| Date | November 2019 | Marks available | 3 | Reference code | 19N.1.SL.TZ0.3 |
| Level | Standard Level | Paper | Paper 1 | Time zone | Time zone 0 |
| Command term | Outline | Question number | 3 | Adapted from | N/A |
Question
Figure 9(a): Fact file on the round goby (Neogobius melanostomus)
- An invasive species from Asia.
- First discovered in the St Lawrence River in 1990.
- Females lay eggs three times a year; up to 5000 eggs at a time.
- Young fish mature quickly.
- Can eat up to 4000 eggs of other fish in 15 minutes.
- Aggressively defend the best egg-laying sites, out-competing the native mottled sculpin (Cottus bairdii).
- Eat invasive zebra mussels.
- Eaten by native fish, such as lake trout and yellow perch.
Figure 9(b): Pictures of the round goby and mottled sculpin
Using Figures 9(a) and 9(b), identify one feature of the round goby that shows it is an r-selected species.
With reference to Figure 9(a), outline how the round goby both positively and negatively affects the St Lawrence River ecosystem.
With reference to Figure 9(a), explain why the realized niche of the mottled sculpin has changed in recent years.
Markscheme
frequent egg laying (3 times per year);
many eggs laid at one time (5000);
young fish grow quickly / early maturity.
Positive [2 max]:
provide additional food source for native fish (e.g. yellow perch);
eat other invasive species, such as the zebra mussel.
Negative [2 max]:
increased competition for food, outcompeting native fish;
outcompetes the native mottle sculpin for the best egg-laying sites;
outcompetes native species which may become extinct;
eat other fish eggs, reducing populations/biodiversity;
introduce disease, reducing populations/biodiversity.
Accept any other reasonable response.
Do not accept only ‘outcompetes native species’, for credit must be linked to competition for food, egg laying sites or species extinction.
Do not accept ‘aggressively takes the habitat of native species’.
resources declined due to competition with round goby;
competition for/loss of nesting sites;
loss of food resources due to additional competition;
realized niche has changed because of impacts of climate change affecting temperature.
Examiners report
Syllabus sections
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19N.1.SL.TZ0.2a:
Using Figure 6(c), identify a food chain in the St Lawrence River ecosystem that has five trophic levels.
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18N.1.SL.TZ0.3a:
With reference to Figure 6, draw a food chain that includes four trophic levels.
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18N.1.SL.TZ0.3b:
Identify two ways that human activity in Algonquin Provincial Park may affect the food web.
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17N.1.SL.TZ0.7:
To what extent might Iceland be viewed as a role model for sustainability by other countries?
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17N.1.SL.TZ0.5b:
With reference to Figure 8(c) state the impact that an increase in the mackerel population might have on the Atlantic puffin population.
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18M.2.SL.TZ0.5b:
Suggest the procedures needed to collect data for the construction of a pyramid of numbers for the following food chain:
- 18M.2.SL.TZ0.3a: Identify one producer in the system illustrated in Figure 3.
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16N.2.SL.TZ0.4a:
Outline why top carnivores are vulnerable to non-biodegradable toxins.
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19M.2.SL.TZ0.1d:
Outline two ways in which the food web is likely to change as a result of succession.
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19M.1.SL.TZ0.8:
With reference to Figure 5, describe how loss of a coral reef ecosystem could impact a neighbouring seagrass community.
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17N.2.SL.TZ0.4a:
Describe the role of primary producers in ecosystems.
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17N.2.SL.TZ0.7a:
Outline how soil can be viewed as an ecosystem.
- 18N.2.SL.TZ0.4c: Using examples, discuss whether habitat conservation is more successful than a species-based...
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18N.1.SL.TZ0.10a:
With reference to Figure 7(a), outline one reason why there are more beaver remains in wolf faeces during summer.
- 18N.1.SL.TZ0.1: Identify one ecosystem in Algonquin Provincial Park.
- 17N.1.SL.TZ0.5a.ii: Identify one argument against humans hunting puffins.
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19N.1.SL.TZ0.2e:
Suggest why the St Lawrence River beluga whale population has not recovered despite being given protected status in 1983.
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18M.2.SL.TZ0.4b:
Explain how a community of trees in a woodland may be considered a system.
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17M.2.SL.TZ0.1d:
With reference to the concepts of bioaccumulation and biomagnification, outline how the concentration of DDT has changed along the food chain.
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19N.1.SL.TZ0.1d:
Outline why estuaries are highly productive ecosystems.
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19N.1.SL.TZ0.2d:
With reference to Figure 8, explain why the beluga whale is more at risk from toxic pollutants, such as heavy metals and persistent organic pollutants (POPs), than most other organisms in its food web.
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17M.2.SL.TZ0.1b:
State the trophic level labelled X in Figure 1.
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19M.1.SL.TZ0.7:
Explain two ways in which mangroves improve the water quality for primary producers within marine ecosystems.
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16N.1.SL.TZ0.4c:
Describe how the second law of thermodynamics operates in relation to the transfer of energy within the Silver Springs ecosystem.
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16N.1.SL.TZ0.4d:
Distinguish between a pyramid of numbers and a pyramid of productivity.
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17N.1.SL.TZ0.5c:
Identify two reasons why the future size of the Atlantic puffin population is difficult to predict.
- 21N.2.SL.TZ0.1a.iii: Explain how the second law of thermodynamics applies to this food chain.
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21M.1.SL.TZ0.7a:
Outline the impact that a reduction in the tiger population may have on other populations in the food web shown in Figure 8(c).
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20N.1.SL.TZ0.2e:
With reference to Figures 2(a) and 2(b), suggest two reasons why the red-necked amazon population has recovered more quickly than the imperial amazon population following Hurricane David in 1979.
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20N.1.SL.TZ0.1a:
Using Figure 1(c), state one ecosystem found at sea level in Dominica.
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21N.1.SL.TZ0.1a:
With reference to Figures 2(b) and 3, identify an ecosystem found in London.
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21N.2.SL.TZ0.5b:
Explain how models of ecosystems might be used in species conservation.
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22M.2.SL.TZ0.7b:
Explain how negative and positive feedback mechanisms may influence the growth of decomposer populations in the soil.
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21N.2.SL.TZ0.4a:
Identify four factors that make the use of the insecticide DDT controversial.
- 21N.2.SL.TZ0.1a.i: State the trophic level of the zebra.
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21N.1.SL.TZ0.1b:
Outline one factor which limits the primary productivity of an ecosystem in London.
