| Date | November 2020 | Marks available | 2 | Reference code | 20N.3.SL.TZ0.13 |
| Level | Standard level | Paper | Paper 3 | Time zone | TZ0 / no time zone |
| Command term | Describe | Question number | 13 | Adapted from | N/A |
Question
Plastic has accumulated in marine environments and is now causing problems for wildlife. Some marine birds have become entangled in plastic debris and some have been harmed by ingesting it. The table shows the extent of the problem worldwide in different groups of birds.
[Source: BIO Intelligence Service, 2011. Plastic Waste in the Environment. [pdf]
European Commission. Available at: http://ec.europa.eu/environment/waste/studies/pdf/plastics.pdf.]
Calculate the number of species of grebe with problems due to entanglement.
Suggest how entanglement in plastics can lead to the death of marine birds.
Identify the group with the greatest number of species with problems due to ingestion of plastics.
Describe how ingested plastics can cause problems to marine birds.
Markscheme
2;
a. birds are unable to fly/swim for food;
b. unable to escape predators;
c. birds drown;
d. birds suffocate / are strangled;
C / albatrosses, petrels and shearwaters;
a. fill up the stomachs (of young birds) so they feel full / starve to death;
b. damage the digestive system / cut the gut/stomach/oesophagus/intestines (leading to internal bleeding);
c. block passage of food (causing starvation);
d. cause choking (so cannot breathe);
e. contain/decompose to toxic chemicals (poisoning birds)
OR
toxins/microplastics in seawater build up/biomagnify (and poison wildlife);
Examiners report
This question outlining how plastic pollution affects marine birds was straightforward for all candidates.
Syllabus sections
- 18M.3.SL.TZ2.14: Discuss the health consequences and environmental consequences of the use of DDT.
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20N.3.HL.TZ0.15c:
Sea urchins are destroying the giant kelp alga (Macrocystis pyrifera) marine forests of South East Australia. Suggest a reason that sea urchins might be an invasive species in this environment.
- 17M.3.SL.TZ1.15a: Outline one consequence of introducing an alien species into an ecosystem.
- 18N.3.SL.TZ0.14b: Suggest a reason for not cutting invasive plants at certain times of year.
- 19M.3.HL.TZ1.14b: Phosphate can be lost from agricultural land in several different ways. State one of these.
- 19N.3.HL.TZ0.15b: Outline how plastic ingestion may lead to biomagnification in these marine species.
- 18N.3.SL.TZ0.14c: Outline reasons for controlling invasive plants.
- 19M.3.HL.TZ1.16a.i: Distinguish between levels of predation in marmots born in the wild and those born in captivity.
- 19N.3.HL.TZ0.15a: Compare and contrast the information provided for baleen whales and sea turtles.
- 17M.3.SL.TZ1.15b: State the origin of cane toads.
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17N.3.HL.TZ0.14a.i:
Identify how the pattern in mammals is different from reptiles and birds.
-
17N.3.HL.TZ0.14a.iii:
Suggest a method to limit the impact of F. silvestris on native species.
- 17M.3.SL.TZ1.15c: Evaluate the use of traps containing toxin as a means of cane toad control.
- 16N.3.HL.TZ0.15b: State two possible effects on organisms of microplastic pollution.
- 16N.3.SL.TZ0.14a: Outline the trend in the number of people with malaria during the period when the use of...
- 18M.3.HL.TZ1.16b: Discuss the global impacts of invasive alien species.
- 19N.3.SL.TZ0.14b: Describe the use of indicator species in monitoring environmental change.
-
16N.3.HL.TZ0.15a:
Predict one example of macroplastic pollution that is likely to be found in this lake.
- 20N.3.SL.TZ0.13b.i: Identify the group with the greatest number of species with problems due to ingestion of...
- 20N.3.SL.TZ0.13a.ii: Suggest how entanglement in plastics can lead to the death of marine birds.
-
18M.3.HL.TZ1.16a:
Define invasive alien species.
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18M.3.HL.TZ1.16d:
The map shows an area of the Pacific Ocean characterized by exceptionally high concentrations of plastics and other debris that have been trapped by the currents of the North Pacific Gyre.
Outline one consequence of marine plastic pollution.
- 18N.3.SL.TZ0.14a: State which plant can be cut in August.
- 19N.3.SL.TZ0.15b.ii: Outline the impact of alien species on endemic species in ecosystems.
- 20N.3.SL.TZ0.13a.i: Calculate the number of species of grebe with problems due to entanglement.
- 20N.3.SL.TZ0.12b: Outline the principle of competitive exclusion.
- 18N.3.SL.TZ0.14d: Discuss what precautions should be taken before considering biological control of the...
- 19M.3.HL.TZ1.14c: Describe how the changes in world rock phosphate production after 1985 may have affected...
- 19M.3.HL.TZ1.16a.ii: Suggest reasons for the differences in predation.
- 16N.3.SL.TZ0.14b: One pesticide used in killing mosquitoes was DDT. Considering its harmful effects,...
- 18M.3.HL.TZ2.18: Evaluate the impact of the introduction of a named invasive alien species into an environment.
-
17N.3.SL.TZ0.13a:
Compare and contrast the effects of the predators on the population of the mussels.
- 19N.3.SL.TZ0.15b.i: State an example of an alien species.
-
17M.3.HL.TZ1.14c:
Indicator species may be affected by biomagnification. Discuss biomagnification using a named example of a pollutant.
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17N.3.HL.TZ0.14a.ii:
Describe how invasive species such as F. silvestris can have a significant impact on native species.
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18M.3.HL.TZ1.16c:
Using one example, outline biological control of an invasive alien species.
-
19M.3.SL.TZ1.14:
Explain what is meant by competitive exclusion, with respect to a named example of an invasive species.
- 16N.3.HL.TZ0.15c: Outline the effect of wind on the distribution of plastic pollution in this lake.
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18M.3.HL.TZ1.16e:
Explain the consequences of biomagnification.
- 19M.3.HL.TZ1.14a: Describe the relationship between rock phosphate production and world population.
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19N.3.SL.TZ0.14a:
Explain how the levels of the Caesium (Cs) radioisotopes could have accumulated in the tissues of these fish.
- 16N.3.HL.TZ0.15d: Suggest changes in the management of the national park that could reduce the amount of...
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17N.3.HL.TZ0.16c:
Outline three issues arising from the release of pollutants into the environment.
-
19M.3.SL.TZ1.13:
Outline three ways in which a named environmental disturbance can impact an ecosystem.
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17N.3.SL.TZ0.12c:
Explain how pesticides may undergo biomagnification in the lake.
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19M.3.SL.TZ2.13:
The diagram shows the copper concentration (μg g–1) in the seaweed Porphyra umbilicalis collected along the shoreline in Arklow, Ireland.
[Source: reprinted by permission from Springer Nature: Helgoländer Meeresuntersuchungen,
Problems in the assessment of heavy-metal levels in estuaries and the formation of a pollution index,
D L Tomlinson, et al., 33, issue 1, pages 566–575. Copyright 1980]Explain how the copper found in these seaweeds could affect the birds living in Arklow town.
