Classification and Biodiversity | Edexcel A-Level Biology B (9BI0)

Classification and Biodiversity

134 questions
8 subtopics
Topics 1 to 4, examined on all three papers
Paper 1, Paper 2 and Paper 3

How organisms are classified and why the scheme changes as evidence changes, natural selection and how new species arise, how biodiversity is measured, and the case for conserving it..

It covers the hierarchy of classification, defining a species, dNA sequencing and molecular phylogeny, five kingdoms, three domains and peer review, natural selection, adaptation and drug resistance, allopatric and sympatric speciation, measuring biodiversity and conservation and its ethical case.

Sample questions from Classification and Biodiversity

Answer each one closed book first, then open the answer.

The hierarchy of classification

What is the fourth level in the classification hierarchy, positioned between phylum and order?

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Class.
Defining a species

Why is the biological species concept problematic when classifying extinct organisms known only from fossils?

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It cannot be applied because interbreeding and production of fertile offspring cannot be tested in extinct organisms.
DNA sequencing and molecular phylogeny

How can gel electrophoresis be used to distinguish between different species?

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By comparing banding patterns of DNA fragments; different species produce different patterns.
Five kingdoms, three domains and peer review

Which kingdom in the five-kingdom model includes unicellular eukaryotes and algae that do not fit into other eukaryotic kingdoms?

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Protoctista.
Natural selection, adaptation and drug resistance

Define the term niche in an ecological context.

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The role an organism plays in its ecosystem, including its habitat, resources used, and interactions with other organisms.
Allopatric and sympatric speciation

Why do separated populations in allopatric speciation evolve differently?

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Different selection pressures act on each population.
Measuring biodiversity

What does greater allelic variety in a gene pool indicate about a species?

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Higher genetic biodiversity within that species.
Conservation and its ethical case

Give an example of ex-situ conservation for animals.

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Zoos.

The 8 subtopics

One subtopic is one session. Work down the list.

Subtopic	What it covers	Questions
The hierarchy of classification	Recall questions on the eight ranks of the classification hierarchy in order from domain to species, and on which rank is the most inclusive and which the most specific.	10
Defining a species	Recall questions on the biological species concept and its limitations for asexual, extinct and hybridising organisms.	8
DNA sequencing and molecular phylogeny	Recall questions on how gel electrophoresis separates fragments and distinguishes species, how DNA sequencing reveals differences in base sequence and evolutionary relationships, and the role of bioinformatics in classification.	8
Five kingdoms, three domains and peer review	Recall questions on how journals, peer review and conferences validate new evidence, the five kingdoms, the three domains of Archaea, Bacteria and Eukarya, the ribosomal RNA evidence behind them, and how Archaea differ from Bacteria.	17
Natural selection, adaptation and drug resistance	Recall questions on adaptation and how natural selection changes allele frequency, niches and physiological, behavioural and anatomical adaptations, and how mutation and selection produce drug resistance in pathogens and an evolutionary race with medicines.	22
Allopatric and sympatric speciation	Recall questions on geographical and reproductive isolation, the mechanisms of each, and how isolation leads to a new species.	13
Measuring biodiversity	Recall questions on measuring species diversity in a habitat with the index of diversity, what N and n stand for, calculating and interpreting D step by step, and assessing genetic diversity from the variety of alleles in a gene pool.	27
Conservation and its ethical case	Recall questions on the ethical and economic case for biodiversity and ecosystem services, and on in-situ and ex-situ conservation in zoos, seed banks, nature reserves and national parks, with the strengths and limitations of each.	29

Classification and Biodiversity is 134 of the 2,073 questions in the guide.Get the guide, £8

How the guide is worked

Answering a question from memory stores it far better than reading the answer again. The guide runs that as a fixed procedure on one subtopic at a time, about twenty minutes a session.

Step 1 · Closed book
Cover the answers. Work through one subtopic and write down what you can. Leave blanks where you have nothing.
Step 2 · Open book
Go back to the top. Read each printed answer and write it out in full, including the ones you had right.
Step 3 · Closed book again
Same questions, same order, from memory. The gap between pass one and pass three is the session result.

Read the full method, the return schedule and the research behind it.