Csec Biology Work Booklet
Csec Biology Work Booklet
Csec Biology Work Booklet
CSEC BIOLOGY
FORM V
CHRISTMAS VACATION WORK BOOKLET
This booklet should not be copied and distributed but for the sole use of the
student that it is intended for.
Please use your time in this upcoming vacation to complete this booklet
which should be submitted within the first week of school in January 2019.
The notes provided here is for additional reading, your class notes and
textbook should be your primary source of information.
CLASSIFICATION
All living organisms are classified into groups based on very basic, shared
characteristics. Organisms within each group are then further divided into smaller
groups. These smaller groups are based on more detailed similarities within each
larger group. This grouping system makes it easier for scientists to study certain
groups of organisms.
Characteristics such as appearance, reproduction, mobility, and functionality are
just a few ways in which living organisms are grouped together. These specialized
groups are collectively called the classification of living things. The classification
of living things includes 7 levels: kingdom, phylum, classes, order, families, genus,
and species.
QUESTIONS
1
2. Which of the following features is used to classify a group of organisms as Class Insecta?
a. Size
b. Shape
c. Colour
d. Segments
3.
5.
TOPIC: ECOLOGY
If we want to know what kind of plants and animals are in a particular habitat, and how many
there are of each species, it is usually impossible to go and count each and every one present. It
would be like trying to count different sizes and colours of grains of sand on the beach.
This problem is usually solved by taking a number of samples from around the habitat, making
the necessary assumption that these samples are representative of the habitat in general
The usual sampling unit is a quadrat. Quadrats normally consist of a square frame, the most
frequently used size being 1m2. The purpose of using a quadrat is to enable comparable samples
to be obtained from areas of consistent size and shape. Rectangular quadrats and even circular
quadrats have been used in some surveys. It does not really matter what shape of quadrat is used,
provided it is a standard sampling unit and its shape and measurements are stated in any write-
up. It may however be better to stick to the traditional square frame unless there are very good
reasons not to, because this yields data that is more readily comparable to other published
research. (For instance, you cannot compare data obtained using a circular quadrat, with data
obtained using a square quadrat. The difference in shape of the sampling units will introduce
variations in the results obtained.
A transect line can be made using a nylon rope marked and numbered at 0.5m, or 1m intervals,
all the way along its length. This is laid across the area you wish to study. The position of the
transect line is very important and it depends on the direction of the environmental gradient you
wish to study. It should be thought about carefully before it is placed. You may otherwise end up
without clear results because the line has been wrongly placed.
Ecology is the study of how organisms interact with one another and with their physical
environment.
The distribution and abundance of organisms on Earth is shaped by both biotic, living-organism-
related, and abiotic, non-living or physical, factors.
Ecology is studied at many levels, including organism, population, community, ecosystem, and
biosphere.
Ecology at many scales
Within the discipline of ecology, researchers work at five broad levels, sometimes discretely and
sometimes with overlap: organism, population, community, ecosystem, and biosphere.
Let's take a look at each level.
Organism: Organismal ecologists study adaptations, beneficial features arising by
natural selection, that allow organisms to live in specific habitats. These adaptations can
be morphological, physiological, or behavioural.
Population: A population is a group of organisms of the same species that live in the
same area at the same time. Population ecologists study the size, density, and structure of
populations and how they change over time.
Community: A biological community consists of all the populations of different species
that live in a given area. Community ecologists focus on interactions between populations
and how these interactions shape the community.
Ecosystem: An ecosystem consists of all the organisms in an area, the community, and
the abiotic factors that influence that community. Ecosystem ecologists often focus on
flow of energy and recycling of nutrients.
Soil is often considered an abiotic factor since it is mostly made up of small particles of
rock (sand and clay) mixed with decomposed plants and animals. Plants use their roots to
get water and nutrients from the soil. Soils are different from place to place – this can be
a big factor in which plants and animals live in a certain area.
Autotrophs are the foundation of every ecosystem on the planet. That may sound dramatic, but
it's no exaggeration! Autotrophs form the base of food chains and food webs, and the energy they
capture from light or chemicals sustains all the other organisms in the community. When we're
talking about their role in food chains, we can call autotrophs producers.
Heterotrophs, also known as other-feeders, can't capture light or chemical energy to make their
own food out of carbon dioxide. Humans are heterotrophs. Instead, heterotrophs get organic
molecules by eating other organisms or their by-products. Animals, fungi, and many bacteria are
heterotrophs. When we talk about heterotrophs' role in food chains, we can call them consumers.
As we'll see shortly, there are many different kinds of consumers with different ecological roles,
from plant-eating insects to meat-eating animals to fungi that feed on debris and wastes.
Food chains
At the base of the food chain lie the primary producers. The primary producers are
autotrophs and are most often photosynthetic organisms such as plants, algae, or
cyanobacteria.
The organisms that eat the primary producers are called primary consumers. Primary
consumers are usually herbivores, plant-eaters, though they may be algae eaters or
bacteria eaters.
The organisms that eat the primary consumers are called secondary consumers.
Secondary consumers are generally meat-eaters—carnivores.
The organisms that eat the secondary consumers are called tertiary consumers. These
are carnivore-eating carnivores, like eagles or big fish.
Some food chains have additional levels, such as quaternary consumers—carnivores
that eat tertiary consumers. Organisms at the very top of a food chain are called apex
consumers.
We can see examples of these levels in the diagram below. The green algae are primary
producers that get eaten by molluscs—the primary consumers. The molluscs then become lunch
for the slimy sculpin fish, a secondary consumer, which is itself eaten by a larger fish, the
Chinook salmon—a tertiary consumer.
Decomposers
One other group of consumers deserves mention, although it does not always appear in drawings
of food chains. This group consists of decomposers, organisms that break down dead organic
material and wastes.
Decomposers are sometimes considered their own trophic level. As a group, they eat dead matter
and waste products that come from organisms at various other trophic levels; for instance, they
would happily consume decaying plant matter, the body of a half-eaten squirrel, or the remains
of a deceased eagle. In a sense, the decomposer level runs parallel to the standard hierarchy of
primary, secondary, and tertiary consumers.
Fungi and bacteria are the key decomposers in many ecosystems; they use the chemical energy
in dead matter and wastes to fuel their metabolic processes. Other decomposers are detritivores
—detritus eaters or debris eaters. These are usually multicellular animals such as earthworms,
crabs, slugs, or vultures. They not only feed on dead organic matter but often fragment it as well,
making it more available for bacterial or fungal decomposers.
Decomposers as a group play a critical role in keeping ecosystems healthy. When they break
down dead material and wastes, they release nutrients that can be recycled and used as building
blocks by primary producers.
Food webs
Food chains give us a clear-cut picture of who eats whom. However, some problems come up
when we try and use them to describe whole ecological communities.
For instance, an organism can sometimes eat multiple types of prey or be eaten by multiple
predators, including ones at different trophic levels. This is what happens when you eat a
hamburger patty! The cow is a primary consumer, and the lettuce leaf on the patty is a primary
producer.
To represent these relationships more accurately, we can use a food web, a graph that shows all
the trophic—eating-related—interactions between various species in an ecosystem.
The faeces and uneaten, dead organisms become food for decomposers, who metabolize
them and convert their energy to heat through cellular respiration. So, none of the energy
actually disappears—it all winds up as heat in the end.
Ecological Relationships
Organisms occupy what are called niches. A niche includes the physical space in which they
live, how they use the resources that are in that space, and how they interact with other
organisms in that space. The interaction among organisms within or between overlapping niches
can be characterized into five types of relationships: competition, predation, commensalism,
mutualism and parasitism.
Competition & Predation
Predation is when one organism eats another organism to obtain nutrients. The organism that is
eaten is called the prey. Examples of predation are owls that eat mice, and lions that eat gazelles.
Competition is when individuals or populations compete for the same resource, and can occur
within or between species.
Commensalism
Commensalism is a relationship in which one organism benefits while the other is neither helped
nor harmed. Examples are barnacles that grow on whales and other marine animals. The whale
gains no benefit from the barnacle, but the barnacles gain mobility, which helps them evade
predators, and are exposed to more diverse feeding opportunities.
Parasitism
Parasitism is a relationship in which one organism benefits and the other organism is harmed, but
not always killed. The organism that benefits is called the parasite, and the one that is harmed is
the host. Parasites can be ectoparasites -- such as ticks, fleas, and leeches -- that live on the
surface of the host. Parasites can also be endoparasites -- such as intestinal worms – that live
inside the host.
Mutualism
Mutualism is a relationship in which both species benefit. Mutualistic interaction patterns occur
in three forms. Trophic mutualism is exemplified in lichens, which consist of fungi and either
algae or cyanobacteria. The fungi's partners provide sugar from photosynthesis and the fungi
provide nutrients from digesting rock. Defensive mutualism is when one organism provides
protection from predators while the other provides food or shelter: an example is ants and aphids.
Dispersive mutualism is when one species receives food in return for transporting the pollen of
the other organism, which occurs between bees and flowers.
QUESTIONS
2. Living organisms, such as plants, are affected by abiotic factors which determine where they
become established. Which of the following options describes some of these determining
factors?
a. sunlight, soil, pH, minerals
b. parasitism, commensalism, mutualism
c. sediment size, shape and colour
d. deforestation, slash and burn, shifting cultivation
3. Eleanor collected 13 snails in a 25cm x 25cm quadrat. What is the density of the snail
population in a 1m2 area?
a. 13
b. 52
c. 208
d. 832
4.
9. Which of the following types of bacteria is important for returning nitrogen gas to the
atmosphere?
a. Nitrifying
b. Denitrifying
c. Putrefying
d. Nitrogen fixing
10.
11.
12. Which of the following are involved in the cycling of nutrients in nature?
I Bacteria
II Plants
III Earthworms
IV Humans
a. I and II only
b. III and IV only
c. I, II and III only
d. I, II, III and IV
15
16.
17.
18.
19.
20.
21.
22.
Essay type: Please answer in folder pages and attach to the booklet.
23.a. i. For a named habitat, construct a food chain with at least FOUR trophic levels (4 marks).
ii. Explain the importance of decreasing numbers of organisms at each successive trophic
level (4 marks).
a. Provide explanations for the following occurrences in food chains and webs:
i. Many of the largest animals in the world are herbivores (2 marks).
ii. Carnivores often have multiple sources of food (2 marks).
b. A habitat is described as being in equilibrium when all species that inhabit it have a fair
chance of continuing survival. Using at least FOUR examples, show that different types
of organisms performing different functions is important for a habitat to be in
equilibrium. (8 marks).
24. a. Draw a diagram of the nitrogen cycle to show how the roles of FOUR types of bacteria
contribute to the recycling of nitrogenous material. (8 marks).
b. i. What are decomposers?
ii. Explain the role of decomposers in the carbon cycle.
iii Identify TWO types of decomposers.
25. Using an example in EACH case, distinguish between the following pairs of terms used
in the study of ecology.
i. Biotic and physical
ii. Food chain and food web
iii. Community and population
iv. Habitat and environment
26.
27
28
29
29
30. In an ecosystem, the organisms which make solar energy available to all other organisms are
the
a. Producers
b. Decomposers
c. Primary consumers
d. Secondary consumers
31
CELLS
What Are Cells?
Cells have often been referred to as "the building blocks of life," and indeed they are.
All forms of life, from simple bacteria to human beings, are made up of cells. What is
remarkable is that, despite their differences in appearance, plant and animal life are made up of
cells that are the same in most respects.
In both animals and plants, cells generally become specialized to perform certain functions.
Nerve cells, bone cells and liver cells, for example, all develop in ways that enable them to better
perform their specific duties.
Structures Unique to Plant Cells
Cell Wall: A wall on the outside of the membrane, which, in combination with the
vacuole, helps the plant cell maintain its shape and rigidity.
Large Vacuole: While animal cells may have many tiny vacuoles, a plant cell usually
has a single large vacuole, which serves as a storage tank for food, water, waste products,
and other materials. The vacuole has an important structural function, as well. When
filled with water, the vacuole exerts internal pressure against the cell wall, which helps
keep the cell rigid. A plant that is wilting has vacuoles that are no longer filled with
water.
Both plant and animal cells are eukaryotic, so they contain membrane-bound organelles like the
nucleus and mitochondria.
However, plant cells and animal cells do not look exactly the same or have all of the same
organelles, since they each have different needs. For example, plant cells contain chloroplasts
since they need to perform photosynthesis, but animal cells do not.
Both animal and plant cells have mitochondria, but only plant cells have
chloroplasts. Plants don’t get their sugar from eating food, so they need to make sugar
from sunlight. This process (photosynthesis) takes place in the chloroplast. Once the
sugar is made, it is then broken down by the mitochondria to make energy for the cell.
Because animals get sugar from the food they eat, they do not need chloroplasts: just
mitochondria.
Both plant and animal cells have vacuoles. A plant cell contains a large, singular
vacuole that is used for storage and maintaining the shape of the cell. In contrast, animal
cells have many, smaller vacuoles.
Plant cells have a cell wall, as well as a cell membrane. In plants, the cell wall
surrounds the cell membrane. This gives the plant cell its unique rectangular shape.
Animal cells simply have a cell membrane, but no cell wall.
MOVEMENT OF SUBSTANCES
The movement of substances may occur across a semi‐permeable membrane (such as the
plasma membrane). A semi‐permeable membrane allows some substances to pass
through, but not others.
The substances, whose movements are being described, may be water (the solvent) or the
substance dissolved in the water (the solute).
Movement of substances may occur from higher to lower concentrations (down the
concentration gradient) or from the opposite direction (up or against the gradient).
Solute concentrations vary. A solution may be hypertonic (a higher concentration of
solutes), hypotonic (a lower concentration of solutes), or isotonic (an equal concentration
of solutes) compared to another region.
The movement of substances may be passive or active. If movement is with the
concentration or gradient, it is passive. If movement is against the gradient, it is active
and requires energy.
Passive transport process
Passive transport describes the movement of substances down a concentration gradient and does
not require energy consumption.
Diffusion is the net movement of substances from an area of higher concentration to an
area of lower concentration. This movement occurs as a result of the random and constant
motion characteristic of all molecules, atoms, or ions (due to kinetic energy) and is
independent from the motion of other molecules. Since at any one time some molecules
may be moving against the concentration gradient and some molecules may be moving
down the concentration gradient (remember, the motion is random), the word “net” is
used to indicate the overall, eventual end result of the movement. If a concentration
gradient exists, the molecules (which are constantly moving) will eventually become
evenly distributed (a state of equilibrium).
Osmosis is the diffusion of water molecules across a semi‐permeable membrane. When
water moves into a cell by osmosis, hydrostatic pressure (osmotic pressure) may build up
inside the cell. osmosis is a form of passive transport that’s similar to diffusion and
involves a solvent moving through a selectively permeable or semipermeable membrane
from an area of higher concentration to an area of lower concentration. Solutions are
composed of two parts: a solvent and a solute.
The solvent is the liquid in which a substance is dissolved; water is called the universal
solvent because more materials dissolve in it than in any other liquid.
A solute is the substance dissolved in the solvent.
Active transport
Active transport occurs across a semipermeable membrane against the normal concentration
gradient, moving from the area of lower concentration to the area of higher concentration and
requiring an expenditure of energy released from an ATP molecule.
Essay Type: Please answer in folder pages and attach to the booklet
1
8. Which of the following structures may be used to distinguish between a plant cell and an
animal cell?
a. Vacuoles
b. Cell walls
c. Mitochondrion
d. Cell membranes
9.
10. In multicellular organisms, cells become different from one another in order to carry out
particular functions. This is called
a. Adaptation
b. Selection
c. Specialization
d. Evolution
PHOTOSYTHESIS
Plants, unlike animals, can make their own food. They do this using a process called
photosynthesis.
During photosynthesis, plants produce glucose from simple inorganic molecules – carbon
dioxide and water – using light energy.
Photosynthesis requires energy in the form of light to drive the chemical reaction. Photosynthesis
is an endothermic reaction.
The light energy required is absorbed by a green pigment called chlorophyll in the leaves.
Chlorophyll is located in chloroplasts in plant cells, particularly the palisade and spongy
mesophyll cells. Revise plant cells and their part in photosynthesis.
Plant leaves are the main photosynthetic organ, but any part of the plant exposed to the light will
develop chlorophyll and photosynthesise.
The carbon dioxide required for photosynthesis comes from the air. It enters leaves through the
stomata. Water enters the plant through the roots, and is transported to the leaves in the xylem.
Oxygen is formed as the waste product. Some is used for the plant's respiration, and also released
which makes it available for respiration to animals and many microorganisms. During the day,
provided the rate of photosynthesis is sufficiently high, plant leaves, and water plants, give out
oxygen.
2. Which of the following is NOT a reason for placing green plants in an aquarium?
a. providing food for animals
DIGESTIVE SYSTEM
Human digestive system, the system used in the human body for the process of digestion. The
human digestive system consists primarily of the digestive tract, or the series of structures and
organs through which food and liquids pass during their processing into forms absorbable into
the bloodstream. The system also consists of the structures through which wastes pass in the
process of elimination and other organs that contribute juices necessary for the digestive process.
Structures and functions of the human digestive system
The digestive tract begins at the lips and ends at the anus. It consists of the mouth, or oral cavity,
with its teeth, for grinding the food, and its tongue, which serves to knead food and mix it with
saliva; the throat, or pharynx; the oesophagus; the stomach; the small intestine, consisting of the
duodenum, the jejunum, and the ileum; and the large intestine, which terminates in the rectum.
Glands contributing digestive juices include the salivary glands, the gastric glands in the stomach
lining, the pancreas, and the liver and its adjuncts—the gallbladder and bile ducts.
All of these organs and glands contribute to the physical and chemical breaking down of ingested
food and to the eventual elimination of non-digestible wastes.
ENZYMES
Enzymes are biological molecules (proteins) that act as catalysts and help complex reactions
occur everywhere in life. Let's say you ate a piece of meat. Proteases would go to work and help
break down the peptide bonds between the amino acids.
Four Steps of Enzyme Action
1. The enzyme and the substrate are in the same area. Some situations have more than one
substrate molecule that the enzyme will change.
2. The enzyme grabs on to the substrate at a special area called the active site. The
combination is called the enzyme/substrate complex. Enzymes are very, very specific and don't
just grab on to any molecule. The active site is a specially shaped area of the enzyme that fits
around the substrate. The active site is like the grasping claw of the robot on the assembly line. It
can only pick up one or two parts.
3. A process called catalysis happens. Catalysis is when the substrate is changed. It could be
broken down or combined with another molecule to make something new. It will break or build
chemical bonds. When done, you will have the enzyme/products complex.
4. The enzyme releases the product. When the enzyme lets go, it returns to its original shape. It
is then ready to work on another molecule of substrate.
FOOD TESTS
QUESTIONS
1
7-10
11. When enzymes are boiled they are unable to function. This is because an increase in
temperature
a. destroys food materials
b. increases the rate of enzyme action
c. denatures the protein of enzymes
d. converts complex sugars to simple sugars
13. A man has poor night vision and his gums bleed whenever he brushes his teeth.
Which two vitamins are MOST likely lacking in his diet?
a. A and B1
b. B1 and B2
c. C and A
d. C and B2
14. Sodium hydroxide and weak copper sulphate solution will produce a violet colour with
molecules of
a. Fat
b. Starch
c. Sugar
d. Protein
15.
16. Which of the following options is a function of hydrochloric acid in the stomach?
a. Emulsifying fats
b. Breaking down starch
c. hydrolysing complex sugars
d. Providing a medium for pepsin
17. Which of the following teeth would be most suitable for peeling cane or removing tough
meat from a bone?
a. Incisors
b. Canines
c. Premolars
d. Molars
18. The process which moves through the alimentary canal is called
a. Digestion
b. Mastication
c. Peristalsis
d. Swallowing
19. Which of the following would MOST likely occur if enzymes were NOT present in living
cells?
a. Slow rate of reaction
b. High rate of reaction
c. Reaction requiring higher temperatures
d. No reaction
20.
21-22
RESPIRATION
Cellular respiration
Cellular respiration can occur both aerobically (using oxygen), or anaerobically (without
oxygen).
During aerobic cellular respiration, glucose reacts with oxygen, forming ATP that can be used
by the cell. Carbon dioxide and water are created as by-products.
Fermentation
Some organisms are able to continually convert energy without the presence of oxygen. They
undergo glycolysis, followed by the anaerobic process of fermentation to make ATP.
Muscle cells can continue to produce ATP when oxygen runs low using lactic acid
fermentation. However, this often results in muscle fatigue and pain.
Many yeast use alcoholic fermentation to produce ethanol. For this reason, humans have
domesticated yeast to use for many commercial purposes including baking as well as beer
and wine production.
Plants undergo cellular respiration. Many people believe that plants undergo
photosynthesis and animals undergo respiration. Really, plants do both! Plants simply
undergo photosynthesis first as a way to make glucose. Animals don't need to
photosynthesize since they get their glucose from the food they eat.
Cellular respiration is not simply the same as "breathing." This can be confusing!
People often use the word "respiration" to refer to the process of inhaling and exhaling.
However, this is physiological respiration, not cellular respiration. The two are related
processes, but they are not the same.
5.
10.
11. Which of the following statements BEST describes the function of ATP?
a. It stores food
b. It is a means of energy transfer
c. It speeds up chemical reactions in the cell
d. Large quantities of energy can become available
12
13
14. The rate at which respiration is occurring in a mammal can be indicated by the rate of:
a. sweat production
b. Urine excretion
c. Carbon dioxide elimination
d. Oxygen elimination