TB-1 [97 marks]

Vibrio cholerae live in aquatic environments and cause cholera. Some V. cholerae form aggregates that show
characteristics not seen in individual bacteria. The bacteria in these aggregates monitor the population densities by
quorum sensing. They produce quorum sensing proteins (QS +  ). Some V. cholerae strains do not produce quorum
sensing proteins (QS –  ) and some only produce quorum sensing proteins in low amounts (QS c  ).

V. cholerae strains isolated in China were examined. The pie charts show the percentage of different quorum-sensing
systems in strains that contain cholera toxin genes and in strains that do not contain cholera toxin genes.

 –
1a. State the percentage of cholera producing strains that do not produce quorum sensing proteins (QS  ).
[1 mark]

Determine the approximate percentage of non-cholera producing strains that produce quorum sensing proteins [1 mark]
1b.
in low amounts (QSc  ).

 –
  –
1c. Compare the percentage of strains that do not produce quorum sensing proteins (QS  ) in strains with and without [2 marks]
the cholera toxin genes.

1d. Deduce, using the data, whether the genes for quorum sensing and for toxicity of cholera evolved together. [1 mark]

Vibrio cholerae is Gram-negative. Describe the structure of the cell wall of this bacterium. [2 marks]
1e.

2. Outline how a defective gene can be replaced using viral vectors. [2 marks]
 State the role of Rhizobium, Nitrobacter and Azotobacter in the nitrogen cycle. [3 marks]
3a.
Rhizobium: .....................................................................
Nitrobacter: .....................................................................
Azotobacter: .....................................................................

Explain the production of methane from biomass. [4 marks]

3b.
 Over a thousand bacterial species occupy the human gut. The gut bacteria show much larger genetic diversity than
the host cells. Gut bacteria are vital to proper food digestion and vitamin synthesis. Fecal samples were collected from
people in various locations so the genomes of their gut bacteria could be analysed. Bacteria with the same unique
DNA sequences were identified as species. The graph shows the number of bacterial species in the digestive tract of
people in three different parts of the world.

4a. Identify the age and ethnic group of the individual with the highest diversity of gut bacterial species. [1 mark]

Outline the trends in the number of bacterial species in the digestive tracts of Amerindians. [1 mark]
4b.
 Distinguish between the trends seen in the three populations. [2 marks]
4c.

4d. Suggest two reasons for how the different environments of the three human populations affect the number of [2 marks]
bacterial species in their digestive tracts after the age of four.

A century ago, it was discovered that each person belonged to one of four blood types. Now some researchers [1 mark]
4e.
are reporting that human gut ecosystems fall into three distinct types, each involving a great number of similar bacterial
species.

Suggest one medical application based on the knowledge that humans could be typed according to their gut ecosystem.
 List two roles for microbes in ecosystems. [1 mark]
5.

Identify one risk associated with gene therapy. [1 mark]

6.

Outline how a defective gene can be replaced using viral vectors. [2 marks]
7.

Describe the consequences of releasing raw sewage into rivers. [6 marks]

8.
 Scientists investigated if training has an influence on the learning of birdsong. They studied juvenile zebra finches
(Taeniopygia guttata) that had never been exposed to adult bird songs. They measured neuron activity in an area of
the brain involved with song learning. This was done during their sleep, first for four nights when the birds had not
heard any birdsong during the previous day, and then for a series of nights after days when they were exposed to
recordings of adult zebra finches’ songs. In the graph below, the mean neuron activity in the period of no exposure to
birdsong was used as a baseline and assigned a value of 1. All other measurements of neuron activity are shown
relative to this.

State the difference in neuron activity between nights 2 and 7. [1 mark]

9a.

Outline the effect of exposure to birdsong on neuron activity. [2 marks]

9b.
 Suggest one reason for the large error bars on days 14 and 15. [1 mark]
9c.

Evaluate the hypothesis that listening to other zebra finches is important to develop singing ability amongst [2 marks]
9d.
juveniles.
 The yeast Brettanomyces bruxellensis is a contaminant of wine which when present produces acetic acid, the main
component of vinegar. The presence of acetic acid can lead to economic losses as it alters the taste of the wine and
inhibits the growth of Saccharomyces cerevisiae, thus decreasing the ethanol production. Scientists investigated the
effect of changing the temperature in fermentation tanks containing only Brettanomyces bruxellensis and a growth
medium containing glucose in order to understand the dynamics of this contaminant.

State the concentration of glucose at 20°C after 110 hours of incubation, giving the units. [1 mark]
9e.
 The nitrogen content of a leaf is mainly due to the proteins contained in the chloroplasts. These proteins are either in
the thylakoids or in the stroma, where most enzymes are found. The quantity of nitrogen from the thylakoids is directly
proportional to the amount of chlorophyll; a ratio of approximately 50 mmol nitrogen : 1 mmol chlorophyll
would represent 100 % of the leaf nitrogen content. Scientists hypothesized that the higher leaf percentage nitrogen
content resulting from a decrease in light intensity is due mainly to an increase in chlorophyll in many plant species,
three of which are represented in the following graph.

State the difference in chlorophyll content for Phaseolus between high and low light intensity, giving the units. [1 mark]
9f.
 Scientists investigated astronauts’ cardiovascular response to exercise in weightless conditions during a Columbia
Space Shuttle mission. They measured the blood pressure and the time between heartbeats, both at rest and during
moderate exercise. Blood pressure is expressed by two values corresponding to ventricular contraction (systole) and
relaxation (diastole). Measurements were taken before the flight, early in the flight and during the second week in
space. The following graphs represent average values for each type of measurement.

Calculate the difference in blood pressure at systole between rest and exercise before flight, giving the units. [1 mark]
9g.
 Elderly people lose bone mineral density (BMD) with age, and this is the source of many health issues, including higher
risk of bone fractures. Researchers measured the change in BMD amongst elderly men considering many factors, over
a period of four years. The results presented below show the difference between bone density change due solely to
vitamin C intake and bone density loss considering a combination of the other factors represented by the baseline
(zero). BMD was measured in the spine and at two femur (thigh bone) locations (femoral neck and trochanter) using
scanner images. Daily intake of total vitamin C was categorized as high, medium or low.

Outline the effect of vitamin C intake on changes in bone density in the spine. [1 mark]
9h.
 Scientists studied the characteristics of plant species growing in front of the progressively receding Rutor glacier in
Italy. As the ice recedes plants are able to colonize the exposed ground. In a study of primary succession, scientists
sampled plants from three areas exposed during different time periods. The data is shown in the following triangle
graph.

Each species is represented by a number and positioned according to its degree of competitiveness (the ability to
exclude other species), stress-tolerance (the ability to use nutrients efficiently) and ruderalism (the ability to develop
rapidly to avoid disturbance).

Stages of succession were classified according to the time the ground had been exposed: early succession (species
occurring in ground exposed for less than 68 years), mid-succession (species found in ground exposed between 69
and 181 years) and late-succession (species found in ground exposed for more than 181 years).

State the most ruderal species. [1 mark]

9i.
 Species number 4 has a ruderalism value of 29. State the stress-tolerance value and competitiveness value of [1 mark]
9j.
this species.

Stress-tolerance value: ......................

Competitiveness value: ......................

Analyse the change of species over time. [3 marks]

9k.

State the effect of increasing temperature from 20°C to 30 °C on the rate of production of ethanol. [1 mark]
9l.
 State the percentage value of total leaf nitrogen in chlorophyll for Spinacia at low light intensity. [1 mark]
9m.
......................%

Outline the response of the astronauts’ cardiovascular system to exercise before the flight. [2 marks]
9n.

Compare the changes in bone density of the femoral neck with those of the spine. [2 marks]
9o.
 Suggest one advantage for plants to increase their leaf chlorophyll content per surface area when light intensity [1 mark]
9p.
is lower.

Discuss whether the cardiovascular system has to adjust to weightless conditions in space. [3 marks]
9q.

Evaluate the evidence provided by the data that the intake of vitamin C supplements may reduce bone density [2 marks]
9r.
loss in elderly people.
 Deduce one reason why there were no more rises in ethanol concentration after 120 hours at 30°. [1 mark]
9s.

Deduce one reason why the concentration of ethanol and acetic acid at 35°C does not rise after 80 hours despite [1 mark]
9t.
the fact that the concentration of glucose is still high.

Discuss the idea of producing wine using a lower temperature range to avoid economic losses due to [3 marks]
9u.
contamination by yeasts other than S. cerevisiae.
 Evaluate the hypothesis that lower light intensity increases thylakoid nitrogen. [3 marks]
9v.
 A grassland food web was studied to understand how climate warming affects the interaction of different animal and
plant species. Grasshoppers (Melanoplus femurrubrum) feed on grasses growing amongst taller bushes. Spiders
(Pisaurina mira) feed on the grasshoppers. For 75 days, the feeding behaviour of the grasshoppers was observed with
and without predators, in temperatures that were cool or warm. During the study period, the grasshoppers progressed
through stages of larval development (instars) to adulthood.

Identify the primary food for all grasshoppers without predators. [1 mark]
10a.
 The hypothesis that aging involves loss of brain cells was investigated in mice. The olfactory bulb (OB) of the brain was
studied because its layered arrangement of neurons resembles large regions of the human brain. Sensory input about
smell is sent to the OB by axons of receptor cells that line the upper nasal cavity. These axons synapse with relay
neurons in the OB where interpretation of smell perception begins. The bar charts show the total volume of neurons in
the OB and the density of synapses (number of synapses per unit area) in two regions of a mouse’s OB.

State when the total volume of OB neurons is the greatest. [1 mark]

10b.
 An investigation was conducted among competitive swimmers to determine the effects of two different training
programmes.

Swimmers were encouraged to maintain an even pace throughout the programmes. The pace was slightly slower in
the 3000 m programme than in the 6000 m programme.

Tissue samples were taken from the shoulder muscle of each swimmer, before and after each session. Glycogen
levels were analysed in slow (type I) muscle fibres.

Calculate the percentage of slow (type I) muscle fibres that contain low levels of glycogen after the 3000m [1 mark]
10c.
programme.
 Malnutrition affects the body mass index (BMI) of mothers. The height and mass of over 7000 mothers in Ethiopia and
the sex of their most recently born child was recorded. The graph shows the percentage of mothers with a BMI below
18.5 and the percentage of their most recent births that were males in 11 regions across Ethiopia.

State the regions with the highest and lowest percentage of male offspring. [1 mark]
10d.
Region with highest percentage: .......................................................................
Region with lowest percentage: .......................................................................

Compare the total synapse density of neurons in the outer and inner OB layers. [2 marks]
10e.
 State the effect of the 3000 m programme on glycogen levels in slow (type I) muscle fibres. [1 mark]
10f.

Comment on the variation in BMI of mothers in Ethiopia. [2 marks]

10g.

Deduce, using the data, how the feeding behaviour of instar larvae changes if without predators, conditions [1 mark]
10h.
change from cool to warm.
 Deduce, using the data, how the feeding behaviour of instar larvae changes if in warm conditions, predators are [1 mark]
10i.
introduced.

Compare adult feeding to instar larval feeding. [2 marks]

10j.

Evaluate, using the data in the bar charts, the hypothesis that aging involves loss of brain cells. [2 marks]
10k.

Discuss whether the data supports the hypothesis that malnutrition affects the sex ratio of offspring. [2 marks]
10l.
 Compare the effects of the 3000 m programme with the 6000 m programme on muscle glycogen levels. [2 marks]
10m.

Suggest reasons for the differences between the 3000 m programme and the 6000m programme in their [2 marks]
10n.
effects on muscle glycogen levels.

Suggest why adult feeding differs from instar larval feeding when predators are present. [1 mark]
10o.
 Suggest the implications of the data for humans. [2 marks]
10p.

Suggest one limitation of the data. [1 mark]

10q.

Suggest one limitation of the data. [1 mark]

10r.
 In 2003, the Integrated Approach to Community Development (IACD) organization introduced the chulli water [2 marks]
10s.
purifier to homes in Bangladesh that had not previously had access to safe drinking water. It was designed to be made
cheaply from local materials. The purifier uses sand filtration to remove organic particles and heat treatment to eliminate
microbes from water.

Water samples from 15 different locations containing high levels of the bacterium E. coli were passed through the purifier
at different flow rates and temperatures to test its effect on contaminated water. The shaded area of the graph below
represents the recommended temperature and flow rate for using the purifier.

Evaluate the chulli purifier as a method of controlling microbial growth.

10t. Suggest one factor that could cause malnutrition in mothers.

[1 mark]

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