AQA GCSE Biology Biology Paper 2 (Foundation), June 2023: Question 7
8 marks · Low Demand difficulty · Short Answer
Answer questions on bird classification, species definitions, and population trends shown in a seasonal abundance graph.
Practise this questionQuestion
Question text
07 Many different species can live together in the same habitat.
07.1 What name is given to all of the organisms living in the same habitat?
[1 mark]
Tick ( ) one box.
A community
A food chain
A population
An ecosystem 32
Figure 12 shows four species of bird from the same habitat in the UK.
Figure 12
Brambling (Fringilla montifringilla) Bullfinch (Pyrrhula pyrrhula)
*31* 33
Chaffinch (Fringilla coelebs) Goldfinch (Carduelis carduelis)
07.2 Which species of bird in Figure 12 do scientists think are most closely related?
[1 mark]
Tick ( ) one box.
Brambling and chaffinch
Brambling and goldfinch
Bullfinch and chaffinch
Bullfinch and goldfinch
07.3 Scientists think the brambling and the bullfinch belong to different species.
What evidence is used by scientists to classify the brambling and the bullfinch as
different species?
[1 mark]
Tick ( ) one box.
The brambling and the bullfinch are different sizes.
The brambling and the bullfinch cannot breed together to give fertile
offspring.
The brambling and the bullfinch live in different parts of the habitat.
The brambling eats mainly seeds and the bullfinch eats mainly insects.34
Four other species of bird (A, B, C and D) live in a habitat in the UK.
Figure 13 shows how the numbers of each species of bird varied during one year.
Figure 13
Use information from Figure 13 to answer Questions 07.4 to 07.6
07.4 Describe what happens to the number of birds of species A during the year.
[3 marks]
07.5 In June and July, a disease affected the populations of some of the species.
Which species had the lowest resistance to the disease?
[1 mark]
Tick ( ) one box.
A B C D
07.6 One species migrates between the UK and other countries.
Which species migrates between the UK and other countries?
Give a reason for your answer.
[1 mark]
Species
Reason
Mark scheme
Show the mark scheme
Question 7
AO /
Question Answers Extra information Mark
Spec Ref.
07.1 a community 1 AO1
4.7.1.1
AO /
Spec Ref.
07.2 brambling and chaffinch 1 AO2
4.6.4
AO /
Spec Ref.
07.3 the brambling and the bullfinch 1 AO1
cannot breed together to give 4.6.2.2
fertile offspring
AO /
Spec Ref.
07.4 allow answers in terms of month AO3
numbers 4.7.1.1
ignore seasons
constant (from Jan) to Mar / ignore straight 1
(mid-)Apr
increases (from mid-)Apr to / 1
and May
decreases from May / Jun to
Dec
if no other marks awarded allow
for 1 mark constant, then
increase then decrease
AO /
Spec Ref.
07.5 B 1 AO3
4.7.1.1
4.7.1.4
AO /
Spec Ref.
20 07.6 D (because) present only May to allow D (because) present only 1 AO3
Sep May to Oct 4.7.1.1
4.7.1.4
allow D (because) not present
Oct to Apr / May
allow D (because) present only
in summer
allow D (because) not present
in winter
allow D (because) not present
for all the year
allow D (because) only present
for some of the year
Total Question 7 8
How to answer it
Ecosystems, Classification & Population Dynamics
This question assesses fundamental concepts from Ecology and Classification:
- Ecological definitions: Distinguishing between community, population, habitat, and ecosystem.
- Binomial naming system: Using genus names to identify evolutionary relatedness.
- Biological definition of a species: Interbreeding to produce fertile offspring.
- Graph skills: Describing multi-stage population trends over time with precise month markers.
- Data analysis: Linking sudden population drops to disease resistance and seasonal absences to migration.
All Organisms in a Habitat
Identifying Ecological Levels of Organisation
✅ Correct Answer
A community
💡 Key Knowledge
- Population: All individuals of one species living in the same habitat.
- Community: All the populations of different species living together in a habitat.
- Ecosystem: The interaction of a community of living organisms with the non-living (abiotic) parts of their environment.
❌ Common Errors
Choosing population (which refers to only one species) or ecosystem (which must include abiotic/non-living components like water, soil, and temperature).
Relatedness in the Binomial System
Using Scientific Names to Determine Evolutionary Relationships
✅ Correct Answer
Brambling and chaffinch
💡 Key Knowledge
In the Carl Linnaeus binomial naming system:
- First word = Genus (capitalised).
- Second word = Species (lowercase).
- Organisms that share the same genus are more closely related than those in different genera.
- Brambling = Fringilla montifringilla
- Chaffinch = Fringilla coelebs
- Both belong to the genus Fringilla!
🧠 Exam Technique
Don't look at physical appearances or common names! Look straight at the scientific names provided in italics. Check which two share the identical first word.
Definition of a Species
Biological Criteria for Separate Species
✅ Correct Answer
The brambling and the bullfinch cannot breed together to give fertile offspring.
💡 Key Knowledge
By definition, a species is a group of similar organisms that can reproduce together to produce fertile offspring.
Even if two species can mate (e.g. horse and donkey), their offspring (mule) are infertile, confirming they are separate species.
❌ Common Errors
Selecting differences in diet, size, or microhabitat. These can vary within a single species (e.g., juveniles vs adults, or geographical variations) and do not biologically define separate species.
Describing Population Changes (Species A)
Breakdown of Graph Trend Over One Year
✅ Model 3-Mark Answer
- Stage 1: The population remains constant / stable from January to mid-April (or March).
- Stage 2: The population increases rapidly from mid-April to May.
- Stage 3: The population decreases / declines from May / June to December.
🧠 Exam Technique: Describing Curves
- Divide into sections: Look at where the line changes direction or gradient. There are 3 clear phases for curve A.
- Quote the X-axis: Always name the specific months where changes begin and peak.
- Use trend verbs: Use remains constant, increases, and decreases.
- Partial mark fallback: Stating only "it stays constant, then increases, then decreases" without months scores only 1 mark total!
❌ Common Errors
- Describing seasons ("in spring it goes up") instead of naming the actual months labelled on the axis. The mark scheme explicitly notes: ignore seasons.
- Explaining why it happens (e.g., "they reproduce because it's warmer"). The command word is Describe, not Explain.
Interpreting Disease Resistance
Identifying the Impact of Disease in June and July
✅ Correct Answer
B
💡 How to Deduce this from the Graph
- Look closely at the window between June and July on the x-axis.
- Species A and C show gradual, gentle changes.
- Species B shows a precipitous, steep crash in numbers during June and July.
- Lowest resistance means the species suffered the most deaths / largest fall in population due to the pathogen.
Identifying a Migratory Species
Linking Presence/Absence to Migration
✅ Model Answer
Species: D
Reason: It is only present from May to September (or absent for the rest of the year / only present in summer).
🧠 Exam Technique
Notice that the line for Species D drops completely to zero before May and drops back to zero in September. Unlike the others, which remain in the habitat year-round, D is only present for a short window during the breeding/summer season.
❌ Common Errors
Giving species D but forgetting the reason, or writing a vague reason like "its line is lower than the others" rather than stating it is completely absent outside May–September.
Topics
Biology · B6: Inheritance, Variation and Evolution · B7: Ecology
Question and mark scheme from the AQA GCSE Biology examination, Biology Paper 2 (Foundation), June 2023. QuestionVault is an independent revision resource; questions remain the copyright of the awarding body.