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4 marksEcosystem Dynamics and Community Stability

CAPE Environmental Science Unit 1 · 2009 · Paper 2 · Question 3(a)

Snail kites feed on freshwater snails. Figure 2 shows the population numbers of snails and snail kites from January to August.

With reference to Figure 2, describe the variation in the population size of BOTH organisms over the eight-month period.

This question uses a figure or table from the paper — you'll see it when you practise.

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Other parts of this question

  1. 3(b)Outline how predation may be of benefit to the prey population represented in Figure 2.[4 marks]
  2. 3(c)Explain how ONE density independent factor may impact the size of the snail population.[4 marks]
  3. 3(d)Assess TWO possible impacts on the ecosystem if the population of snails is significantly reduced by draining the waterway.[8 marks]

More practice: the rest of this paper · more Ecosystem Dynamics and Community Stability questions · all CAPE Environmental Science Unit 1 past papers