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Practise 31 exam-style questions on Adaptations for AQA GCSE Biology. Write your answer as you would in the exam and get it marked in seconds against the mark scheme, point by point, with an AI tutor on hand if you get stuck.
Here are 4 of the questions in this topic, each with a model answer, an explanation of why it earns the marks and the mark scheme an examiner would use.
Name one morphological (structural) adaptation of an animal that hunts at night.
large eyes (for increased light capture) or large ears (improved hearing) or pale/cryptic fur.
Animals hunting at night often have enlarged sensory organs to detect prey in low light.
large eyes / large pupils / good night vision / large ears
Any clear night-hunting structural adaptation.
What is resource partitioning and how does it reduce interspecific competition?
Species use different resources, areas, or times for activity; this reduces overlap in resource use so competition decreases.
Partitioning prevents direct competition by separating the niche dimensions used by species.
use of different resources / habitats / times
reduces overlap in resource use so competition is reduced
Explain why specialist species are often more vulnerable to environmental change than generalist species.
Specialists depend on narrow resources or conditions; if those change they have few alternatives; generalists can use a wide range of resources so cope better.
Specialists' narrow ecological requirements make them less able to cope with habitat or resource change than adaptable generalists.
specialists rely on a narrow range of resources/conditions
if that resource/condition changes, specialists lose their niche
generalists can use many resources so are more adaptable
Describe four adaptations of deep-sea vent bacteria (extremophiles) that enable them to live around hydrothermal vents.
heat-stable enzymes and proteins; membranes with special lipids; enzymes adapted to high pressure; chemosynthesis using hydrogen sulfide (not photosynthesis); DNA repair mechanisms.
Hydrothermal vent bacteria have biochemical and structural adaptations (heat-stable enzymes, membrane composition) and use chemosynthesis to harness energy in extreme conditions.
heat-stable enzymes / proteins
special membrane lipids (stability under heat/pressure)
metabolic chemosynthesis using H2S or sulphur compounds
adaptations to high pressure / DNA repair or protein-stabilising systems
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