| Date | May 2021 | Marks available | 2 | Reference code | 21M.1.SL.TZ0.2 |
| Level | Standard Level | Paper | Paper 1 | Time zone | Time zone 0 |
| Command term | Suggest | Question number | 2 | Adapted from | N/A |
Question
Figure 3: Climate data for Norilsk and Novosibirsk within the tundra and taiga biome respectively
With reference to Figure 3, suggest two reasons why primary productivity is greater in the taiga than in the tundra.
Markscheme
higher temperatures in taiga which contribute to more plant growth/photosynthesis / lower temperatures in tundra which restrict photosynthesis/plant growth;
more sunlight in taiga contributes to more plant growth/photosynthesis/longer growing season / fewer hours of sunlight in tundra which restricts photosynthesis/plant growth/contributes to shorter growing season in tundra;
Do not accept only ‘more precipitation/higher temperatures/more sunlight in taiga results in greater productivity/biomass’.
Do not accept ‘low temperatures in tundra make it more difficult for plants to survive / plants are adapted to warmer conditions’.
Do not accept more sunlight/rainfall increases nutrients for plant productivity.
Do not accept ‘growth of organisms/species’ instead of ‘growth of plants’.
Examiners report
Overall, this question was poorly answered. Although the majority of candidates identified the factors that enhance primary productivity, the common error was not to link these conditions to levels of photosynthesis or plant growth.
