3 Answers to end-of-chapter questions

Multiple choice questions

1

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10 C

[1]

Structured questions
11 a Three trophic levels:

Turtle grass green sea turtle humans

Golden algae shrimp sea horse
Golden algae shrimp nurse shark
Golden algae lobster nurse shark

1 food chain [1]

Four trophic levels:

Golden algae shrimp giant clam nurse shark
Golden algae shrimp lobster nurse shark
Golden algae sea coral butterfly fish nurse shark

1 food chain [1]

A food web is a network of organisms which involves several different

feeding relationships
More recycling of nutrients and minerals occur in food webs because of
the different levels of feeding relationships
A larger number of organisms have access to the nutrients
The loss/death/elimination of a link in a food web will have little effect
on the variety and flow of nutrients compared with the loss of a link in
the food chain
Food webs increase available circulating nutrients in soil more so than
food chains
Any 3 points [3]

Biology Unit 2 for CAPE Examinations

Original material Cambridge University Press 2011

Three and four

ii

[2]

More energy at lower trophic levels to be available to higher levels.

This would sustain a larger population. Less energy is available at the
higher levels since energy is lost at each trophic level
Greater variety of food
Not reliant on one food source/constant supply of food
Less chance of starvation
Greater chance of survival
Less competition for food
Wider niche
Does not have to migrate for food
Any 3 points [3]

12 a
b

nurse
shark

Trophic level III

lobster

Trophic level II

golden algae

Trophic level I

Energy is used and lost as heat in respiration by producers

So this energy is not available to consumers
Some parts of the producers are not edible/cellulose cell walls which are
difficult to digest
Some is lost as faeces, in urine, egested
Some parts of the animals may not be edible
Energy used by animals in moving to feed
Energy used/lost in digestion/excretion/sweating
Energy lost as heat in respiration by consumers
Energy is lost out of the ecosystem
Energy transfer from one level to the next is not 100%/ approximately
10% transfer
Inefficiency of energy transfer limits number of trophic level
Any correct answer
Any 3 points [3]

20 810/1 700 000 100 = 1.2%

Well drawn diagram [1]

Labels [1]

Complete working [2]

Correct answer with no working [1]

Some sunlight strikes non-photosynthesising parts of the producer

Some sunlight reflected by leaves
Only some wavelengths of light trapped by chlorophyll/pigments
Energy loss as heat
Some used in evaporation
Inefficiency of energy transfer along light-dependent and lightindependent reactions of photosynthesis
Any correct answer

Biology Unit 2 for CAPE Examinations

Any 2 points [2]

Original material Cambridge University Press 2011

A: 20 810 11 977 = 8833 kJ m-2 yr-1

B: 1478 383 = 1095 kJ m-2 yr-1
C: 383 67 = 316 kJ m-2 yr-1

Each calculation [1]

GPP is the total quantity of energy converted into chemical energy

whereas NPP is the chemical energy that remains after the plants have
supplied their own needs through respiration
NPP = GPP respiration
Either point [2]

ii

GPP = 20 810 kJ m-2 yr-1

NPP = 8833 kJ m-2 yr-1

[1]
[1]

energy available to tertiary consumers

21
100 =
100 = 5.5%
energy available to secondary consumers
383

Energy lost as heat in respiration

Lost in waste/urine/faeces
Not all parts of secondary consumers are edible
Energy losses in digestive system/environment
Any correct answer

[1]

Any 2 points [2]

10% is an average
In food web shown: producers to primary consumers
= 16.3%; primary consumers to secondary = 11.4%; secondary to tertiary
= 5.5%
It is difficult to measure energy transfer between trophic levels in
different ecosystems
Some parts of plants indigestible/cellulose cell wall
More parts of animal digestible
Some ecosystem have high productivity
Any correct answer
Any 3 points [3]

tertiary consumers
secondary
consumers
primary consumers
producers

13 a

Well drawn diagram [3]

1 Nitrogen fixation
2 Denitrification
3 Leaching
4 Assimilation
5 Feeding
6 Excretion
7 Ammonification
8 Nitrification/oxidation
9 Nitrification/oxidation

Biology Unit 2 for CAPE Examinations

[9]

Original material Cambridge University Press 2011

W Urea
X Protein
Y Amino acid
Z Nitrate ions/NO3

[4]

1 Nitrogen-fixing bacteria/Rhizobium
2 Denitrifying bacteria/P. denitrificans
8 Nitrifying bacteria/Nitrosomonas
9 Nitrifying bacteria/Nitrobacter

[4]

Lightning/oxidation

[1]

Active transport/diffusion

[1]

Pea plants are legumes

Legumes have root nodules with the nitrogen-fixing bacteria, Rhizobium
The bacteria fixes nitrogen from the atmosphere to ammonium ions
Nitrates released into soil when leaves/plant decay and fall to ground
Soil fertility increases, corn plant gets nitrates for proteins
Any correct answer
Well explained point [1]
Max [3]

Essay questions
14 a

A food chain:
Is a linear feeding relationship of organisms through which nutrients are
transferred between one representative at each trophic level
Is a sequence of linkages in which a producer is eaten by a herbivore
A herbivore is then eaten by a primary carnivore; a secondary carnivore
eats the primary carnivore etc
Is a sequence of organisms in an ecosystem in which each is the food of
the next organism in the sequence. The arrows represent energy flow
through the chain

[1]

A food web:
Interconnected food chains in an ecological community
Is a network of organisms which involves several different feeding
relationships

[1]

Ecosystem includes all living organisms (biotic factors) in an area as well

as its physical environment (abiotic factors) functioning together as a unit
Consists of a community: populations of different species which live in
the same place at the same time and interact with each other
Each community is made up of populations: group of individuals of the
same species which live in the same place at the same time and interact
with each other
Area which organisms live is known as a habitat/microhabitat
Community interact with each other through feeding relationships
Producers
Primary consumers
Secondary consumers
Tertiary consumers
Decomposers

Biology Unit 2 for CAPE Examinations

Original material Cambridge University Press 2011

15 a

Abiotic factors e.g. temperature, light intensity, edaphic/soil, pH,

Any point well
humidity, wind speed etc affect the biotic components
Both biotic and abiotic factors affect each other and are equally important explained [1]
Max [8]
in an ecosystem
Energy enters a food chain as light energy (from the Sun)
Plants transfer light energy to chemical energy in biomass (by
photosynthesis)
Energy is passed along a food chain as chemical energy in biomass
Efficiency is (energy passed on to next trophic level) (total energy
entering current trophic level)
Approximately 90% of energy is lost between trophic levels/efficiency is
about 10%
Energy is lost as heat to the environment
Reasons for energy loss between trophic levels include: not all biomass in
a trophic level is eaten/not all is digested/respiration in organisms of
current trophic level converts chemical energy to heat
Efficiency is relatively low when endotherms (birds or mammals)
involved, as they convert much chemical energy to heat energy toWell explained point [1]
maintain body temperature
Max [5]
A graphical representation in the shape of a pyramid to show the feeding
relationship of groups of organisms, and the flow of energy or biomass
through the different trophic levels in a given ecosystem
Diagrammatic or quantitative method used to summarise the path of
energy flow and nutrient cycling in a community and represented by
trophic levels
Any definition well explained [2]

A representation of the number of organisms in each trophic level in

an ecosystem. The width of each block is proportional to the number
of organisms in each trophic level
Can be pyramid shaped or inverted (e.g. parasitic)

Biology Unit 2 for CAPE Examinations

Original material Cambridge University Press 2011

[1]
[1]

Reference to annotated diagrams to illustrate both types

[2]

Normal: grass caterpillars blackbirds

Inverted: mango tree birds cats

Parasitic/inverted: tomato plant aphids parasites

ii

Limitations: does not give rate of production/gives standing crop

mass/ producers may have high turnover rate not shown in pyramid of
biomass/Any correct answer

[1]

A graphical representation to show the relative amounts of biomass at

each trophic level
Types: pyramid or inverted

[1]
[2]

secondary consumers

primary consumers

10

12

producers

100

Limitation: does not give rate of production/gives standing crop

mass/producers may have high turnover rate not shown in pyramid of
biomass/Any correct answer

Biology Unit 2 for CAPE Examinations

Original material Cambridge University Press 2011

[1]

iii

A graphical model that is shaped like a pyramid to show how the

energy flows through a food chain
Advantage: shows how the amount of energy is decreasing and
becoming less available for organisms as it enters each trophic level,
and how much of the energy in the ecosystem is lost to the atmosphere
as heat

[1]

[1]

[1]

16 a

Diagram see Figure 3.18 in Biology Unit 2 for CAPE

Examinations

[1]

Well drawn diagram [2]

N2 fixation by free-living bacteria in soil or mutualistic bacteria

(Rhizobium) in legumes
Converts atmospheric nitrogen to nitrates or ammonium ions
Lightning can oxidise nitrogen directly to nitrates
Nitrates absorbed by plant roots and converted to protein
Animals feed on plants
Excrete urea or defecate undigested protein/death of plants and animals
Putrefication/ammonification of urea/protein by putrefying bacteria to
ammonia
Ammonia oxidised to nitrites by nitrifying bacteria /nitrosomonas
Nitrites oxidised to nitrates by nitrifying bacteria/ nitrobacter
Nitrates denitrify under anaerobic conditions to atmospheric nitrogen
using denitrifying bacteria/
Each point well explained [1]
P. denitrificans
Max [5]
Any correct answer

Difficult to obtain data/time consuming/Any correct answer

Energy flow: one way or linear

Begins with solar energy being captured by green plants in
photosynthesis and converted to nutrients/
carbohydrates/lipids/protein
Energy produced used in respiration/lost as heat/use by animal for
movement etc
Energy transfer from one trophic level to next is approximately 10%
Limits number of trophic levels

Nutrient cycling: cyclical

Autotrophs manufacture complex organic substances/
carbohydrates/lipids/proteins when they capture solar energy from
inorganic substances/carbon dioxide, water
Decomposers break down the complex organic substances to
component inorganic substances after death/excretion/egestion
Substances used again to make complex organic substances
Any 2 points from each [4]

Biology Unit 2 for CAPE Examinations

Original material Cambridge University Press 2011

ii

Begins with solar energy being captured by green plants in

photosynthesis and converted to nutrients/
carbohydrates/lipids/proteins
Food eaten by consumers/nutrients taken up
Nutrients pass along the food chain
Nutrients used to produce energy in respiration
Energy produced in respiration is lost as heat/used by animal for
movement etc/feeding
Decomposers break down the complex organic substances to
component inorganic substances after death/excretion/egestion
Substances used again to make complex organic substances
Both energy flow and nutrient cycling interlink
Both present for self-sustaining ecosystem
Any 4 points well developed [4]

Biology Unit 2 for CAPE Examinations

Original material Cambridge University Press 2011