Student Book answers B16 Organising an ecosystem

B16.1 Feeding relationships

Question Answer Marks Guidance

number
1a organism that makes its own food 1
1b because they produce glucose by photosynthesis 1
2a demonstrate relationships between producers 1
and primary, secondary, and tertiary consumers 1
2b food chains suggest that each type of consumer eats only one other 1
type of organism
when most consumers eat a variety of different foods 1
3a As prey numbers go up, there is more food for predators, so predator 3
numbers increase after an interval.
As predator numbers increase, prey numbers start to fall as more are
eaten.
After an interval, fall in prey animals means fewer predators survive and
breed, so predator numbers fall too.
As predator numbers fall, fewer prey animals are eaten and prey
numbers begin to increase again (cycle repeats).
3b Prey numbers may be affected by factors other than predators: 5 Any other valid point.
• weather conditions, disease, or competition affecting prey’s food
supply;
• disease affecting prey;
• population balance between different types of prey for a
particular predator.
Predator numbers may be affected by factors other than prey:
• disease affecting predator;
• competition balance between different types of prey.

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 Student Book answers B16 Organising an ecosystem

B16.2 Materials recycling

Question Answer Marks Guidance
number
1 organism that breaks down dead and waste material 1
2a precipitation, 1
respiration 1
transpiration, 1
evaporation, 1
condensation 1
2b precipitation: water falls to land as rain, snow, hail, or sleet; 1
respiration: water released from animals and plants during life and after 1
death during decay;
transpiration: water released into atmosphere by plants; 1
evaporation: water turned from liquid to water vapour as Sun heats 1
Earth’s surface;
condensation: water vapour condensed back to liquid as moist air rises 1
3 Living organisms remove materials from the environment constantly. 1
If mineral ions taken from the soil by plants were not replaced, Earth’s 1
resources would be depleted quickly.
Decomposers break down plant and animal waste and dead animals 1
and plants and return mineral ions to soil to be taken up by plants
again,
and carbon to the atmosphere as carbon dioxide to be used by 1
producers in photosynthesis.
4 water major constituent of all living cells, 1
chemical reactions of life (photosynthesis and respiration) 1
take place in solution in water, 1
water needed by plants for support 1

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 Student Book answers B16 Organising an ecosystem

Question Answer Marks Guidance

number
5 Decomposers break down plant and animal waste and dead animals 1
and plants,
returning resources removed from the environment by plants to the 1
environment.
Constant recycling of materials often leads to very stable ecosystems. 1
6 Carbon needed as carbon dioxide 1
for use by producers in photosynthesis. 1
Nitrogen needed as nitrate ions 1
by plants to make proteins and other chemicals. 1
Carbon and nitrogen taken up by animals through feeding relationships. 1
Carbon and nitrogen removed from environment by plants need to be 1
part of decay cycle so that they can be recycled and used again by
living organisms.

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 Student Book answers B16 Organising an ecosystem

B16.3 The carbon cycle

Question Answer Marks Guidance
number
1a cycling of carbon between living organisms and the environment 1
1b photosynthesis, 1
respiration, 1
combustion 1
1c prevents Earth’s fixed amount of carbon being depleted, 1
returns carbon dioxide to the atmosphere for photosynthesis 1
2 carbon dioxide in air, 1
carbon dioxide dissolved in water, 1
carbon dioxide produced as plants respire 1
3 photosynthesis: process by which plants use carbon dioxide and water 2
to make glucose and oxygen using light, removes carbon dioxide from
environment.
respiration: process by which plants and animals break down glucose 2
and oxygen to make carbon dioxide and water, returns carbon dioxide
to environment.
combustion: process by which organic material is burned in oxygen to 2
make carbon dioxide and water in uncontrolled reaction, returns carbon
dioxide to environment.

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