The Impact of Population Increase | OCR A-Level Biology B (Advancing Biology) (H422)
The Impact of Population Increase
- 61 questions
- 4 subtopics
- Biology content, examined on all three papers
- Component 01, Component 02 and Component 03
The Impact of Population Increase is examined in all three written papers — the specification states that Components 01, 02 and 03 can each assess content from any of the five modules, so nothing is confined to one paper.
It covers birth rate, death rate and demographic change, human impact on ecosystems and biodiversity, the importance and measurement of species biodiversity and global food security and sustainable food production.
Sample questions from The Impact of Population Increase
Answer each one closed book first, then open the answer.
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Birth rate, death rate and demographic change
Give three advances in medical technology that have reduced human death rates.
Show the answer
Vaccination programmes, antibiotics to treat bacterial infection, and improved antenatal and surgical care. -
Birth rate, death rate and demographic change
Describe the pattern of birth and death rates in stage 2 of the demographic transition.
Show the answer
The death rate falls sharply while the birth rate remains high, so the population grows very rapidly. -
Human impact on ecosystems and biodiversity
Explain how irrigation can eventually make farmland unusable.
Show the answer
Irrigation water carries dissolved salts that are left behind as the water evaporates, and the accumulating salt lowers the soil water potential so crops can no longer take up water. -
Human impact on ecosystems and biodiversity
How can an introduced species reduce the biodiversity of an ecosystem?
Show the answer
It may out-compete native species for resources, prey on them directly, or bring a disease to which they have no resistance. -
The importance and measurement of species biodiversity
A sample of 30 organisms contains three species with 10 individuals each. Using D = 1 − Σ(n/N)², calculate the index.
Show the answer
The index is 0.67. -
The importance and measurement of species biodiversity
Give two economic reasons for conserving biodiversity.
Show the answer
Wild species provide raw materials such as timber, fish and new crop varieties, and diverse landscapes support tourism and recreation industries. -
Global food security and sustainable food production
Give three farming practices that make food production more sustainable.
Show the answer
Rotating crops to maintain soil fertility, using integrated pest management to reduce pesticide use, and reducing tillage to protect soil structure. -
Global food security and sustainable food production
Give two food safety hazards that must be controlled within the food chain.
Show the answer
Contamination with pathogens such as Salmonella and Campylobacter, and residues of pesticides or veterinary medicines.
The 4 subtopics
One subtopic is one session. Work down the list.
| Subtopic | What it covers | Questions |
|---|---|---|
| Birth rate, death rate and demographic change | Recall questions on how birth rate and natural increase are calculated, what has driven death rates down, why birth rate follows infant mortality, population pyramids, and the dependency ratio. | 15 |
| Human impact on ecosystems and biodiversity | Recall questions on greenhouse gases, climate change and ocean acidification, soil degradation and salinisation from irrigation, water pollution and biochemical oxygen demand, habitat loss and fragmentation, introduced species such as the grey squirrel, overfishing, lost genetic diversity and declining pollinators. | 15 |
| The importance and measurement of species biodiversity | Recall questions on species biodiversity, richness and evenness, calculating and comparing Simpson's Diversity Index, why diverse ecosystems are stable, ecosystem services, keystone species, and the economic, medical, agricultural, aesthetic and scientific reasons for conserving biodiversity. | 16 |
| Global food security and sustainable food production | Recall questions on food security and its four dimensions, threats from population, climate, soil loss and rising meat consumption, sustainable farming and reducing waste, food fraud and the horsemeat case, food crime and safety hazards, and the Food and Agriculture Organisation, its crisis framework and EMPRES. | 15 |
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.
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Step 1 · Closed book
Cover the answers. Work through one subtopic and write down what you can. Leave blanks where you have nothing.
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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.
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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.
Nearby topics
OCR A-Level Biology B (Advancing Biology) Active Recall Guide
Every topic, not just this one. 2,895 questions with their answers.