A group of students observed that the mating calls of a population of frogs at the local dam had recently become much louder - NSC Life Sciences - Question 3 - 2019 - Paper 2
Question 3
A group of students observed that the mating calls of a population of frogs at the local dam had recently become much louder. The dam is close to a highway, where tr... show full transcript
Worked Solution & Example Answer:A group of students observed that the mating calls of a population of frogs at the local dam had recently become much louder - NSC Life Sciences - Question 3 - 2019 - Paper 2
Step 1
Explain the advantage of a louder mating call.
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Answer
A louder mating call can be easily heard over a distance, which increases the chance of attracting a mate. This is particularly important in environments with high background noise, such as near a highway, as it ensures that potential mates can hear the calls clearly.
Step 2
State why these results may be considered to be reliable.
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Answer
The investigation was conducted over a long period of 6 years, allowing for consistent data collection. Multiple recordings were taken each year to calculate an average, which increases the validity of the results.
Step 3
State a conclusion for this investigation.
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Answer
As the traffic noise increased, the loudness of the frogs' mating calls also increased, indicating a possible evolutionary adaptation to enhance communication in a noisier environment.
Step 4
Give TWO variables that should be kept constant.
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Type of apparatus used for measuring noise levels.
Time of recordings to ensure consistency across all observations.
Step 5
Draw line graphs on the same set of axes to show the change in average loudness of traffic noise and mating calls for the period 2006 to 2009.
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To draw the line graphs, plot the average loudness of traffic noise and mating calls from 2006 to 2009 on the same axes. The x-axis represents the years (2006-2009), while the y-axis represents the average loudness in decibels. Use different colors or line styles to clearly differentiate between the two sets of data.