18 Populations and evolution

AQA Biology Exam-style questions

1 The graph shows the variation in length of 86 Atlantic salmon.

a i What type of variation is shown by the lengths of the salmon in group R?

Give evidence to support your answer.

(1 mark)

ii Give two possible causes of this variation that result from meiosis during
gamete formation.

(2 marks)

b When comparing variation in size between two groups of organisms, it is

often considered more useful to compare standard deviations rather than
ranges.
Explain why.

(2 marks)

AQA Biology, 2005, Unit 5 (Question 4)

2 Brown rats are classed as pests. Warfarin has been used as a rodenticide since
the 1950s. Warfarin interferes with the way in which vitamin K is used in blood
clotting. Rats which eat warfarin are killed due to internal bleeding.
Warfarin-resistant rats have been identified in various parts of Britain.
Resistance to warfarin is determined by a gene with two codominant alleles, WR
and WS.
Some rats are resistant to warfarin as they have the allele WR. Rats have three
possible genotypes:
1. WRWR resistant to warfarin but with a very high requirement for vitamin K
2. WRWS resistant to warfarin with slightly increased vitamin K requirement
3. WSWS susceptible (not resistant) to warfarin with normal low requirement for
vitamin K.
In addition, rats with the genotype WRWR require very large amounts of vitamin K
in their diets. If they do not receive this they will die within a few days due to
internal bleeding.

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 18 Populations and evolution
AQA Biology Exam-style questions

a Resistance can be present in individuals in an isolated population of rats

which has never before been exposed to warfarin. Explain how.

(1 mark)

b A population of 480 rats was reared in a laboratory. They were all fed on a
diet containing an adequate amount of vitamin K. In this population, 16 rats
had the genotype WSWS, 352 had the genotype WRWS, and 112 had the
genotype WRWR.

i Use these figures to calculate the actual frequency of the allele WR in this
population. Show your working.

(2 marks)

ii The diet of the rats was then changed to include only a small amount of
vitamin K. The rats were also given warfarin. How many rats out of the
population of 480 would be likely to die within a few days?

(1 mark)

iii If the surviving rats were allowed to breed, more susceptible rats would
appear in the next generation. Draw a genetic diagram to explain how.

(2 marks)

c The graph shows the change in the frequency of the WS allele in an area
where warfarin was used regularly.

Describe and explain the shape of the curve.

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 18 Populations and evolution
AQA Biology Exam-style questions

(4 marks)

3 The Old Order Amish of Lancaster County, Pennsylvania, are an isolated human
population. Marriages occur almost exclusively within the population. Nearly all
can trace their ancestry back to a small group of people who settled in the area
in the 18th century.
Microcephaly is a condition which occurs in this population with a frequency of
1 in every 480 births. It is caused by a recessive allele of a single gene.
Sufferers usually die within six months of birth.
a The incidence of microcephaly in this population is very high compared to
non-isolated populations. Suggest two reasons for this high incidence.

(2 marks)

b i A student used the Hardy–Weinberg principle to estimate the percentage

of parents who are heterozygous for microcephaly in this population.
What answer should the student have obtained? Show your working.

(3 marks)

ii The answer to part bi is likely to be lower than the actual percentage of

parents heterozygous for microcephaly in this population. Explain why.

(1 mark)

AQA Biology, 2007, Unit 5 (Question 6)

4 In recent years studies have been carried out into the bird song of great tits in
cities and rural environments. The noise in the city can cover up bird song.
Great tits have responded by increasing the pitch and speed of their songs so
they can be heard over the low pitch noise of their environment.
a In a city environment, great tits with shorter, more high-pitched songs may
attract mates more successfully than those with lower pitched, longer songs.
Suggest why.

(1 mark)

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 18 Populations and evolution
AQA Biology Exam-style questions

b Natural selection may be acting on the great tits in cities. Explain how.

(2 marks)

c If these changes in bird song lead to reproductive isolation, suggest what

type of speciation might be affecting the great tits in the studies.

(1 mark)

d Scientists could investigate whether the alteration in great tit song in city
populations is the result of changes in allele frequency. Describe how they
could carry out the investigation.

(3 marks)

5 A group of students investigated the effect of wave action on the phenotype of a

species of seaweed, Fucus vesiculosus. This seaweed has bladders along its
fronds.

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 18 Populations and evolution
AQA Biology Exam-style questions

They sampled seaweeds at low tide on ten beaches on the Pembrokeshire

coast:
The length of the longest frond was recorded and the number of bladders
counted.
a The individual seaweeds were chosen at random. Describe how.

(3 marks)

b The measurements were recorded as number of bladders per cm of frond

length.
Suggest why.

(1 mark)

c Exposure to wave action was recorded using Ballantine’s scale which is a

biologically defined scale for measuring the degree of exposure and level of
wave action on a rocky shore. A very exposed shore would score 1 and a
sheltered shore 7.
The scatter diagram below shows their results.

i Although ten beaches were visited there are only eight results on the
diagram.
Suggest why.

(1 mark)

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 18 Populations and evolution
AQA Biology Exam-style questions

One student decided that there was a positive correlation between wave
exposure and the number of bladders found on the seaweeds. He
decided to find out if the correlation was significant.
ii Suggest a suitable null hypothesis.

(1 mark)

iii Suggest a suitable statistical test. Give a reason for your choice.

(2 marks)

6 a Define the term gene pool.

(2 marks)

The rat snake has six distinct populations in the USA. The distribution of
these populations is shown in the diagram.

b Individuals of population E do not breed with individuals of population F.

Suggest two reasons why not.

(2 marks)

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 18 Populations and evolution
AQA Biology Exam-style questions

c Scientists believe that population A is evolving into a different species from

population B. Explain how this might be happening.

(3 marks)

AQA Biology, 2008, Unit 5 (Question 3)

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