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(1)

(iii) The small periwinkle can survive much nearer to the high tide level than the
flat periwinkle.

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Suggest two reasons why the flat periwinkle cannot survive near to the high
tide level.

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(2)
(Total 5 marks)

Q2. The photograph shows a sand gazelle.

The sand gazelle lives in the Arabian Desert where temperatures often reach 45 °C.

(a) The sand gazelle feeds only at dawn and at dusk. At other times it stays in the
shade.

Suggest how this helps the animal to conserve water.

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(2)

(b) During the dry season, the sand gazelle’s liver and heart shrink in size. This
reduces the amount of oxygen that the body needs.

Suggest how needing less oxygen helps the animal to conserve water.

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(2)
(Total 4 marks)

Q3.Squirrels live in woodland.

Table 1 shows:

• the total area of England, Scotland and Wales

• the area of different types of woodland in these countries.

Table 1

Area of woodland in thousands of km2

Total area of
Country country in
Coniferous Broadleaf
thousands of km2 Total
woodland woodland

England 130 3.6 7.8 11.4

Scotland 79 10.4 3.0 13.4

Wales 21 1.9 0.9 2.8

(a) Look at the data for the three countries. Estimate which country has the greatest
proportion of its area suitable as a habitat for squirrels.

Support your answer with relevant figures.

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(2)

(b) The maps show the distribution of grey squirrels and red squirrels in England,
Scotland and Wales.

Image under Crown Copyright and courtesy of Pepper & Patterson, 2001. Contains public sector information licensed
under the Open Government Licence v1.0

Scientists suggested that the distribution of grey squirrels and red squirrels is linked
to the type of trees in woodlands.

(i) The information for England and Scotland supports this suggestion.

How?

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(1)

(ii) Give one piece of evidence that contradicts this suggestion.

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(1)

(c) Red squirrels are native to the UK.

Grey squirrels were introduced to the UK from the USA over 100 years ago.

Table 2 gives information about the two types of squirrel.

Table 2

Grey squirrel Red squirrel

Population in UK 2.5 million 140 000

Seeds, nuts, tree bark, birds’ Cones from coniferous trees,

Main food types
eggs, young birds nuts, tree bark, berries

Can become immune to Cannot become immune to

Health
parapox virus parapox virus

Reproduction Up to 9 young, twice a year Up to 6 young, twice a year

Survival rate of young in

41 % 14 %
mixed populations

Length of life 2 – 4 years Up to 7 years

In most parts of the UK the population of grey squirrels is increasing, but the
population of red squirrels is decreasing.

Suggest why.

Use information from Table 2.

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(3)
(Total 7 marks)

Q4. The diagram shows the annual energy flow through 1 m2 of a habitat.

The unit, in each case, is kJ per m2 per year.

(a) Calculate the percentage of the energy absorbed by the grass from sunlight that is
transferred to the frog.

Show clearly how you work out your answer.

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Answer ....................................................... %
(2)

(b) All of the energy the grass absorbs from the sun is eventually lost to the
surroundings.

In what form is this energy lost?

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(1)

(c) Food chains are usually not more than five organisms long.

Explain why.

To gain full marks you must use data from the diagram.

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(2)

(d) In this habitat microorganisms help to recycle materials.

Explain how.

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(3)
(Total 8 marks)

Grass by By Catarina Carvalho from Lisboa, Portugal (Flickr) [CC-BY-2.0], via Wikimedia Commons.
Grasshopper by I, Daniel Schwen [GFDL, CC-BY-SA-3.0], via Wikimedia Commons. Frog by Brian
Gratwicke (Pickerel Frog) [CC-BY-2.0], via Wikimedia Commons. Heron by Glen Fergus (Own work, Otago
Peninsula, New Zealand) [CC-BY-SA-2.5], via Wikimedia Commons.

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Q5. A gardener pulled up weeds and used them to start a compost heap. The compost
heap soon became colonised by large numbers of earthworms and slugs. The gardener
then noticed a hedgehog rooting through the compost heap, eating the earthworms and
slugs. Every so often the hedgehog stopped to scratch itself. This was because it had
large numbers of fleas which fed by sucking the hedgehog’s blood.

(a) Use only information from the passage to answer the following.

Construct and label a pyramid of biomass for your food chain.

(2)

(b) Gardeners put plant material onto compost heaps so that it will decay. They then
put the decayed compost onto soil where they are growing their plants.

Give three conditions which are needed for plant material to decay rapidly.

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(3)
(Total 5 marks)

Q6. The diagram shows part of a carbon cycle in a habitat.

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(a) Name the processes shown by arrows X and Y.

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Y .....................................................................
(2)

(b) Describe the part played by algae in this carbon cycle.

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(3)

(c) In tropical rainforests process X is much faster than in most other habitats.

Suggest why.

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(2)
(Total 7 marks)

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Q7. Scientists have found the following food web in the cold Antarctic Ocean.

(a) Humans are removing large numbers of the cod.

Some scientists argue that this could lead to a decrease in the numbers of squid
and penguins.

Others argue that the numbers of squid and penguins will stay the same.

Carefully explain each argument.

Why they might decrease.

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(1)

Why they might stay the same.

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(2)

(b) The following information is about the biomass of the organisms in one of the food
chains in the web.

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Draw and label a pyramid of biomass for this chain.

(2)

(c) Explain, as fully as you can, why the conversion of shrimp biomass into cod
biomass is more efficient than that of cod biomass into seal biomass in the cold
Antarctic Ocean.

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(3)

(d) Boats from many countries fish the Antarctic Ocean. The cod are being overfished.
If the numbers of cod are to increase, the population must be carefully managed.

(i) Suggest two control measures which would prevent a further drop in
numbers,

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(2)

(ii) Suggest why one of your control measures would be difficult to put into
practice.

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(1)
(Total 11 marks)

Q8. Chickens are kept as farm animals to produce food. Free-range chickens are allowed
to feed in a large space outside. The diagram shows how energy supplied in food to a
free-range chicken is transferred.

(a) Calculate the amount of energy “lost” in faeces.

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Energy “lost” = ............................ kJ

(1)

(b) Some farmers use the battery method. They keep large numbers of chickens in a
small indoor space. The food yield from these chickens is higher than that from

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free-range chickens. Explain why, as fully as you can.

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(4)
(Total 5 marks)

Q9.Plankton live in the sea.Animal plankton eat plant plankton.

Graph 1 shows how the populations of the plankton change through the year in the
seas around the UK.

Graph 1

Month

(a) Basking sharks eat animal plankton. Basking sharks grow up to 8 metres long.

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Look at the diagram and Graph 1.

Which is the correct shape for the pyramid of biomass to show the relationship
between
plant plankton, animal plankton and basking sharks, in June?

Tick ( ) one box.

(1)

Graph 1 is repeated here to help you answer the following questions.

Month

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Graph 2 shows changes in some of the conditions in the upper layers of the sea around
the UK.

Month

(b) The population of plant plankton increases between February and April.

Suggest one reason for the increase.

Explain your answer.

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(2)

(c) The population of animal plankton changes between April and July.

Suggest explanations for the changes.

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(2)

(d) The concentration of mineral ions changes between February and December.

Suggest explanations for the changes.

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(3)
(Total 8 marks)

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