Maris Stella High School Name: ___________________

GCE O Level Science Biology Class (Index No.): _____ ( )

GEP: Topic 5 Date: ________________

Transport in man
Q. Three different types of haemoglobin were extracted from a pregnant woman. The
percentage saturation of haemoglobin with oxygen is a measure of how readily the
haemoglobin binds with oxygen.
Table 1 shows the percentage saturation of haemoglobin at different partial pressure of
oxygen.

Table 1
Partial Pressure of oxygen / Kpa 0 2 4 6 8 10 12 14
% saturation of myoglobin 0 60 84 94 96 98 98 98
% saturation of fetal haemoglobin 0 20 56 80 90 94 98 98
% saturation of normal haemoglobin 0 12 36 66 82 90 96 98

(a) Using the data given in Table 1, plot the percentage saturation of the three types of
haemoglobin at different partial pressure of oxygen on the graph paper below. [3]

1
(b) Myoglobin is a special type of haemoglobin found in muscle cells. It stores oxygen
temporarily and supplies muscle cells with oxygen. Suggest why myoglobin binds to
oxygen differently from normal haemoglobin when the partial pressure of oxygen is low.
[2]

__________________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________

___________________________________________________________________

(c) Fetal haemoglobin was extracted from the pregnant woman’s fetus during pregnancy.

i. Describe how the fetus obtains oxygen from the mother during the development of the
fetus. [3]

_________________________________________________________________

_________________________________________________________________

_________________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________

ii. With reference to the data, explain whether the fetal haemoglobin is well-adapted for its
function. [2]

________________________________________________________________

________________________________________________________________

________________________________________________________________

2
Answers

6 (a) The graph should look like this:

All point plotted correctly; best fit curve for myoglobin [1]
All point plotted correctly;best fit curve for fetal haemoglobin [1]
All point plotted correctly;best fit curve for normal haemoglobin [1]
*Minus 1 mark for missing labels of x- and y-axes
*Minus 1 mark for missing labels for each curve
*Minimum mark: 0

(b) (i) Myoglobin combines more readily with oxygen than normal [1]
haemoglobin at low partial pressure of oxygen
to ensure that the muscle cells receive sufficient oxygen for [1]
respiration during muscle contraction.

(c) (i) The fetal blood capillaries are separated from the mother’s blood
by maternal blood spaces / a thin layer of tissue in the placenta. [1]
Oxygen from the mother’s blood diffuses into the blood spaces / layer [1]
of tissue and then into the fetal’s blood.
Reference to diffusion gradient [1]

(ii) The fetal haemoglobin binds more readily to oxygen than normal [1]
haemoglobin
so that it can take in as much oxygen as possible from the maternal [1]
blood spaces / layer of tissue