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Ecology and Environment — Free MYP1 Sciences Practice Questions
1QuestionDefinition and Components of an EcosystemConcept Practice
2 marks~3 minCriterion B
A student sets up three jars with soil and plants. Jar A has 0 worms, Jar B has 5 worms, and Jar C has 10 worms. After two weeks, the student measures how tall the plants have grown.
a
Identify the independent variable in this investigation. [1]
b
Identify the dependent variable in this investigation. [1]
Solutions
2QuestionDefinition and Components of an EcosystemConcept Practice
4 marks~6 minCriterion C
A forest ecosystem contains the following:
Oak trees · deer tracks · moss · soil pH · air temperature · rainfall
Oak trees · deer tracks · moss · soil pH · air temperature · rainfall
a
List one biotic (living) thing from the list above. [1]
b
Identify two abiotic (non-living) things from the list above. [1]
c
A student says: "There are more abiotic things than living things in this ecosystem." Do you agree? Give a reason for your answer. [2]
Solutions
3QuestionInteractions Between Biotic and Abiotic FactorsConcept Practice
2 marks~3 minCriterion D
A student plants bean seeds in two pots. Pot 1 has soil and water. Pot 2 has soil, water, and earthworms. After two weeks, the plants in Pot 2 are taller.
a
State one way farmers or gardeners could use this finding in real life. [1]
b
Describe one reason why using earthworms might not always work to improve plant growth. [1]
Solutions
4QuestionDefinition and Components of an EcosystemConcept Practice
2 marks~3 minCriterion A
The diagram below shows a pond ecosystem with five components labelled.
List each component under the correct heading: Biotic (living) or Abiotic (non-living).
Components: fish, water, rocks, sunlight, plants [2]
List each component under the correct heading: Biotic (living) or Abiotic (non-living).
Components: fish, water, rocks, sunlight, plants [2]
Solutions
5QuestionEfficiency of Energy TransferConcept Practice
3 marks~5 minCriterion C
The table below shows the energy available at each level in a grassland food chain.
| Level: Grass | Rabbit | Fox |
|---|---|---|
| Energy (kJ): 10 000 | 1 000 | 100 |
a
Identify the amount of energy available at the rabbit level. [1]
b
Describe what happens to the amount of energy as you move from grass to fox. [1]
c
A student says: "Rabbits pass all their energy to foxes." Describe why this is not correct, using the term "energy loss." [1]
Solutions
6QuestionPyramid of Numbers and BiomassConcept Practice
3 marks~5 minCriterion B
A meadow has the following organisms at each feeding level:
Producers: 5000
Primary consumers: 800
Secondary consumers: 200
Tertiary consumers: 10
Producers: 5000
Primary consumers: 800
Secondary consumers: 200
Tertiary consumers: 10
a
Identify the feeding level that has the fewest organisms. [1]
b
Describe what happens to the number of organisms as you move up the feeding levels. [1]
c
Compare the number of producers with the number of tertiary consumers. Use the data to explain what this difference tells you about the feeding levels. [1]
Solutions
7QuestionEfficiency of Energy TransferConcept Practice
2 marks~3 minCriterion A
The food chain below shows three organisms in order:
Grass → Rabbit → Fox
Grass → Rabbit → Fox
a
Identify the trophic level of the fox. [1]
b
Describe how the fox gets its energy in this food chain. [1]
Solutions
8QuestionDeforestation and Habitat DestructionConcept Practice
3 marks~5 minCriterion B
The table below shows the forest area in a region over several years.
| Year | 2010 | 2012 | 2014 | 2016 | 2018 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Forest area (km²) | 500 | 450 | 410 | 370 | 330 |
a
Calculate the decrease in forest area from 2010 to 2012. [1]
b
Describe the overall pattern in forest area shown by the data. [1]
c
Identify one human activity that could cause this change, and state how it removes forest. [1]
Solutions
9QuestionAir Water and Soil PollutionConcept Practice
2 marks~3 minCriterion A
The diagram shows a river next to a factory, a farm, and some houses. The factory has a pipe that leads directly into the river.
a
Identify which structure is the most likely source of water pollution in the river. [1]
b
Describe why this structure causes water pollution. [1]
Solutions
10QuestionDefinition and Importance of BiodiversityConcept Practice
3 marks~5 minCriterion B
The table below shows four ecosystems, the number of different species living in each one, and how long each ecosystem took to recover after a dry period.
Ecosystem: Tropical rainforest — 500 species — recovers in 10 months
Ecosystem: Coral reef — 400 species — recovers in 14 months
Ecosystem: Farmland — 50 species — recovers in 36 months
Ecosystem: Desert — 30 species — recovers in 48 months
Ecosystem: Tropical rainforest — 500 species — recovers in 10 months
Ecosystem: Coral reef — 400 species — recovers in 14 months
Ecosystem: Farmland — 50 species — recovers in 36 months
Ecosystem: Desert — 30 species — recovers in 48 months
a
Identify the ecosystem with the greatest number of different species. [1]
b
Describe what happens to recovery time as the number of different species in an ecosystem gets smaller. [1]
c
Compare the tropical rainforest and the desert, using the data to explain which one recovers faster after a dry period and why. [1]
Solutions
11QuestionDefinition and Importance of BiodiversityConcept Practice
3 marks~5 minCriterion A
The diagram shows four ecosystems: rainforest, desert, coral reef, and farmland. Each ecosystem displays a different number of animal icons representing the species found there.
a
Identify the ecosystem with the highest biodiversity. [1]
b
Describe what biodiversity means. [1]
c
Compare the biodiversity of the rainforest and the farmland, using evidence from the diagram. [1]
Solutions
12QuestionDefinition of Habitat and ExamplesConcept Practice
3 marks~5 minCriterion C
A student placed 10 woodlice in a tray with dry soil on one side and damp soil on the other. After 5 minutes, she counted the woodlice on each side. She repeated this five times.
| Woodlice on dry soil | 2 | 3 | 1 | 2 | 1 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Woodlice on damp soil | 8 | 7 | 9 | 8 | 9 |
a
Identify the pattern shown in the results. [1]
b
Describe one way the student could change the experiment to test whether moisture level affects where woodlice go. [1]
c
The student's friend says: "A sunny habitat would be just as good for woodlice as a shady one." Describe one difference you would expect to see between woodlice living in a sunny habitat and woodlice living in a shady habitat, and give a reason for your answer. [1]
Solutions
13QuestionDefinition of Habitat and ExamplesConcept Practice
2 marks~3 minCriterion D
A local park is being turned into a car park, destroying the habitat of animals that live there.
a
Identify one action a person could take to help protect the animals' habitat. [1]
b
Describe one problem with the action you identified in (a). [1]
Solutions
14QuestionAdaptations for Survival in Extreme EnvironmentsConcept Practice
2 marks~3 minCriterion A
A polar bear has two features that help it survive in the Arctic: thick fur and a white coat.
a
Describe how the thick fur helps a polar bear survive in the cold Arctic. [1]
b
Describe how the white coat helps a polar bear catch its prey. [1]
Solutions
15QuestionAdaptations for Survival in Extreme EnvironmentsConcept Practice
3 marks~5 minCriterion B
The bar graph below shows the average fur thickness of Arctic foxes at three different winter temperatures.
| Temperature (°C) | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Average fur thickness (cm) | 3 | 5 | 7 |
a
Identify the trend shown in the graph. [1]
b
Describe how thicker fur helps an Arctic fox stay warm. [1]
c
Compare the fur thickness of an Arctic fox at with one at , and explain which fox is better suited to survive in very cold weather. [1]
Solutions
16QuestionTrophic Levels and Energy Transfer IntroductoryConcept Practice
6 marks~9 minCriterion B
A scientist fed three caterpillars different amounts of oak leaves each day for 10 days.
| Caterpillar | A | B | C |
|---|---|---|---|
| Leaves given per day (g) | 5 | 10 | 15 |
| Mass gained (g) | 5 | 10 | 15 |
a
Identify how much mass Caterpillar B gained. [1]
b
Describe the pattern between the leaves given per day and the mass gained. [2]
c
Caterpillar D is given 20 g of leaves per day for 10 days. Caterpillar E is given 5 g of leaves per day for 10 days. Compare the mass each caterpillar would gain. [3]
Solutions
17QuestionConstructing and Interpreting Food ChainsConcept Practice
4 marks~6 minCriterion C
Look at the food chain below.
Hawk → Fox → Rabbit → Grass
Hawk → Fox → Rabbit → Grass
a
Identify one error in the food chain above. [1]
b
Describe the correct direction of the arrows in a food chain. [2]
c
State what the arrows in a food chain represent. [1]
Solutions
18QuestionConstructing and Interpreting Food ChainsConcept Practice
2 marks~3 minCriterion A
Look at the food chain below.
Grass → Rabbit → Fox
Grass → Rabbit → Fox
a
Name the role of the rabbit in this food chain. [1]
b
Describe where the rabbit sits in this food chain by stating its trophic level and explaining why. [1]
Solutions
19QuestionPyramid of Numbers and BiomassAssessment Practice
2 marks~3 minCriterion D
A farmer uses 100 kg of grain to raise cows but gets only 10 kg of meat in return.
Describe one real-world impact of this energy loss on global food production. [2]
Describe one real-world impact of this energy loss on global food production. [2]
Solutions
20QuestionAir Water and Soil PollutionAssessment Practice
4 marks~6 minCriterion C
A factory sits next to a river. Its chimney pours smoke into the air. A pipe releases dirty water into the river. Downstream, fish are floating dead and thick green algae is growing near the pipe.
a
Name one type of pollution shown in the diagram. [1]
b
Describe how the dirty water from the pipe harms the fish in the river. [2]
c
The factory owner says the chimney smoke cannot harm the river because the smoke goes into the air, not the water. Do you agree or disagree? Give a reason for your answer. [1]
Solutions
21QuestionNatural vs Human-Induced Environmental ChangeAssessment Practice
4 marks~6 minCriterion D
A local pond has too much algae growing in it. Scientists think two things caused this: a very hot summer and fertilizer washing off a nearby farm into the pond.
a
Identify which cause the local community could more easily control. [1]
b
Describe one action the community could take to reduce that cause. [1]
c
Describe one reason why fixing the fertilizer problem is harder than waiting for the hot summer to end. [2]
Solutions
22QuestionDefinition and Importance of BiodiversityAssessment Practice
5 marks~8 minCriterion C
Maria looks at two school gardens after one year.
Garden A: 15 types of plants — health score 8 out of 10
Garden B: 3 types of plants — health score 5 out of 10
Garden A: 15 types of plants — health score 8 out of 10
Garden B: 3 types of plants — health score 5 out of 10
a
Identify which garden has the higher health score. [1]
b
Describe what Maria's results show about the number of plant types and plant health. [2]
c
Give one reason why Maria's results alone may not be enough to answer whether more plant types always leads to healthier plants. [2]
Solutions
23QuestionMethods of ConservationAssessment Practice
2 marks~3 minCriterion D
A local park has put up a fence around an area to protect native plants from being stepped on.
Describe one way this fenced area could affect the birds living in the park. [2]
Describe one way this fenced area could affect the birds living in the park. [2]
Solutions
24QuestionProducers Consumers and DecomposersAssessment Practice
6 marks~9 minCriterion D
A school is setting up a compost bin to turn lunch leftovers into fertiliser for its garden. Bacteria and fungi in the bin break down the food waste.
a
Name two types of decomposers that break down food waste in a compost bin. [1]
b
Describe how decomposers break down food waste in the compost bin. [2]
c
The school is deciding between composting lunch waste and throwing it in the bin. Describe one benefit and one limitation of using a compost bin instead of throwing the waste away. [3]
Solutions