plumiBiomass transfer: OCR A‑Level Biology A questions
OCR A-Level Biology A past-paper questions on 6.3.1.2 Biomass transfer, 2016–2025, with mark schemes and examiner’s reports where available.
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All 11 questions on Biomass transfer, as a list
- June 2025, Paper 2, Q14 (1 mark): Land can be used for producing food for human populations. A 50 m2 field can support a larger human population if used for growing crops for plant-based foods t
- June 2024, Paper 2, Q1 (1 mark): Biomass is transferred through ecosystems. What process makes biomass available for transfer to the next trophic level in the food chain? A Excretion B Growth C
- June 2024, Paper 2, Q2 (1 mark): What explains why food chains rarely have more than five trophic levels? A Parts of the food organism are not eaten by organisms higher in the food chain. B Pla
- June 2024, Paper 2, Q3 (1 mark): The rate at which plants produce biomass is known as productivity. What is a suitable unit with which to measure productivity at different depths in the ocean?
- November 2021, Paper 2, Q17(a)(i) (2 marks): In one year, 8.94 × 109 kJ m–2 of PAR fell on an area of heather moorland. The heather plants then converted 9.08 × 107 kJ m–2 of this energy into biomass. Calc
- November 2021, Paper 2, Q17(a)(ii) (1 mark): Scientists were able to estimate the increase in biomass in heather plants in one year. Suggest how the increase in biomass over time in a plant such as heather
- November 2021, Paper 2, Q17(a)(iii) (1 mark): Some of the solar radiation that falls on the leaves of plants is reflected. Some solar radiation is of a wavelength that is not suitable for use in photosynthe
- November 2021, Paper 2, Q17(a)(iv) (2 marks): Suggest and explain why the percentage of biomass transferred between heather and grouse is smaller than the percentage of biomass transferred between grouse an
- June 2018, Paper 3, Q5(c)(iii) (1 mark): The scientist also measured primary production in both the woodland and lake habitats. Suggest the units the scientist should use to measure primary production
- June 2017, Paper 3, Q4(c)(i) (2 marks): Calculate the energy in the producers’ trophic level in kJ m–2 yr –1. Answer: kJ m–2 yr –1 [2]
- June 2017, Paper 3, Q4(c)(ii) (1 mark): Calculate the percentage efficiency of the energy transfer from producers to decomposers. Give your answer to two significant figures. Answer: % [1]
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