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Topic 5 Data Analysis Questions	

 	
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Questions

Q1.
 
The mean global temperature is expected to increase as a result of climate change. The graph below shows the predicted changes in mean temperature in New Zealand, during the 21st century. A higher and lower estimate of these changes have been made.

(a) (i) Explain how increases in carbon dioxide and methane, released into the atmosphere, may be contributing towards the estimated changes in mean temperature shown in the graph.
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(ii) Suggest why a higher estimate and a lower estimate were made.
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(b) Tuataras are reptiles found only on a group of small islands off the coast of mainland New Zealand. Adult tuataras grow to approximately 65 cm in length. They feed on small mammals, bird chicks and invertebrates such as insects and worms.

Tuataras build nests in which their eggs are laid. The gender (sex) of the tuatara, that hatches from an egg, is determined by the incubation temperature in the nest. A temperature of 22 ºC or above will mean that a male tuatara will hatch. Female tuataras only hatch from eggs incubated below 22 ºC.
During the breeding season in 2000, the temperature of the nests ranged between 18 ºC and 24 ºC.
(i) Suggest how the changes in the mean temperature, shown in the graph on page 6, might affect the tuataras on the islands off the coast of New Zealand.
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(ii) Suggest how other animal populations on these islands might be affected by changes in the tuatara population.
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(Total for question = 10 marks)

Q2.
 
The sea anemone, Anthopleura elegantissima, occupies a niche at the secondary and
tertiary consumer levels in a food web on the shores of North America.

At high tide, the sea anemone is active and feeds on a variety of small invertebrate
animals and fish. It paralyses its prey using stinging cells on tentacles. The food
is then passed into the gut of the sea anemone for digestion by enzymes. The
anemones also form the food of various carnivores.

At low tide, the anemones are exposed on the rocks of the shore where they remain
 stationary until the water returns at high tide.
During this exposure, the tentacles and body of each anemone are contracted into a
 rounded mass.
(a) Explain what is meant by the term niche, using the sea anemone Anthopleura
elegantissima as an example.
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(b) Suggest and explain why the anemones contract when exposed at low tide.
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(c) Line transects were used to study the effects of abiotic factors on the distribution
of A. elegantissima on a rocky shore. In this study, line transects were taken from
 the upper shore to the low water mark.

 The mean results from these line transects are shown in the table below.

(i) Place a cross  in the box next to the term that describes the type of sampling that uses line transects to study the distribution of A. elegantissima. 
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   A  controlled
   B  random
   C  systematic
   D  trial and error
(ii) Describe and suggest explanations for the effects of these two abiotic factors on the distribution of A. elegantissima on this shore. 
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(iii) Suggest how these data could be analysed to assess the relationship between the two abiotic factors, shown in the table, and the distribution of A. elegantissima on this shore. 
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(Total for question = 12 marks)