CHAPTER 4.
8 ANSWERS
1a Any two from: the fennec fox has larger ears than
the arctic fox; the fennec fox is sand coloured
whilst the arctic fox is white; the fennec fox is
thinner than the arctic fox; the arctic fox has
thicker fur than the fennec fox.
b The arctic fox has thicker fat to reduce heat loss.
c Any two from: the fennec fox would lose too
much heat from its large ears; it would not be
camouflaged/its predators would easily spot it;
its fur/fat layer is too thin so it would lose too
much heat.
2a Any one from each category: carnivore – lizard/
hawk; herbivore – insect; producer – cactus;
consumer– insect, lizard, hawk; predator – lizard,
hawk; prey – insect, lizard.
b A rise in the number of foxes would cause the
lizard population to reduce, as the foxes will
need more food. This means less food is available
for the hawk so it will raise fewer offspring
successfully.
c If all the lizards died, the insect population would
increase, as they would have fewer predators. The
cactus population would then decrease as there
would be more insects to eat them.
3 Any two from: they have long roots near the
surface with lots of root hair cells to increase their
surface area so they can take water quickly when it
rains; their spines deter herbivores; having spines
instead of leaves cuts their surface area and reduces
water loss; they store water in their swollen stems.
4a Any two from: the population fell slowly between
1900 and 1960 (from 320 000 to 275 000); the
population fell rapidly between 1970 and 2010
(to 10 000); since 2010 the population has fallen
more slowly.
b Between 1960 and 1980 their rainforest habitats
were destroyed more rapidly to make room for
crops/to provide timber.
c One from: people have become more aware of
habitat destruction; the orang-utans’ habitats
have been protected; they have been moved to
sanctuaries.
6a Timmy controlled the seed type, the volume of water
given each day and the amount of light they received.
b The plant receiving acid rain grew 5.5 cm less
than the plant given pure water, so acidic rain
restricts plant growth; or acid rain causes leaves
to turn brown and reduces photosynthesis/growth.
7a The carbon dioxide concentration increased
from 315 to 380 ppm (by 65 ppm) between
1960 and 2000.
b Increased burning of fossil fuels, releasing more
carbon dioxide; increased deforestation reducing
the amount of carbon dioxide taken up by plants.
8a The average temperatures in the Arctic and the rest
of the world have increased from 1950 to 2000. The
temperature has increased much more (by 1.25 oC)
in the Arctic than in the rest of the world (0.5 oC).
b The ice will melt faster each year.
c Polar bears cannot catch seals in open water, so as
the ice melts sooner, they will catch fewer seals.
9a 86%
b This fgure will decrease in the future because
fossil fuels are running out, so we need to use
more renewable sources of energy.
c Any four from: geothermal energy; moving water;
wind energy; solar energy; biofuels.
d Renewable energy sources do not release carbon
dioxide, or are carbon neutral. This means that
they won’t add carbon dioxide to the atmosphere.
Carbon dioxide causes global warming/reducing
the amount of carbon dioxide released decreases
global warming.
10a The more ozone there is in the atmosphere the less
harmful ultraviolet radiation reaches Antarctica;
the amount of ozone in the atmosphere fluctuates
but has shown an overall drop.
b The ozone layer absorbs ultraviolet radiation; so it
reduces the amount that reaches the Earth.
c Any one from: ultraviolet light can damage plants;
ultraviolet light can cause skin cancer in humans.
Any two from:
A graph showing the ladybird population is
always lower than the aphid population; the graph
has a similar shape to the aphid graph; the graph
peaks later.
c One from: there was not enough wheat left so the
aphids starved/stopped reproducing; ladybirds ate
them faster than they could reproduce.