Homework marking scheme 18.

1
Biodiversity, classification and conservation

Question Expected answer Mark

1 a See table below.

Description Name of domain
Organisms with a membrane-bound nucleus. Eukarya
Organisms with no membrane-bound organelles. Archaea
Their cell walls do not contain peptidoglycans.
Organisms with no membrane-bound organelles. Bacteria
Cell walls contain peptidoglycans.
[3]
b i  Viruses do not have any of the features used in methods of classification. They have no
  membrane and no metabolism.
Viruses can reproduce only by infecting a host cell and using the activities of the host cell
to copy their nucleic acid and to synthesise new viral proteins. [2]
ii HIV contains two strands of RNA, morbillivirus contains one strand of RNA.
HIV contains the enzyme reverse transcriptase, which is not present in morbillivirus. [2]
iii Remember that 1 m = 103 nm, so the diameter of the mammalian cell is 20 000 nm
(20  103 nm).
The diameter of the mammalian cell is therefore 20 000  125 = 160 times bigger than the
virus. [2]
2 a i  Samples of seeds are kept in seed banks as an insurance against the possibility of a species
   becoming extinct in the wild; they therefore help to maintain biodiversity.
Seed banks also help to maintain genetic diversity of many crops when relatively few
varieties are cultivated. [2]
ii The low temperature decreases metabolic activity of the seeds and reduces the chances of
damage occurring to their DNA.
This means that seeds remain viable for a long period of time; some species may remain
viable for hundreds of years. [2]
b i  Mean mass of seeds in sample A = 1.08 g
Mean mass of seeds in sample B = 1.20 g [2]
ii Sample B has a higher mean mass than sample A. Sample B also has greater variability in
mass.
If seed mass is genetically determined, it is possible that sample B has a greater genetic
variability and is therefore more suitable for long-term storage. [2]
[Total: 17]

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