| Date | November 2021 | Marks available | 1 | Reference code | 21N.1.SL.TZ0.1 |
| Level | Standard Level | Paper | Paper 1 | Time zone | Time zone 0 |
| Command term | Outline | Question number | 1 | Adapted from | N/A |
Question
Figure 2(b): Examples of ecosystems in London
[Source: (top left) O’Connor, P., 2015. GOC Walthamstow to Stratford 164: Old English Garden, Victoria Park. [image
online] Available at: https://www.flickr.com/photos/anemoneprojectors/25609419345/in/photostream/ Attribution-
ShareAlike 2.0 Generic (CC BY-SA 2.0) https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0/ [Accessed 22 May
2020]. Source adapted.
(top right) Taylor, J., 2009. Park Crescent, London NW1 private communal garden. [image online] Available at:
https://fr.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fichier:Park_Crescent,_London_NW1_private_communal_garden_-_geograph.org.
uk_-_1268358.jpg Attribution-ShareAlike 2.0 Generic (CC BY-SA 2.0) https://creativecommons.org/licenses/bysa/
2.0/ [Accessed 22 May 2020]. Source adapted.
(bottom left) Haywood, Jay., 2004. Grey Heron in London Wetlands Centre. [image online] Available at:
https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Grey_Heron_in_London_Wetlands_Centre_-_geograph.org.uk_-
_795424.jpg Attribution-ShareAlike 2.0 Generic (CC BY-SA 2.0) https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0/ [Accessed 22 May 2020]. Source adapted.
(center left and right) Oberst, T., 2019 Untitled. [photograph].]
Figure 3: Climate graph for London
Figure 4(a): Green spaces in London
[Source: Greater London Authority, 2016. Draft Economic Evidence Base 2016. [online] Available at: https://www.london.
gov.uk/sites/default/files/draft-eeb-2016.pdf [Accessed 1 June 2020].]
With reference to Figures 2(b) and 3, identify an ecosystem found in London.
Outline one factor which limits the primary productivity of an ecosystem in London.
Identify one distribution pattern of green spaces seen in Figure 4(a).
Outline three ways that London’s green spaces are considered natural capital.
Markscheme
grassland/meadow /marshland/wetland/ pond/lake/ river / urban/ (temperate/deciduous/temperate deciduous) forest / woodland / garden / (city) park/parkland;
Note: Do not accept only ‘terrestrial/freshwater ecosystem’.
cold temperatures in the winter months (4 °C in January) could inhibit photosynthesis/plant growth;
seasons/limited insolation in the winter could reduce photosynthesis/plant growth;
air pollution limits photosynthesis/plant growth;
Notes: Do not credit ‘limits variety of vegetation/lowers primary productivity’.
For credit, response must link to photosynthesis/plant growth, not just productivity.
Do not credit ‘low precipitation/rainfall’.
- fragmented/scattered/dispersed;
- more open land in the southwest;
- forested/wild areas/green belt on the border/outskirts/edges of the city;
- more forested/wild areas in the southeast;
- corridor of green space following the River Thames;
Notes: For credit response must relate to the distribution of green spaces.
Do not accept ‘uneven / found in the South’.
- remove air pollutants providing cleaner air (improving health/reducing health care costs);
- provide areas for education/tourism/leisure and physical activity (reducing obesity/stress);
- increase economic value of homes nearby;
- increase biodiversity of species (insects, small animals, plants) / provides a habitat for animals/pollinating bees;
- act as flood mitigation/reduces flood risk (by absorbing precipitation/increase infiltration);
- filters (and cleans) water entering river/aquifers;
- rivers/lakes provide a source of water;
- cool temperatures/reduce urban heat island/reduce heating-cooling costs for homes;
- absorb CO2/carbon sink / release O2/oxygen source;
- provides a source of food/timber/fertile soil for agriculture;
Examiners report
The majority of candidates correctly identified an ecosystem found in London.
Very few candidates answered this question correctly. Many candidates did not consider the command term used and stated a correct factor eg low temperature or sunlight but did not relate this to its effect on photosynthesis and therefore primary productivity. A few responses incorrectly suggested that high levels of rainfall caused flooding.
Most students answered this question well with many responses referring to the green spaces found on the edges of the city.
Responses varied widely for this question with most candidates achieving at least one mark. A common error was to repeat statements from Figure 4(b) rather than use this information to consider the goods and services gained from London’s green spaces.
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.
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19N.1.SL.TZ0.3b:
With reference to Figure 9(a), outline how the round goby both positively and negatively affects the St Lawrence River ecosystem.
- 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.
