B4.1 Adaptation to environment

Question 1

B4.1.1—Habitat as the place in which a community, species, population or organism lives

Answer 1

A description of the habitat of a species can include both geographical and physical locations, and the
type of ecosystem.

Question 2

B4.1.2—Adaptations of organisms to the abiotic environment of their habitat

Answer 2

Include a grass species adapted to sand dunes and a tree species adapted to mangrove swamps.

Question 3

B4.1.3—Abiotic variables affecting species distribution

Answer 3

Include examples of abiotic variables for both plants and animals. Students should understand that the
adaptations of a species give it a range of tolerance.

Question 4

B4.1.4—Range of tolerance of a limiting factor

Answer 4

Application of skills: Students should use transect data to correlate the distribution of plant or animal
species with an abiotic variable. Students should collect this data themselves from a natural or seminatural habitat. Semi-natural habitats have been influenced by humans but are dominated by wild rather
than cultivated species. Sensors could be used to measure abiotic variables such as temperature, light
intensity and soil pH.

Question 5

B4.1.5—Conditions required for coral reef formation

Answer 5

Coral reefs are used here as an example of a marine ecosystem. Factors should include water depth, pH,
salinity, clarity and temperature.

Question 6

B4.1.6—Abiotic factors as the determinants of terrestrial biome distribution

Answer 6

Students should understand that, for any given temperature and rainfall pattern, one natural ecosystem
type is likely to develop. Illustrate this using a graph showing the distribution of biomes with these two
climatic variables on the horizontal and vertical axes.

Question 7

B4.1.7—Biomes as groups of ecosystems with similar communities due to similar abiotic conditions and
convergent evolution

Answer 7

Students should be familiar with the climate conditions that characterize the tropical forest, temperate
forest, taiga, grassland, tundra and hot desert biomes.

Question 8

B4.1.8—Adaptations to life in hot deserts and tropical rainforest

Answer 8

Include examples of adaptations in named species of plants and animals