5 On the wild side

I Topic test
1 During the discovery of the biochemical events of photosynthesis, the following steps in the
overall process were recognised, at one stage.
→ 4(OH) ⫹ 4H
4H2O 
light
i
chlorophyll
ii 4H ⫹ CO2 → (CH2O) ⫹ H2O
iii 4(OH) → 2H2O ⫹ O2
a In these equations, what formula represents a unit of carbohydrate?
______________________________________________________________________ (1)
b Which individual reaction can be described as ‘photolysis’?
______________________________________________________________________ (1)
c Where in a chloroplast do we now know that the following individual reactions occur?
reaction i______________________________________________________________ (1)
reaction ii _____________________________________________________________ (1)
d Which of the raw materials of photosynthesis is the source of the waste product oxygen?
______________________________________________________________________ (1)
e i Write a single summary equation for the three individual reactions of photosynthesis.
______________________________________________________________________
ii Which important product of photosynthesis is omitted from this equation?
______________________________________________________________________ (2)
f Draw and fully label a diagram of an individual chloroplast to show its basic structure as
disclosed by electron microscopy.
(5)

2 a Identify the significant difference between the starting materials and the products of
photosynthesis.

starting materials of photosynthesis products of photosynthesis

(2)

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2 ON THE WILD SIDE: TOPIC TEST

b What are the roles of the following components in one or both of the two reactions of
photosynthesis?

Light-dependent reaction Light-independent reaction

⫹
NADPH ⫹ H

rubisco

inorganic phosphate

ATP

(8)
c Summarise the contributions of each of these components of photosystem II to the
outcomes of photosynthesis.

Photosystem II Role
accessory pigment molecules

reaction centre of chlorophyll a molecule

water-splitting enzyme

electron-carrier molecules

(4)

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3 ON THE WILD SIDE: TOPIC TEST

d Complete the flow diagram summarising photosynthesis, by identifying the blanks labelled
A to G.
A

carbon dioxide

ADP + Pi

light E
C
energy light-dependent
reaction F
NADPH2
light-independent
reaction
D

B G

(6)
3 a Distinguish between the following terms, by means of definitions.

Definition
Gross primary productivity (GPP)

Net primary productivity (NPP)

(4)
b Show the relationship between GPP and NPP, by means of a simple equation.
______________________________________________________________________ (1)
c By reference to a specific example, explain what we mean by ‘ecosystem’.
______________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________ (3)
d In the table below, calculate the missing values.

GPP (kJ m⫺2y⫺1) R (kJ m⫺2y⫺1) NPP (kJ m⫺2y⫺1)

Pine plantation 51 100 19 700
Freshwater aquatic ecosystem 50 300 36 900

(2)
e In a food chain, the trophic level identifies where an organism feeds.
i What is a primary consumer?
______________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________ (1)
ii Why is the trophic level of a primary producer described as level 1?
______________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________ (1)

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4 ON THE WILD SIDE: TOPIC TEST

f Explain why:
i food chains are relatively short (typically only 4–5 steps)
______________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________ (2)
ii feeding relationships of food chains can be structured like a pyramid.
______________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________ (2)
g Give reasons why it may be difficult to decide at which level a particular organism feeds in
food chains:
i in the case of an omnivore
______________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________ (1)
ii at different times of the year.
______________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________ (2)
h In the life of an ecosystem, explain why the activities of detritivores and decomposers are
vital to the survival of producers and other consumers present.
______________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________ (1)
4 a Outline how you have investigated the abundance and distribution of the common
organisms of a named habitat.

(6)

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5 ON THE WILD SIDE: TOPIC TEST

b Discuss the part played by one abiotic factor (such as solar radiation) and one biotic factor
(such as competition) in the numbers and distribution of one or more of the biota present
in that habitat.
i abiotic factor
______________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________ (2)
ii biotic factor
______________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________ (2)
c By means of a named example, suggest how the concept of ‘niche’ may account for the
distribution or the abundance of named organisms in a habitat.

(4)
d Identify three ways in which a secondary succession (such as the recovery of a burnt
forest) differs from a primary succession (such as the establishment of a pioneer
community on a newly formed sand dune).

Features of a secondary succession Features of a primary succession

(6)

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6 ON THE WILD SIDE: TOPIC TEST

5 a Complete the diagram of the carbon cycle by selecting from the terms listed, as
appropriate.
feeding nitrifying bacteria carbon of consumers
combustion dead organic matter respiration
death photosynthesis

CO2 of atmosphere

A B

breakdown by bacteria
E

eaten

F
combined carbon of
green plants

death

fossil fuels fossilisation

(6)
b Outline two significant strategies, evident by examination of the carbon cycle, which may
lead to a permanent reduction in atmospheric carbon dioxide. Explain why each should
have this effect.

Strategy This approach would reduce atmospheric CO2 because …

(6)

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7 ON THE WILD SIDE: TOPIC TEST

c i What physical property of a greenhouse gas causes its increasing concentration in the
atmosphere to lead to raised global temperatures?
______________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________ (1)
ii Identify two other greenhouse gases that occur naturally, and two that are described as
of anthropogenic origin.
Naturally occurring greenhouse gases:
______________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________
Greenhouse gases of anthropogenic origins:
______________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________ (4)
d Global warming may trigger changes in the behaviour and diversity of some organisms –
for example, in the distribution of the Large Blue butterfly (Maculinea arion L.). This
species, once common in the south west of the British Isles, became extinct there by 1979.
But in June 2000 numbers of these butterflies were again recorded in Somerset, and the
laying of large numbers of eggs has continued through to 2007. So the reappearance of the
Large Blue in southern England is correlated with a period of increasing average
temperature. Suggest how a causal relationship can be established – one in which the
increasing numbers of the butterfly are dependent on elevated temperatures.

(3)
6 a i Using a named, non-vertebrate species, describe how you might investigate the effect
of temperature on the development of its eggs or larvae.

(6)
ii Outline the precautions that would be essential to ensure significant results.

(4)

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8 ON THE WILD SIDE: TOPIC TEST

b Sketch a graph to show the relationship you would expect from an investigation of the
effects of temperature on the rate of enzyme action. Annotate the graph to introduce and
explain the principal factors responsible for the curve obtained.

(5)
c There are opponents of the practice of undertaking experiments involving animals.
Outline the case that you feel should be made, either for or against undertaking a
laboratory experiment involving animals, such as the experiment you have described in
part a above.

(3)

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9 ON THE WILD SIDE: TOPIC TEST

7 A tree forms annual growth rings, and all trees of the same species, growing in the same area,
tend to show a similar pattern of rings. By comparing examples of overlapping patterns,
dendrochronologists have been able to put together local sequences running back for
thousands of years. One such record (known as a tree-ring index) was made on a species of
pine tree growing in a region of north west Tasmania.

2
Lake Johnston – high elevation
tree-ring index

0
1400 1500 1600 1700 1800 1900 2000
year

a Explain the occurrence of ‘annual growth rings’ in tree wood, visible to the naked eye.

(5)
b i What environmental factors are likely to cause trees of the same species in the same
habitat to show a similar pattern of rings?
______________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________ (1)
ii Suggest two factors that might cause an individual tree to show variations from the
local pattern.
______________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________ (2)
iii What steps must the dendrochronologist take to ensure an annual tree ring index is a
significant statistic?
______________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________ (1)

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10 ON THE WILD SIDE: TOPIC TEST

iv Summarise the evidence for the existence of current global warming in the tree ring
indices of the pine trees of Tasmania.

(5)
c ‘Fossil pollen provides excellent material for the reconstruction of terrestrial communities in recent
geological time’.
i Under what physical conditions does fossil pollen accumulate in the environment?
______________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________ (2)
ii How are fossil pollen deposits analysed to provide evidence of past plant communities?
______________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________ (2)
iii Suggest a vegetation regime that would leave a fossil pollen record indicative of a
period of extremely low temperatures.
______________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________ (2)
8 The Galapagos Islands are situated 500–600 miles from the coast of South America. Their
origin was volcanic – they appeared out of the sea about 16 million years ago. Initially
uninhabited, today they have an established, distinctive flora and fauna, which nevertheless
shows similarities with mainland species. This is because ancestors of the islands’ current
wildlife flew or were carried on the wind currents from the mainland. Many animals may
have drifted on naturally formed ‘rafts’ – large reptiles can survive long periods without food
or water, for example. However, mammals are most unlikely to survive in these conditions.

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11 ON THE WILD SIDE: TOPIC TEST

Iguana lizards had no mammal competition on arrival, and these reptiles became the
dominant form of vertebrate life on the Galapagos Islands. It was an extremely abundant
reptile when Darwin visited the islands in the 1830s. By then, two very distinctive species
were present, one terrestrial and the other fully adapted to marine life (with webbed feet and
a flattened tail, like the caudal fin of a fish). The marine species is assumed to have evolved
locally as a result of pressure from overcrowding and competition for food on the islands
(both species are vegetarian), which drove some members of the population out of the
terrestrial habitats. The genomes of the two species have distinct differences, of course.
a The iguanas of the Galapagos Islands became separated into two populations that ceased
to interbreed, at some stage. How is this process described?
______________________________________________________________________ (1)
b i What do you understand by the term ‘gene pool’?
______________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________ (1)
ii How is the relative proportion of different forms of genes within a gene pool described?
______________________________________________________________________ (1)
c What part is the absence of competition from mammals likely to have played in the early
evolution of new species of iguana?
______________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________ (2)
d Outline the mechanism by which new alleles may appear in the gene pool of a species.
______________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________ (3)
e Explain how genetic variations also arise during gamete formation and fertilisation.
______________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________ (2)

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12 ON THE WILD SIDE: TOPIC TEST

f Suggest the key steps by which two populations of iguanas developed permanent
differences in their gene pools.

(5)
g Outline the part molecular biology can play in establishing relatedness of similar species,
today.

(5)

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