The Oosterschelde

The Oosterschelde is an estuary. At low tide, large parts of the Oosterschelde have
dried up. The large sandy plates that are then visible are teeming with birds that are
looking for worms and shellfish in the soil. The high tide drives away the birds and
allows the numerous worms and shellfish to catch the microscopic algae and animals
that float around in the seawater.

A permeable dam has been built in the Oosterschelde. This Oosterschelde dam only
closes completely in the event of a storm. Due to the dam, the water level changes
less than before at high and low tide. As a result, the part that falls dry at low tide has
become smaller.

1. Draw the food chain of the organisms mentioned in the text

2. The text lists abiotic and biotic factors that influence life in the Eastern Scheldt.
Make a table in which you divide all factors into these 2 groups

Pyramid

One wants to draw a pyramid of biomass with four layers of the organisms in a
certain food chain. The total biomass of all organisms together is determined in each
link of the food chain.

The following values are found: 2 kg, 30 kg, 700 kg and 60000 kg.

3. How many kg is the biomass of all first-order consumers together?

Japanese dairy

Japanese dairy product lowers blood pressure

Micro-organisms in food can theoretically promote consumer health in two ways. Live
bacteria can have a direct health-promoting effect in the intestine; we then speak of a
probiotic effect. There may also be an indirect effect. Such an effect is called
'biogenic'. Biogenics are food components that are processed by bacteria in such a
way that they promote human health. A dairy product developed in Japan consists of
cow's milk and has been processed by adding the microorganisms Lactobacillus
helveticus and Saccharomyces cerevisiae. These micro-organisms convert lactose
(milk sugar) into lactic acid and the proteins present in the milk into free amino acids
and tripeptides. These tripeptides are biogenics because they have a blood pressure
lowering effect.

Edited from: Jan Blom, ’Gefermenteerde melk verlaagt bloeddruk’,

Voedingsmagazine nummer 6, 2002

4. What place do humans have in the food cycle when drinking normal cow's
milk?
A Producer
B Primary consumer
C Secondary consumer
D Tertiary consumer

Mealworms

Mealworms are insects that can go through their entire life cycle in pots, with flour as
the only source of food. In an experiment, the survival rate of larvae of two types of
mealworms P and Q that were kept together in jars with flour was investigated. The
cultures were maintained at different temperatures and different relative humidities of
the air.
When larvae of species P and species Q were put together in one pot of flour, almost
only the larvae of one species survived: one of P, the other of Q.
The diagram in Figure 1 shows the percentage of mixed cultures that survived
species P and the percentage of species Q.

Three statements about the tolerance of species P and Q in a mixed culture are:

1 type P has a greater tolerance for a temperature of 24 °C at a relative humidity of

30% than type Q,
2 type P has a greater tolerance for a temperature of 34 °C at a relative humidity of
70% than type Q,
3 both species have an equal tolerance for temperatures above 24 °C, independent
of the relative humidity.
 5. Which of these statements is or are correct?
A statement 1 only
B only statement 2
C only statement 3
D the statements 1 and 2
E the statements 1 and 3
F statements 2 and 3

Sticklebacks

In the spring, a population of three-spined sticklebacks lives in a ditch. Males of these

sticklebacks get a red belly during the breeding season. A male drives other males
with a red belly from a certain area in the ditch and builds his nest there. Females
swim through the entire ditch. After the spawning period, three-spined sticklebacks
swim out to sea. They stay there until next spring.

Sticklebacks are sometimes found in a channel connected to the ditch, but the males
there never have a red belly.

Student 1 says that sticklebacks do not form a separate population in the canal.
Student 2 says that sticklebacks do form a separate population in the canal.

6. Which of these students is right? Explain your answer.

Rabbits and foxes

In a certain area there are more rabbits than foxes every year. A fox is much bigger
than a rabbit. However, the annual fox biomass produced in this area is smaller than
the rabbit biomass produced annually.

7. Give two reasons why the total biomass of foxes is less than the total biomass
of rabbits eaten by foxes.

Despite the fluctuations in population size, the foxes and rabbits in this area balance
each other out. There is theoretically a negative feedback in the relationship between
foxes and rabbits, which prevents excessive fluctuations in both populations. The
figure on the next page shows four diagrams.
 8. Which of these diagrams in the image above correctly represents this
feedback system?
A diagram 1
B diagram 2
C diagram 3
D diagram 4

Relationships

Some examples of biotic relationships are mentioned.

1 In Limburg ticks live in the fur of a sheep that suck blood from the sheep.
2 In Namibia, the honey bird, by chirping ahead of the honey badger, shows the
honey badger the way to nests of wild bee species. The honey badger breaks open
these nests and eats some of the honeycombs. The rest of the combs can be eaten
by the honey bird.
3 In Kenya, leftover food from predators is often eaten by vultures.
4 The lion (Panthera leo), a large predator of the feline family mainly hunts antelopes
& zebras

9. Name which type of relationship it is for each example.

Answers

1.

birds

Worms shellfish

algae

2. Abiotic: tide, sand/soil, seawater, dam, storm

Biotic: birds, worms, shellfish, algae, animals floating in seawater

3. 700 kg

4. C

5. B

6. Student 1, because they can freely swim into and out of the canal from the
ditch, so they can all reproduce together

7. * Energy loss by the rabbits using energy themselves (dissimilation, loss

through heat)
* Indigestible remains via faeces of foxes/ not everything is eaten (bones, etc.)
Not correct: “there are also other animals that eat rabbits” because the
question says: “…total biomass of the foxes eaten…”

8. C

9. 1 Parasitism
2 Mutualism
3 Commensalism
4 Predation