GCSE Biology Ecosystems questions by topic

Sort each factor into abiotic or biotic.

1. (a)Name the two abiotic factors.[2]
2. (b)Name the two biotic factors.[2]

Order the food chain.

1. (a)Number these 1–4 (1 = start): hawk (eats snakes); grass; rabbit (eats grass); snake (eats rabbits).[4]

A student places quadrats randomly in a meadow and counts daisies: 3, 5, 4, 4 and 4 per quadrat.

1. (a)Calculate the mean number of daisies per quadrat.[2]

Match each adaptation to its type.

1. (a)A polar bear’s thick fur.[1]
2. (b)Swallows migrating in winter.[1]
3. (c)Desert animals producing very concentrated urine.[1]
4. (d)Bacteria living in hot springs.[1]

Match each food-chain role to its description.

1. (a)Producer.[1]
2. (b)Primary consumer.[1]
3. (c)Secondary consumer.[1]
4. (d)Decomposer.[1]

Sort these factors into abiotic and biotic.

1. (a)Light intensity.[1]
2. (b)New predator arriving.[1]
3. (c)Soil moisture.[1]
4. (d)A fungal disease spreading.[1]

A meadow of 800 m² is sampled with 1 m² quadrats. Ten quadrat counts of daisies are: 6, 8, 5, 9, 7, 6, 10, 5, 8 and 6.

1. (a)Calculate the mean daisies per quadrat.[2]
2. (b)Estimate the total daisy population of the meadow.[2]
3. (c)Explain why the quadrats were placed randomly.[1]

Explain the linked cycles of a predator and its prey.

1. (a)Describe the cycle and the lag.[6]

Explain how the polar bear is adapted to survive in the Arctic.

1. (a)Describe two structural, one behavioural and one functional adaptation.[5]

Explain why freezing, drying and salting all preserve food.

1. (a)Link each method to decay conditions.[4]

A student samples a 600 m² meadow for snails using 0.5 m² quadrats. Five quadrats give counts of 6, 9, 7, 10 and 8 snails.

1. (a)Calculate the mean number of snails per quadrat.[2]
2. (b)Calculate the mean number of snails per square metre.[1]
3. (c)Estimate the total snail population of the meadow.[2]

This question is about the carbon cycle.

1. (a)Name the process that removes carbon dioxide from the atmosphere.[1]
2. (b)Name three processes that return carbon dioxide to the atmosphere.[3]
3. (c)Explain why atmospheric carbon dioxide is rising despite the cycle.[2]

Explain how carbon moves through the carbon cycle.

1. (a)Write the full cycle.[6]

(Biology only) A farmer keeps hens in small cages, feeding them calorie-dense feed indoors.

1. (a)Explain the benefits and concerns of this factory farming.[6]

(Higher, Biology only) A field of grass contains 500 000 kJ of biomass. Cows eating the grass build 65 000 kJ of biomass; humans eating the cows build 9 750 kJ.

1. (a)Calculate the efficiency of each transfer.[4]
2. (b)Explain why eating plants directly feeds more people.[2]

A council replaces a landfill site with a recycling programme and restores a drained peat bog.

1. (a)Explain how each action helps biodiversity and the carbon cycle.[6]

(Biology only) Explain why the human population’s food security is under pressure, and describe two responses with their trade-offs.

1. (a)Explain the pressures and evaluate two responses.[6]

(Higher, Biology only) Energy flows along a simple food chain: grass contains 100 000 kJ of energy, the rabbits eating it build 10 000 kJ of biomass, and the stoats eating the rabbits build 1 000 kJ.

1. (a)Calculate the efficiency of transfer at each step.[2]
2. (b)Calculate how much energy from the grass does NOT become rabbit biomass.[1]
3. (c)Explain two reasons so little energy is passed on.[2]
4. (d)Explain why this pattern keeps top predators rare.[1]