Form 5 Chapter 9

SPM 2023
To control population of pests using their
natural enemies
Explain the method used in Diagram 8

The method used is biological control.

It involves prey-predator/ predation interaction.

Gambusia fish is used as the predator to mosquito larvae.

Gambusia fish is used to feed on the mosquito larvae.
Thus, population of mosquito will decrease as larvae are killed & cannot
grow into adult .

The spread of infectious disease in which mosquito acts as vector can be

controlled.
It’s environmental friendly & does not cause environmental pollution.
It reduces the usage of pesticides, thus avoid contaminating soil &
water with chemicals, and avoid harming the other animals or plants
It is specific to the particular pest, thus it will not harm other animals or
plants.

It can reduce the cost to control pest population in the long run as
biological control agents are self-propagating. Thus, population of
biological control agents will increase by themselves.
Pest is unable to develop resistance towards biological control agents, so
effectiveness of biological control method is long-lasting.
Disadvantages of Biological Control Method
It’s slow in controlling pest population size.
It does not completely removing the pest from the community.
The startup cost is expensive, as it requires research to identify the
suitable biological control agent/ predator which only targets the pest,
without harming the other organisms in the community.
There is possibility that it will disrupt the natural food chain, when the
pest is similar to native or beneficial species, or the biological control
agent is not exotic species. If the biological control agent feeds on native
species, this can lead to ecological imbalance.
 When the population of owl is high,
the population of rat decreases
because rat is eaten by owl.
When the population of rat
decreases, there is insufficient food
for owl.
Thus, population of owl decreases.

When population of owl is low,

population of rat recovers and
increases.
Then, population of owl will
The interaction between rat and owl is prey-
increase again as there is enough
predator interaction.
food supply.
Rat is the prey while owl is the predator.
They can grow well on dead stem as they secrete hydrolytic enzymes
to break down complex organic substances into smaller organic
compounds.
They have network of hyphae
to absorb the nutrients hydrolysed from the dead stem.
Saprophytism.
It is an interaction in which an
organism gets its food from dead
organic materials.
Ecosystem is destructed.
Decomposition of complex organic compounds into simple compounds
does not take place// Ammonification does not occur./ Protein is not broken
down into ammonium ions.
Carbon, nitrogen & sulphur elements cannot be returned to the soil.//
Less nitrification process takes place as there will be less ammonium ions
available. Hence, less nitrate ions are produced.
Soil becomes less fertile.
There is insufficient of carbon, nitrogen & sulphur elements for plants to
absorb.
Thus, growth of plant is stunted.

When the growth rate of plant is low, the population size of producer will
be small.
This will result in less food for the consumers.
Food chain will be disrupted.
Termites live symbiotically with
Trichonympha sp. They are in
mutualism interaction.
Trichonympha sp. is an
endosymbiont that lives in the
alimentary canal of termites.
When Trichonympha sp. is killed,
there is no secretion of cellulase
enzyme
Thus, cellulose in wood cannot be
digested by termites
Termites will die when do not
get any nutrient.
Quadrat sampling technique

Absorbs carbon dioxide gas and releases oxygen gas

 𝟓𝟏
51% × 𝟏𝟎𝟎%
𝟏×𝟏
𝟐𝟒
× 𝟏𝟎𝟎%
24% 𝟏×𝟏
 The distribution of
Pleurococcus sp. will
decrease.
Pleurococcus sp. are dehydrated and dead due to
high light intensity & low humidity.
The heat from the lamp light raised up the surrounding temperature,
which is not optimum for the enzymes in Pleurococcus sp. Thus,
metabolic rate decreases.
 /𝒎𝟐

Frequency
𝟖
× 𝟏𝟎𝟎%
𝟏𝟎

= 𝟖𝟎%
 16
5

Plant P

Frequency of P is 100% while frequency of Q is 60%.

Capture-mark-release-recapture method
The population size of mice increases

More food supply for mice, thus increasing birth

rate of mice
Muddy
bank
Avicennia sp.
Sonneratia sp.
Rhizophora sp.
Bruguiera sp.

Avicennia sp.
Sonneratia sp.
The plants have pneumatophore roots for aeration in water-
submerged areas.
The root cells have higher osmotic pressure than the soil to ensure
the roots do not lose water by osmosis.

The leaves are covered by thick cuticles to reduce water loss.

The leaves have sunken stomata to reduce transpiration rate.
The leaves are succulent to store more water.
The plants have viviparous seeds that germinate on the parent
plant thus the fallen seedlings can stick into the muddy soil and
will not be uprooted by waves.
Fish is the source of food.
Fish in mangrove area can become the source of income for shoreline fishermen.
Mangrove area is rich in biodiversity and is breeding site of many animal species.
Thus, mangrove area is an ecotourism site.
Cause ecological imbalance.
Food chain is disrupted.
Can lead to extinction of species
that live in mangrove swamp.

Can cause flooding.

Without mangrove trees/ swamp,

surrounding temperature in the city
is higher as the city is located at
estuary where the light intensity is
high.

No root of mangrove trees to trap

mud brought by high tides.
Inland zone
The total biomass of
producer is lowest.

Thus, the base of the

pyramid is smallest.

The total biomass

increases as the trophic
level ascends.

Thus, the size of the base

of pyramid increases as
the trophic level ascends.
Pyramid of biomass

Organism in first trophic level Organism in second trophic level

autotroph heterotroph
Synthesise organic substances Obtain nutrient/ organic
from inorganic matters substances from other
organisms
By photosynthesis/ By saprotrophic/ holozoic/
chemosynthesis parasitic
Primary source of energy is the Sun/ light energy.
Green plants convert light energy into chemical energy.
When consumers feed on organisms from the previous trophic level,
energy is transferred from the eaten organisms to the feeding
organisms.
Energy is transferred to the organism after it has digested and
assimilated the food to form new substances in the body.
 snake

Population of primary consumer/ rabbit increases due

to less predator.
Population of producer/ green plants decreases due to
high demand of food by rabbit population.
Population of tertiary consumer/ eagle decreases due
to lack of food.
 producer

Organism P is autotroph.
Organism P synthesises glucose via
photosynthesis process.
Glucose is the food source to other
consumers in the food chain.
Thank you
SPM 2023