AQA GCSE Biology Ecology Practice Questions

Question 1

Which of the following is a structural adaptation of a cactus living in a hot, dry desert?

Accepted Answer

It has leaves reduced to spines to reduce water loss. Spines (modified leaves) reduce the surface area for water loss and deter herbivores. This is a physical/structural feature of the plant's body, unlike behavioural or functional adaptations.

Question 2

What name is given to organisms that live in extreme conditions, such as high temperature, high pressure or high salt concentration?

Accepted Answer

Extremophiles. Extremophiles are organisms, often bacteria, that are adapted to survive in extreme environments such as deep-sea vents or very salty lakes.

Question 3

In a food chain, what term describes an organism that makes its own food using energy from the Sun?

Accepted Answer

Producer. Producers, usually green plants and algae, use light energy in photosynthesis to make glucose. They are always at the start of a food chain.

Question 4

Which piece of equipment is most suitable for estimating the number of daisies in a field?

Accepted Answer

A quadrat. A quadrat is a square frame placed on the ground to count or estimate the abundance of slow-moving or non-moving organisms such as plants. Quadrats are placed randomly to avoid bias.

Question 5

A community of organisms together with the non-living parts of their surroundings is called:

Accepted Answer

An ecosystem. An ecosystem includes all the living organisms (the community) plus the abiotic (non-living) components such as light, temperature and water, and the interactions between them.

Question 6

Which of the following is an abiotic factor that could affect a community?

Accepted Answer

Light intensity. Abiotic factors are non-living, such as light intensity, temperature, moisture, soil pH, wind and carbon dioxide levels. New predators and competition are biotic (living) factors.

Question 7

Plants in a habitat often compete with each other for all of the following EXCEPT:

Accepted Answer

Mates. Plants compete for light, water, space and mineral ions from the soil. They do not compete for mates - that is a form of competition seen in animals.

Question 8

In a stable community of predators and prey, what usually happens to the predator population shortly AFTER the prey population rises?

Accepted Answer

The predator population rises. In predator-prey cycles, a rise in prey provides more food, so the predator population increases. The predator numbers always peak slightly after the prey peak because of the time lag.

Question 9

Which sampling method is best for investigating how the distribution of plants changes across a beach from the sea to the dunes?

Accepted Answer

A transect with quadrats. A transect (a line across the area) with quadrats placed at intervals is used to study how the distribution of organisms changes across an environmental gradient, such as up a beach.

Question 10

A student counts an average of 6 dandelions per 0.25 m2 quadrat. The field measures 200 m2. What is the best estimate of the total number of dandelions?

Accepted Answer

4800. Density = 6 / 0.25 = 24 plants per m2. Total = 24 x 200 = 4800. Always convert the quadrat count to a per-m2 value before multiplying by the total area.

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