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5.3 Energy & Ecosystems (A Level only)

Question Paper
Course AQA A Level Biology

Section 5. Energy Transfers In & Between Organisms (A Level only)
Topic 5.3 Energy & Ecosystems (A Level only)
Difficulty Hard
Time allowed: 80
Score: /66
Percentage: /100
Page 1 of 13
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Question 1a
Define the term “trophic level” as used in ecology.
[2 marks]
Question 1b
Figure 1 shows the energy flow through a woodland ecosystem.
All units are in kJ m-2 year-1
Figure 1
Use Figure 1 to compare the percentage efficiency of the producers to that of the primary consumers. Explain the reasons
why these energy transfers are not more efficient.
[6 marks]
Page 2 of 13
Question 1c
In Figure 1, suggest, with reasons, names for Processes Y and Z and describe their role in a food web.
[4 marks]
Question 1d
Livestock farmers can use the following methods to increase meat yields:
Heated indoor sheds to rear livestock
Use of artificial feed, bought commercially
Evaluate the use of these methods to allow farmers to manipulate energy transfers to their advantage when growing food for
the meat industry.
Page 3 of 13
[6 marks]
Question 2a
Only around 1% of the light energy that reaches the Earth’s atmosphere is captured by plants and made available to other
organisms in the food chain. Suggest reasons for this low value.
[4 marks]
Page 4 of 13
Question 2b
Fields on two separate farms, X and Y, were used to grow the same crop. The fields were divided into sections, with different
masses of fertiliser containing nitrate ions added to these sections. After two months, samples of the crop plants from each
section were taken from the fields and their mass determined. The results are shown in Table 1.
Table 1
Mass of fertiliser added / Mass of crop / kg m-2

kg ha-1 Field X - used for grazing cattle in the Field Y - used for the same crop in the
previous year previous year
0 11.0 5.8
10 16.5 9.5
20 17.7 12.3
30 17.6 15.8
40 17.6 17.0
50 17.6 17.1
60 17.5 17.1
Use Table 1 to explain the differences in the amounts of crop harvested from both fields at nitrate levels of 0 to 40 kg ha-1.
[2 marks]
Question 2c
Recommend a suitable application mass per hectare of fertiliser to the farmer responsible for Field X. Give reasons for your
recommendation.
[4 marks]
Page 5 of 13
Question 2d
Outline an experimental method by which scientists can estimate the total amount of biomass in a crop field such as X or Y.
[6 marks]
Question 3a
Artificial fertilisers are used on farms to improve yields of crops such as barley. Fertilisers replace mineral ions removed from
the soil when crops are harvested. Nitrate is one of these ions.
Give three nitrogen-containing molecules that a crop synthesises using nitrate ions.
[3 marks]
Page 6 of 13
Question 3b
Scientists investigated the use of artificial fertiliser on barley crops in a European country between 1960 and 1995. They
calculated a Fertiliser Response Ratio (FRR) which is the number of kg of barley produced per kg of fertiliser used. Figure 1
shows their results. (A hectare is a unit of area commonly used in agriculture)
Figure 1
Use Figure 1 to calculate the percentage change in the mass of barley produced per hectare in 1960 compared with 1995.
[3 marks]
Question 3c
Use the data in Figure 1 to evaluate the use of artificial fertilisers on barley crops.
[4 marks]
Page 7 of 13
Question 3d
Barley is the fourth most common crop plant in the world. Its common uses are in animal fodder and for making malt, a major
raw material in beer and whisky production. Much of its chemical energy (stored in its biomass) is not passed into these
processes.
Suggest two reasons why.
[2 marks]
Page 8 of 13
Question 4a
Figure 1 shows a bomb calorimeter, used for measuring the energy content of biomass. A sample of dry biomass is burned in
pure oxygen, and the temperature change of the surrounding water is measured.
Figure 1
Suggest why pure oxygen is used, rather than air.

[3 marks]
Question 4b
A typical oak tree has a mass of 15,000 kg and can be assumed to be 50% dry mass.
Explain why the energy content of its biomass, measured in a calorimeter, can only be an estimate.
[2 marks]
Page 9 of 13
Question 4c
Table 1 shows a mathematical model used to estimate the transfer of energy through consumers in a natural grassland
ecosystem.
Table 1
Energy transferred as % of energy in the biomass of producers
Net Respiratory
Ingested food Production Loss
Absorbed in digestion (AD) Egested
(IF)
(EG) (NP) (RL)
Primary consumers
Mammals 25.00 12.50 12.50 0.25 12.25
Insects 4.00 1.60 2.40 0.64 0.96
Secondary
consumers
Mammals 0.16 0.13 0.03 0.003 0.127
Insects 0.17 0.135 0.035 0.040 0.095
Write an equation to show how Net Production (NP) is calculated from the energy in ingested food.
NP =
[1 mark]
Question 4d
Using the data in Table 1, calculate the ratio RL:AD for mammal primary consumers and for insect primary consumers and
explain the difference between the two calculated values.
[3 marks]
Page 10 of 13
Question 5a
Farmers and scientists have selectively bred sheep to have a low Residual Food Intake (RFI). This is calculated as the
difference between the amount of food an animal actually eats and its expected food intake based on its size and growth
rate.
Explain the advantage to farmers of having sheep with a low RFI.
[2 marks]
Question 5b
Bacteria found in the digestive systems of sheep break down food and produce Methane. Scientists investigated the
relationship between RFI and methane production. They measured the rate of methane production of 140 sheep over a ten-
day period. Some of their results are shown in Table 1.
Table 1
Low RFI High RFI
Mean rate of methane production

21.3 30.5
/ g day–1
Use the data to identify and explain two benefits that will arise from the use of low RFI feeds.
[2 marks]
Page 11 of 13
Question 5c
Other scientists investigated the release of methane from rice fields. This second group of scientists investigated the effect
of adding organic material (straw) and mineral substances on the release of methane from rice fields.
The results are shown in Table 2.
Table 2
Mineral substance Total methane released over 15 days / μmol kg-1 soil
added to the soil
Without straw With straw
None 559 12 578
Nitrate 32 379
Sulfate 9 73
Iron oxide 21 154
Manganese oxide 25 248
Evaluate the claim that rice farmers should treat their fields with sulfate and refrain from using straw.
[5 marks]
Question 5d
Methane is produced by microorganisms in the soil. The scientists found that rice fields that are flooded produce larger
volumes of methane than rice dry fields.
Suggest why.
[2 marks]
Page 12 of 13
Page 13 of 13

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Head to savemyexams.

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5.3 Energy & Ecosystems (A Level only)

Course AQA A Level Biology

Mass of fertiliser added / Mass of crop / kg m-2

Suggest why pure oxygen is used, rather than air.

Low RFI High RFI

Mean rate of methane production

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