1
Year 11 Biology
2013
Semester One Examination
This paper MUST NOT be removed from the examination room.
General Instructions
• Reading Time – 5 minutes
• Working Time – 1 ½ hours • Write using blue or black pen
• Write your student number and/or name at
the top of every page
• Draw diagrams using pencil
• Board approved calculators may be used
• Multiple choice sheet is on the last page
Total marks – 70
Attempt ALL questions
This paper has two parts, Part A and Part B
Part A
Total Marks – 20
Attempt questions 1 – 20
Allow about 20 minutes for this part
Part B
Total Marks – 50
Attempt questions 21 – 32
1. In using the “capture-recapture” method which of the following is not an assumption?
(A)Marking makes the animal more susceptible to predation
(B)All individuals have the same probability of being captured and recaptured (C)There is little movement of the target species in and out of the area
(D)The marked animals will survive long enough to be recaptured
2. Mutualism and commensalism are similar in that both members of the relationship
(A) Gain benefit (B) Are harmed (C) Are not harmed
(D) Can survive independently
3. In a given community, sharks could be considered predators, and mackerel and jewfish the prey. Which of the following factors might not affect the size of the population of mackerel?
(A)An increase in the population of sharks.
(B)A decrease in the population of decomposer microorganisms. (C)An increase in the population of jewfish.
(D)A decrease in the population of sharks.
4. A typical ecosystem is maintained by:
(A)Recycling matter and recycling energy
(B)Recycling matter and the input and output of energy (C)Input and output of both matter and energy
(D)Input and output of matter and recycling energy
5. Living on land or in water presents different problems to the organisms that exist in different environments. In comparing problems of living on land to living in water, which of the following is correct?
6. Read the following descriptions of relationships between organisms
Relationship 1:
Some species of wasp lay their eggs in the body of caterpillars and when they hatch the wasp larvae feed on the caterpillars.
Relationship 2:
The wild turnip (Brassica tournefortii) produces chemicals that inhibit the growth of wheat.
Relationship 3:
Many Eucalyptus species form root partnerships with soil fungi. The fungal hyphae collect water and minerals, effectively increasing the root area of the eucalyptus in exchange for organic matter produced by the tree.
Which row in the table below correctly identifies the above relationships?
Relationship 1 Relationship 2 Relationship 3
(A) Mutualism Allelopathy Commensalism
(B) Commensalism Parasitism Mutualism
(C) Parasitism Commensalism Allelopathy
(D) Parasitism Allelopathy Mutualism
7. An ecological study of a particular area of a forest produced the following biomass figures (in kg) for certain organisms (E to M):
E = 5000 kg J = 10,000 kg F = 18 kg K = 50 kg G = 1 kg L = 500 kg H = 600 kg M = 5 kg
A possible food chain for the community would be:
8. The wood of a fallen tree is often eaten and tunnelled by wood boring insects. This opens up access for water, bacteria, fungi and small animals. The activities of these organisms soften the wood so that the wood-boring insects can no longer live there. This is an example of:
(A)Symbiosis
(B)Ecological succession (C)Parasitism
(D)A food chain
9. Which of the following equations best describes the process of aerobic respiration?
(A) glucose + energy → oxygen + carbon dioxide + water (B) glucose + carbon dioxide → energy + oxygen + water (C) glucose + water → energy + oxygen + carbon dioxide (D) glucose + oxygen → energy + carbon dioxide + water
10.The food web below shows the feeding relationships in a Blue Mountains forest.
Which pair of organisms are competitors?
(A) blue gum and scale insect (B) scale insect and native bee
(C) native bee and yellow-tailed cockatoo
(D) yellow tailed cockatoo and rainbow bee-eater
blue gum wattle
Yellow-‐tailed black cockatoo
11.In general, within an ecosystem, the energy transformed through the process of respiration is:
(A)Eventually converted to other forms of energy by the organism in the process of living.
(B)Made available to the other organisms further down the food chain. (C)Released by decomposers, so it is cycled through the ecosystem. (D)Stored in the form of starch
12.During your Biology course you had to plan first-hand investigations that allow valid and reliable data and information to be collected. In this case, what does the term ‘reliable’ mean?
(A)The data collected is accurate.
(B)The instruments used to collect the data were calibrated correctly. (C) The investigation can be repeated and the same results are obtained. (D)The investigation is testing what the hypothesis wants it to.
13.The map below shows the distribution of snow gums in an alpine meadow.
Four quadrats have been randomly placed in the meadow. Each represents an area of 100m2 (10m X 10m)
Using these quadrats, the population density of the snow gums would be:
14.The name of the super continent that contained all the land masses, that formed about 260 million years ago, is:
(A)Pangaea (B)Laurasia (C)Gondwana (D)Antarctica
15.In some Western and Central Australian gecko populations, females reproduce without a male. This method of reproduction is:
(A)Advantageous because it increases diversity in the population (B)Advantageous because it decreases diversity in the population (C)Disadvantageous because it decreases diversity in the population (D)Disadvantageous because it increases diversity in the population
16.The picture below is that of a dandelion.
Identify the most likely type of seed dispersal used by the dandelion.
(A) Water
(B) Eaten and excreted by animals
(C) Attached to the fur or wool of an animal (D) Wind
17.The protection of genetic variation and maintaining a variety of species within environments is an example of maintaining:
18.Which of the following statements about internal fertilization is correct?
(A) Internal fertilization occurs when mating takes place under cover (B) Internal fertilization only occurs in mammals
(C) Internal fertilization does not require male and female organisms (D) Offspring resulting from internal fertilization are provided with greater
parental care
19.Which of the following reasons best identifies why Australia has such a unique range of fauna?
(A) It is an arid continent
(B) It has been geographically isolated
(C)Our soils have been leached of most of their minerals
(D)Humans have only been in Australia for approximately 40,000 years
20.Changes in Australian fauna and flora is thought to be due to:
Part B:
Answer questions 21-35 in the space provided.
Question 21: (5 marks)
Use the diagrams below to answer this question.
(a)
(a) Outline what information is conveyed in diagram 1 and not by diagram 2. 1
(b) Outline what information is conveyed in diagram 2 and not in diagram 1. 1
(c) What do the arrows in diagram 2 represent? 1
(d) Neither of these diagrams indicates decomposers. Describe, including an example, the
Question 22: (3 marks)
Read the following extract.
A case study in species conservation: the African Elephant
The main herds of non-domesticated elephants are found in Africa (Loxodonta Africana africana (bush elephant) and L. Africana cyclotis (forest elephant)). They have no serious natural predators, yet their numbers are in decline, dropping from 1.2 million in 1981 to 623 000 in 1989. Humans are the main threat to the elephant’s survival. They compete with the elephant for land for forestry, agriculture and settlement, destroying their habitat. They kill elephants that threaten crops or property and, above all, kill elephants for their ivory.
...Since 1989 the African Elephant has been protected by a total ban on ivory sales under the international legislation known as CITES... Sustainably managed herds generate income from the sale of ivory, meat and hides, and at the same time encourage tourism. Elephants are regarded as a valuable resource, generating jobs and income that is used for development projects. Local support for maintenance of elephant herds is therefore strong and poaching is considered antisocial.
From Taylor, D.J (1997) Biological Sciences 1 and 2 edn, Cambridge University Press. Pp 342-343.
Describe how the strategy of ‘sustainable managed herds’ is used to balance human activities and needs with the maintenance and protection of the environment. 3
Question 23: (3 marks)
The emu and cassowary of Australia, the ostrich of Africa, the rhea of South America and the
extinct moa of New Zealand are all ratites (large flightless birds).
How does the distribution of these closely related flightless birds provide support for the
Question 24: (3 marks)
For one named Australian animal describe a mechanism to ensure fertilisation and explain
how that mechanism is an advantage. 3
Question 25: (4 marks)
Name two significant Australian fossil finds and explain how these finds assist in our
Question 26: (5 marks)
The diagram below shows the distribution of plants along a transect taken in an estuary in the
Sydney region.
(a) Describe the distribution of plants shown in this transect. 2
(b) For one of the species depicted here, explain how a named abiotic feature could be
responsible for its distribution. 3
LT HT
Grey mangrove
Sarcocornia
Juncus
HT
LT
High tide level
Question 27: (6 marks)
A group of students conducted a field study along a creek downstream from the outflow of a manufacturing company. They specifically wanted to study the effect that the water from the outflow was having on the stream’s ecology. To do this the students investigated the
abundance of a species of midge larva that lives in slow-running streams in the area. The average temperature of the water entering the factory was measured at 12.0°C. Their results are in the table below.
Distance from outflow (m)
Water temperature (oC)
(a) Using the data above, construct a graph to show the relative numbers of midge
larvae at different distances downstream from the factory outflow. 5
(b) Describe the relationship between water temperature and the abundance of the midge
larvae. 1
Question 28: (3 marks)
During your preliminary studies you carried out an investigation to gather information about
variation within a species.
(a) Name the species studied and outline the particular feature/s you examined. 1
(b) Describe evidence of variation between members of the species you studied. 2
Question 29: (3 Marks)
Question 30: (4 marks)
Explain how the idea of scientists have changed or developed over the last 200 years as new
information and technologies have become available in relation to the platypus. 4
Question 31: (4 Marks)
Distinguish between the following terms, using examples in your answer.
(a) Populations and communities. 2
Question 32: (7 marks)
“No man is an island, entire of itself; every man is a piece of the continent, a part of the main;
if a clog be washed away by the sea, Europe is the less…any man’s death diminishes me,
because I am involved in mankind…” John Donne, poet (1572-1631)
This quotation could be rewritten in terms of the organisms within an ecosystem. An
ecosystem consists of producers, consumers and decomposers. The activities of organisms at
each of the different trophic levels have impacts at other levels.
(a) Suggest two things that could happen in an ecosystem if the major producer organism is
removed. 2
(b) In an ecosystem that includes, grass, rabbits, feral cats and wedge-tail eagles, what might
happen if the top predator (the eagle) is removed? (Note that the eagle eats feral cats and
rabbits) 2
(c) In agricultural areas of Australia suggest three major changes that have been bought about
since European settlement. 3
