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Section A
Answer all questions. Answers must be written within the answer boxes provided.
1. R f values for photosynthetic pigments may be determined using the technique of thin-layer
chromatography (TLC).
TLC plate
Origin
Solvent
(a) Outline what happens when spinach extract is spotted on a TLC plate and placed into a
container of solvent. [2]
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(b) Explain what the R f values represent in chromatography. [3]
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(This question continues on the following page)
36EP02
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(Question 1 continued)
(c) State two photosynthetic pigments that could be identified using chromatography. [1]
1. .....................................................................
2. .....................................................................
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36EP03
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2. Concerns have been raised about the effect of rising pollution levels on sperm production in
men. To investigate the possible effects of pollution on spermatogenesis, sperm samples
from men of similar ages were collected in Kolkata in the 1980s and 2000s. The box plot
represents the mean and range of sperm counts in the 1980s and 2000s.
250
200
150
Sperm count / ×10 ml 6 –1
100
50
0
1980s 2000s
Years
[Source: Republished with permission of Elsevier Science and Technology Journals,
from ‘Semen quality and age-specific changes: A study between two decades on 3729 male partners
of couples with normal sperm count and attending an andrology laboratory for infertility-related problems in an Indian city’,
Dyutiman Mukhopadhyay, Alex C. Varghese, Manisha Pal, Sudip K. Banerjee, Asok K. Bhattacharyya, Rakesh K. Sharma, and
Ashok Agarwal, Fertility and Sterility, 93 (7), 2009; permission conveyed through Copyright Clearance Center, Inc]
(a) A hypothesis has been suggested that pollution may have a negative effect on
spermatogenesis. Evaluate whether the data support this hypothesis. [3]
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(Question 2 continued)
(b) The light micrograph shows a cross section of seminiferous tubules.
x 400
[Source: Micrograph of a seminiferous tubule with sperm by Nephron
(https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Seminiferous_tubule_and_sperm_low_mag.jpg)]
(i) Calculate the actual size of the seminiferous tubule in the area indicated by
the line across it, giving the units. [1]
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(ii) Identify the type of cell labelled Z. [1]
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3. (a) The Hershey and Chase experiment supported DNA as the hereditary material.
Describe the experiment. [3]
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(b) Some regions of DNA act as telomeres or produce tRNA. State one other function of
DNA sequences that do not code for protein. [1]
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36EP07
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Option C — Ecology and conservation
14. To assess the impact of introduced cats (Felis silvestris) that prey on native species, a study
was carried out on 120 islands around the world. The graph shows the impact of F. silvestris
on reptiles, birds and mammals.
18
15
12
Key:
Species / % 9 Extinct
Endangered
6
0
Reptiles Birds Mammals
[Source: A global review of the impacts of invasive cats on island endangered vertebrates,
F. M. Medina et al. (2011) Global Change Biology, 17, pp. 3503–3510.
Reproduced with permission from John Wiley and Sons.]
(a) (i) Identify how the pattern in mammals is different from reptiles and birds. [1]
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(ii) Describe how invasive species such as F. silvestris can have a significant impact
on native species. [2]
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(iii) Suggest a method to limit the impact of F. silvestris on native species. [1]
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(Option C continues on the following page)
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(Option C, question 14 continued)
(b) The ‘Ua‘u petrel (Pterodroma sandwichensis) is considered to be an indicator species
in the Hawaiian Islands.
[Source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Oestrelata_phaeopygia_
AvesHawaiienses00Wils_0382.jpg]
(i) State the role of an indicator species. [1]
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(ii) Identify possible approaches to maintain the population of P. sandwichensis. [2]
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(Option C continued)
15. Wild turkeys (Meleagris gallopavo) once inhabited most forested areas of North America.
As an important food source for early European settlers, the population of M. gallopavo
seriously decreased. Due to recent conservation efforts, population numbers are increasing.
[Source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:A_wild_turkey_in_Middleboro,_Massachusetts.jpg]
The curve shows a population of M. gallopavo from 2000 to 2015 in Ohio in the
mid-western USA.
Population of
M. gallopavo
[Source: © International Baccalaureate Organization 2017]
(Option C continues on the following page)
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(Option C, question 15 continued)
(a) (i) State the range of years when exponential growth of the M. gallopavo population
occurred. [1]
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(ii) Suggest factors that could account for the growth curve of the M. gallopavo
population. [2]
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(b) State how the population of M. gallopavo may have been determined. [1]
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(c) Hunting of M. gallopavo is currently regulated. Predict what would happen if the
hunting regulations were removed. [2]
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(Option C continues on the following page)
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(Option C continued)
16. The graph shows the variation in the annual temperature and precipitation in different
ecosystems.
Removed for copyright reasons
(a) Identify the ecosystem labelled X. [1]
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(b) Compare and contrast the exchange of energy with nutrient cycling in ecosystems. [3]
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(Option C continues on the following page)
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(Option C, question 16 continued)
(c) Outline three issues arising from the release of pollutants into the environment. [3]
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3. .....................................................................
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17. (a) (i) Define fundamental niche. [1]
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(ii) Outline a reason for organisms seldom occupying their entire fundamental niche. [1]
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(b) Describe the relationship between Zooxanthellae and reef-building coral species. [2]
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(Option C continues on page 31)
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36EP29
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Please do not write on this page.
Answers written on this page
will not be marked.
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(Option C continued from page 29)
18. Discuss the causes and consequences of eutrophication. [6]
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End of Option C
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36EP31
