Student Book answers B17 Biodiversity and ecosystems

B17.1 The human population explosion

Question Answer Marks Guidance
number
1a Any three from: 3 Any other valid point.
• ability to farm/fish,
• ability to cure or prevent diseases,
• no natural predators,
• ability to control environment by heating/lighting
1b buildings and roads 1
farming 1
quarrying 1
dumping waste 1
2a Any three from: 3 Any other valid point.
land, metal ores, fossil fuels, wood.
2b Any five from: 5 Any other valid point.
• use of electricity for lighting/heating/entertainment
• increased food production
• improved medicines
• use of fossil fuels for transport
• development of plastics
• improved waste disposal
• improved sanitation
3 Points may include: 6 Any other valid point.
• increased waste – including bodily waste, industrial waste,
packaging, uneaten food, and disposable goods
• exhaust gases from transport
• use of pesticides and fertilisers in farming.

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 Student Book answers B17 Biodiversity and ecosystems

B17.2 Land and water pollution

Question Answer Marks Guidance
number
1a human bodily waste and waste water 1
1b toxic chemicals can spread from waste into soil, 1
toxic chemicals can be washed into waterways, 1
sewage can pollute soil with dangerous chemicals and gut parasites, 1
toxins build up in organisms along food chain (bioaccumulation), 1
largest predators die or are infertile due to toxic chemical build‑up 1
1c to monitor pollution levels in waterways 1
2ai Points may include: 3
• pesticides and herbicides spread from crops into soil
• plant material contaminated with toxins
• small levels of toxins taken in by animals eating affected plant
material
• toxins build up along food chains (bioaccumulation) until toxic
levels are reached in top predators.
2 a ii Points may include: 3
• Fertilisers washed from the soil into streams, ponds, and rivers.
• Nitrates in fertilisers encourage the rapid growth of algae and
water plants.
• Microorganisms feeding on the plants use up oxygen decreasing
the levels of oxygen.
• Other oxygen-dependent organisms then die because of a lack
of oxygen.

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 Student Book answers B17 Biodiversity and ecosystems

Question Answer Marks Guidance

number
2b Points may include: 6 Any other valid point.
• DDT in pesticide contaminated soil and waterways,
• organisms contaminated with toxins,
• DDT builds up in organisms along food chain,
• DDT levels become dangerously high in top predators (birds of
prey, herons),
• effects of DDT not noticeable until dangerous levels reached,
• route through food chain not obvious.

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 Student Book answers B17 Biodiversity and ecosystems

B17.3 Air pollution

Question Answer Marks Guidance
number
1a acidic gases released into atmosphere 1
and spread around by wind 1
1b sulfur dioxide and nitrogen oxides dissolve into rain and snow, 1
contaminating lakes/rivers/streams 1
1c dilute sulfuric acid and nitric acid fall as acid rain 1
and soak into soil 1
2a flow chart should include: 5
cars/power stations burn fossil fuels → acidic gases (e.g., sulfur
dioxide, nitrogen oxides) formed → gases carried in the winds in
atmosphere → sulfur acidic gases dissolve in rainwater and react with
oxygen to form dilute sulfuric acid and nitric acid → acid rain falls
2b Sulfur dioxide and nitrogen oxides can be carried high in air by winds. 1
Acidic gases can be blown from a country that does not control its sulfur 1
emissions to a country that has strict emission controls
and fall as acid rain. 1
3a 25 000 − 5000 = 20 000, 1
× 100 = 80, 1
reduction of 80% 1
3b Any two from: 2 Any other valid point.
• more efficient catalytic converters in cars,
• cleaner fuels,
• legislation to control emissions from factories.
3c levels of acid rain should fall 1
as sulfur dioxide emissions fall, 1
unless prevailing winds carry acidic gases from non-European countries 1

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 Student Book answers B17 Biodiversity and ecosystems

Question Answer Marks Guidance

number
4ai 1850: 0 million tonnes, 1975: 4 million tonnes, 1
4 million tonne increase 1
4 a ii 1975: 14 million tonnes, 2000: 8 million tonnes, 1
6 million tonne decrease 1
4b Figure 2b shows increasing global sulfur dioxide emissions, causing 1
increasing acid rain.
Acid rain directly damages plant life by falling on plants 1
and by soaking into soil and being taken up by roots. 1
Acid rain contaminates soil and watercourses, making them more acidic 1
and eventually unable to sustain life.
Increasing sulfur dioxide levels threaten to reduce global biodiversity 1
as whole ecosystems can be destroyed. 1

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 Student Book answers B17 Biodiversity and ecosystems

B17.4 Deforestation and peat destruction

Question Answer Marks Guidance
number
1a removal of large areas of forest by felling/burning 1
without trees being replaced 1
1b Tropical rainforests contain more biodiversity than any other land 1
environment.
Loss of orests means biodiversity of plant and animal life is also lost 1
as habitats are destroyed and species become extinct. 1
Many species are being destroyed before being identified and studied, 1
so potential new sources of medicine or food could be lost.
2 carbon dioxide produced by burning of trees, 1
carbon dioxide produced by decomposition of dead vegetation, 1
less carbon dioxide removed from atmosphere by growing plants 1
3a use of peat as fuel 1
and by gardeners as compost 1
3b CO 2 is released into atmosphere as peat is burnt or used as compost, 1
increasing atmospheric levels of carbon dioxide 1
and depleting the carbon store. 1
Destruction of peat bogs destroys habitats and reduces biodiversity. 1
4 Points may include: 6 Any other valid point.
• cheap compost needed by gardeners and horticulturists to
improve soil properties, promote seed germination, and increase
food production; alternative, ‘peat‑free’ composts are available
but are less popular;
• peat bogs and peatlands vital to biodioversity as they form
habitat for many organisms adapted to live in acidic conditions;
• peat forms very slowly and under very specific conditions –
cannot be replaced as quickly as it is being used.

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 Student Book answers B17 Biodiversity and ecosystems

B17.5 Global warming

Question Answer Marks Guidance
number
1a Correct y-axis label and scale, 1
Correct x-axis label and scale, 1
data plotted correctly 1
1b carbon dioxide levels rising steadily 1
over time, 1
partly as a result of human activities 1
1c Energy transferred from Sun to Earth. 1
Much of this heat is reflected back into space, 1
but some is absorbed by greenhouse gases in the atmosphere and 1
reradiated back to Earth.
Earth’s surface and atmosphere are warmed (greenhouse effect), 1
maintaining conditions ideal for life. 1
2a Atmospheric levels of greenhouse gases increasing 1
as a result of human activity, 1
increasing greenhouse effect 1
and causing global temperatures to rise 1
2b Any two from: 4 Maximum of 2 marks per consequence. 1
• loss of habitat – reducing biodiversity mark for consequence and 1 mark for further
• changes in distribution – some organisms may disappear from explanation.
some areas as habitat changes
• changes in migration patterns – caused by changes in climates
and seasons
• reduced biodiversity – some organisms will become extinct as
climate changes
3 Accept any well-researched example and explanation. 6

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 Student Book answers B17 Biodiversity and ecosystems

B17.6 Maintaining biodiversity

Question Answer Marks Guidance
number
1a important for environmental health, 1 Any other valid point.
offers potential source of new food crops, 1
offers potential source of new medicines 1
1b breeding programmes for endangered species – restoring endangered 1
species to sustainable populations,
protection and regeneration of rare habitats – protecting different 1
animals and plants,
reintroduction of field margins and hedgerows – allowing biodiversity to 1
be maintained in agricultural land,
reduction of deforestation – maintaining habitats, 1
recycling resources – reducing habitat loss and pollution 1
1c Any one from: 4 Any other valid point.
• increased field margins limiting land available for food
production,
• reduction of deforestation limiting land available for food
production,
• taxes on landfill waste increasing costs to businesses.
2a levels have fallen steadily 1
2b Data suggests that Kyoto agreement drove UK government to take 1
action to limit carbon dioxide emissions
and that government intervention via legislation 1
has been successful. 1

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 Student Book answers B17 Biodiversity and ecosystems

Question Answer Marks Guidance

number
2c Points may include: 6 Any other valid point.
• reduce or prevent increase in greenhouse effect and global
warming – maintaining biodiversity by preserving Arctic and
Antarctic ice habitat,
• preventing rises in sea levels that will destroy biodiverse
mangrove forests,
• preventing temperature increase that could dry out wetlands and
cause bleaching/death of coral reefs.
3 Data shows that as landfill tax increased, amount of material going into 1 Any other valid point.
landfill fell.
Taxes on waste and emissions 1
can be used as an effective incentive to change human habits 1
and promote research into less damaging alternatives (e.g., recycling 1
rather than landfill).

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