Biology Matters G.C.E.

'O' Level (2nd Edition): Textbook Answers Chapter 21

Chapter 21 Ecology

Test Yourself 21.1 (page 405)

1. ecosystem, communities
2. habitat
3. population
4. population
5. population, ecosystem, community

Test Yourself 21.2 (page 407)

Without the pneumatophores (breathing roots), the mangrove roots will be submerged in
oxygen poor mud. When there is insufficient oxygen, respiration cannot occur to provide the
energy needed for active transport.

Test Yourself 21.3 (page 409)

Yes. If the population of frog living in river community decreases, the population of water
snakes may also decrease because there is less food for the water snakes. The population of
dragonflies in the river community may increase as there are fewer frogs that feed on
dragonflies.

Test Yourself 21.4 (page 413)

1. (a) Primary consumer

(b) Secondary and tertiary consumer
(c) Secondary and tertiary consumer

2. A food web shows that animals may feed on more than one kind of organism.

3. Any of three of the following: respiration; uneaten body parts; faeces; excretory products;
and dead bodies.

Test Yourself 21.5 (page 418)

1. (a)
Fleas

Birds

Garden snails

Grass

(b)
Fleas

Birds

Garden snails

Grass
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Biology Matters G.C.E. 'O' Level (2nd Edition): Textbook Answers Chapter 21

(c)
Fleas

Birds

Garden snails

Grass

2. This shortens the food chain. Less energy would therefore be lost to the environment.
Humans could gain more energy.
This is not always true. In the event of a pest attack on cereal crops, humans will have
no alternative food source and might lead to famine.

Test Yourself 21.6 (page 420)

(a) A – decomposers
B – plants
C – animals
D – atmosphere
(b) Process 1 – respiration
Process 2 – photosynthesis
Process 3 – respiration
Process 4 – feeding
(c) Process 2
(d) Process 2

Test Yourself 21.7 (page 422)

1. A carbon sink is an area that stores carbon compounds for an indefinite period. It stores
more carbon that it releases.

2. Carbon sinks act as a carbon reservoir. They remove carbon dioxide from the
atmosphere and this helps to reduce the rate of global warming.
We can increase the number of carbon sinks via reforestation.

Get It Right (page 424)

(a) True
(b) True
(c) False
A food chain is made up of producers and consumers.
(d) True
(e) True
(f) False
In the carbon cycle, decomposers release part of the energy in dead organisms to the
environment. Some energy remains trapped in the dead body of the organisms.
(g) False
Carbon sink stores more carbon than it releases.

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Biology Matters G.C.E. 'O' Level (2nd Edition): Textbook Answers Chapter 21

Let’s Review (page 424 – 425)

Section A: Multiple-Choice Questions

1. D
2. D
3. B

Section B: Structured Questions

1. (a) Habitat – The place where an organism lives. E.g. Mangrove swamp.
Food chain – A series of organisms through which energy is transferred in
The form of food. E.g. Grass  zebra  lion.
(b) The biotic and abiotic environments
(c) Photosynthesis
(d) Producers convert energy from the sun or light energy into chemical energy
and store it as food through photosynthesis whereas consumers obtain their
energy by feeding on other organisms.

2. (a) Hawks Hawks

Snakes Snakes

Rabbits Rabbits

Grass plants Grass Plants

Pyramid of biomass Pyramid of numbers

(b)
Owls Owls

Small Birds Small Birds

Insects Insects

Oak tree Oak tree

Pyramid of biomass Pyramid of numbers

3. (a) Sparrows, ladybirds, hawks and humans

(b) It contains chlorophyll and can manufacture its own organic food by photosynthesis.
(c)
Mosquitoes

Humans

Cattle
Cereal plants

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 Biology Matters G.C.E. 'O' Level (2nd Edition): Textbook Answers Chapter 21

Section C: Free-Response Questions

1. – During photosynthesis, green plants absorb carbon dioxide from the

atmosphere and use it to manufacture food substances like glucose.
– When animals feed on green plants, the carbon compounds become part of the
bodies of these animals.
– The carbon compounds may also be preserved in fossil fuels.
– When fossil fuels undergo combustion, carbon dioxide is released into the
atmosphere.
– Living organisms release carbon dioxide into the environment during respiration.
– Decomposition of the bodies of dead organisms also permits carbon dioxide to be
released back into the environment.

* 2. (a) X – producer
Y – primary consumer
The rise and fall in the population of Y follow that of X. The average
population size of Y is smaller than that of X.
(b) Z represents the amount of mineral salts. These are at their highest level in
seasons when plant population decreases. This is because their bodies are
decomposed by bacteria, leading to the release of mineral salts into the
environment.

3. (a) A carbon sink is an area that stores carbon compounds for an indefinite
period. It stores more carbon that it releases. Forests and Oceans are
examples of carbon sinks.
(b) Carbon sinks remove carbon dioxide from the atmosphere and this helps to
reduce the rate of global warming.

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