Bees are flying insects that feed on nectar made in flowers - AQA - A-Level Biology - Question 3 - 2018 - Paper 1
Question 3
Bees are flying insects that feed on nectar made in flowers. There are many different species of bee.
Scientists investigated how biodiversity of bees varied in thr... show full transcript
Worked Solution & Example Answer:Bees are flying insects that feed on nectar made in flowers - AQA - A-Level Biology - Question 3 - 2018 - Paper 1
Step 1
What is meant by 'species richness'?
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Answer
Species richness refers to the number of different species present in a given area or community. It provides a measure of biodiversity and indicates the variety of life in that ecosystem.
Step 2
From the data in Figure 4, a student made the following conclusions.
1. The natural habitat is most favourable for bees.
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The data supports this conclusion as it shows a peak in species richness and mean number of bees in the natural habitat compared to the other habitats, particularly during the growing season which peaks around day 200.
Step 3
From the data in Figure 4, a student made the following conclusions.
2. The town is the least favourable for bees.
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This conclusion is valid because the data reveals that the mean number of bees in the town habitat is consistently lower than in both natural and farmland areas, indicating it is the least preferable environment for bee populations.
Step 4
The scientists collected bees using a method that was ethical and allowed them to identify accurately the species to which each belonged.
1.
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The method must not harm the bees, allowing for their safe release back into their environment.
Step 5
The scientists collected bees using a method that was ethical and allowed them to identify accurately the species to which each belonged.
2.
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The method should allow for close examination of the bees, such as using a key to identify the species or utilizing photographs for accurate identification.
Step 6
Suggest and explain two ways in which the scientists could have improved the method used for data collection in this investigation.
1.
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One improvement could be to conduct the investigation at multiple times of the year to account for seasonal variations in bee populations, allowing for a more comprehensive understanding of biodiversity.
Step 7
Suggest and explain two ways in which the scientists could have improved the method used for data collection in this investigation.
2.
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Another suggestion would be to increase the number of sites sampled within each habitat to enhance the representativeness of the data and improve the accuracy of estimating mean bee numbers.
Step 8
What do these names suggest about the evolutionary relationships between these bee species? Explain your answer.
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The names suggest that A. chlorogaster and A. piperii are closely related to P. pruinosa, which could indicate that they share a more recent common ancestor, denoting a closer evolutionary relationship. This can often be inferred from the taxonomic naming conventions where genera that are closely related often exhibit similar naming structures.