Ecology Worksheet - GCSE - Intermediate

Ecology worksheet for GCSE (Key Stage 4 / GCSE (Ages 14-16)). Intermediate level science practice, aligned to the UK National Curriculum. Print-ready with answer key included.

Science•Key Stage 4 / GCSE (Ages 14-16)•Ecologyintermediate

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Ecology in Action: GCSE Biology

Key Stage 4 | Ages 14–16 | Intermediate

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Instructions: Use ecological knowledge and the information provided to answer each question. Show your working for calculations and use precise scientific vocabulary. Check that each explanation links cause and effect.

Ecosystems and Food-Web Reasoning

Use the food web to answer the questions. An arrow points from the organism being eaten to the organism that eats it, showing the direction of energy transfer. Explain your reasoning where asked.

Grass → rabbit → fox

Grass → grasshopper → frog → fox

Grass → mouse → owl

Grasshopper → mouse

1. Name one producer and one primary consumer in this food web.

2. Describe one food chain in the web that contains four organisms.

3. Explain how a decrease in grass could affect the rabbit population and the fox population.

4. State the role of decomposers in an ecosystem.

Investigating Biodiversity

Study the quadrat results in the table. Species richness is the number of different species recorded; the total abundance is the total number of individual plants recorded. Use the data to compare the two sites.

Plant species	Woodland edge	Trampled path
Daisies	8	2
Plantains	5	9
Clovers	7	1
Grasses	10	6

1. Calculate the total number of plants recorded at the woodland edge.

2. Calculate the total number of plants recorded beside the trampled path.

3. Which site has the greater species richness?

4. Suggest one reason why the trampled path has fewer plant species.

Adaptations and Survival

Apply your knowledge of adaptations to the organisms described. Distinguish structural, behavioural and functional adaptations where relevant, and link each feature to its effect on survival.

1. A cactus has a thick, waxy stem and leaves reduced to spines. Explain how these features help it survive in a dry habitat.

2. An arctic fox has a compact body, small ears and thick insulating fur. Explain how two of these features reduce heat loss.

3. Describe one behavioural adaptation that could help a desert animal avoid overheating.

4. Explain why an adaptation that is advantageous in one environment may be disadvantageous in another.

The Carbon Cycle

Use the word bank to complete each statement. Each term is used once. Then answer the final question using a clear link between the process and the movement of carbon.

Word bank: combustion, decomposition, photosynthesis, respiration

1. Plants remove carbon dioxide from the atmosphere during ___.

2. Carbon returns to the atmosphere when organisms release carbon dioxide during ___.

3. Microorganisms break down dead organisms during ___.

4. Burning wood or fossil fuels transfers carbon to the atmosphere by ___.

5. Explain how a decrease in photosynthesis could affect the amount of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere.

The Water Cycle and Ecosystem Change

Answer using the processes of the water cycle and ecological ideas. For the extended response, make a judgement and support it with linked scientific reasons.

1. Name the process by which liquid water changes into water vapour from the surface of lakes and soil.

2. Name the process by which water vapour leaves plant leaves.

3. Explain how water vapour in the atmosphere can return to the land as precipitation.

4. Evaluate how conserving a local wetland could benefit biodiversity and the water cycle. Include at least two linked reasons. [6 marks]

Answer Key

Activity 1: Grass; rabbit or grasshopper or mouse ; Grass → grasshopper → frog → fox ; fewer rabbits may mean less food for foxes, so fox numbers may decrease ; decomposers break down dead organisms and waste, recycling nutrients.

Activity 2: 30 plants ; 18 plants ; woodland edge ; acceptable reason: trampling damages plants or soil, making establishment and survival harder.

Activity 3: Waxy stem reduces water loss; spines reduce leaf area and therefore water loss ; compact body and small ears reduce surface area for heat loss; thick fur insulates by trapping air ; acceptable example: shelter in a burrow during the hottest part of the day or be active at night ; an adaptation may improve survival in one set of conditions but be ineffective or costly in different conditions.

Activity 4: photosynthesis ; respiration ; decomposition ; combustion ; less carbon dioxide would be removed from the atmosphere, so atmospheric carbon dioxide could increase, all else being equal.

Activity 5: evaporation ; transpiration ; water vapour cools and condenses into droplets or ice crystals to form clouds, then falls as precipitation ; award credit for a supported evaluation, such as wetlands providing habitats and resources for diverse species and storing or slowing water, which can reduce rapid runoff and help maintain local water availability.