ECOLOGY

PAST KCSE QUESTIONS ON THE TOPIC

1. State how excessive use of pesticides may affect soil fertility

2. The graph below represents a population growth of a certain herbivore in a grassland

ecosystem over a period of time.

Suggest three factors that could have caused the population change between C and D

( 3 marks)

3. A biologist carried out a study to investigate the growth of a certain species of herbivo-

rous bony fish and the factors influencing plant and animal life in four lakes A, B, C and

D. The lakes were located in the same geographical area.

Two of the lakes A and B were found to contain hard water due to presence of high con-

tent of calcium slats. The mean body length of 2 year old fish, amount of plant life and

invertebrates biomass in each lake were determines. The data was as shown in
Lakes Mean body length Type of Amount Invertebrate biomass (g/cm3)

(cm) water of plant

life

Insects Snails Crabs Worms

A 31.2 Hard 1050 11 300 10 180

B 28.6 Hard 950 72 100 9 90

C 18.4 Soft 1.2 97 0 2 20

D 16.3 Soft 0.5 99 0 1 10

(a) Describe the procedure that may have been used to determine the mean body

length of the fish ( 6 marks)

(b) What are the likely reasons for the difference in the mean body length of the fish

living in lakes A and D? ( 4 marks)

(c) Suggest one reason for the absence of snails in lakes C and D?

( 1 mark)

(d) (i) Name any six abiotic (physical) factors that are likely to influence

the plant and animal life in lake A. ( 3 marks)

(ii) Explain how each of the factors named in (i) may influence the plant and

animals life in Lake A. ( 6 marks)

4. During an ecological study of a lake a group of students recorded the following observa-

tions.

(i) Planktonic crustaceans feed on planktonic algae

(ii) Small fish feed on planktonic crustaceans worms and insect larvae
 (iii) Worms feed on insect larvae

(iv) Bird species feeds on small fish planktonic crustaceans and worms

(v) Insect larvae feed on small fish

(a) From this record of observations construct a feed web (5 marks)

(b) From the food web you have constructed in (a) above isolate and write down a

food chain that ends with

(i) Bird species as a secondary consumer (1 mark)

(ii) Large fish as tertiary consumer (1 mark)

(c) The biomass of the producers in the lake was found to be greater than that of pri-

mary consumers. Give an explanation for this observation? (1 mark)

(d) Using either the observations recorded by the students or the food web you have

constructed name (1 mark)

(i) Two organisms that compete for food in the lake. (2 marks)

(ii) The source of food the organisms in d (i) above compete for

( 1 mark)

(e) (i) State three ways by which many may interfere with this lake

ecosystem ( 3 marks)

(ii) Explain how each of the ways you have states may affect life in the
 lake? ( 6 marks)

5. In an investigation, a student collected two plants A and B. Plant A had hairy leaves and

epidermis. Leaves of plant B

(i) Plant A ( 1 mark)

(ii) Plant B ( 1 mark)

6. An investigation was carried out between 1964 and 1973 to study the changes of fish

population in a certain small lake. Four species of fish A, B, C and D were found to live

in this lake. In 1965 a factory was built near the lake and was found to discharge hot wa-

ter into the lake raising the average temperature from 250C to 300C. In 1967 sewage and

industrial waste from a nearby town was diverted into the lake was stopped. The fish pop-

ulation during the period of investigation is shown in the table below.

Fish Fish populations during the period

specie 1964 1966 1969 1970 1971 1972 1973

A 6102 223 26 106 660 4071 7512

B 208 30 11 22 63 311 405

C 36 100 0 0 0 0 0

D 4521 272 23 27 79 400 617

(a) (i) In which year were the fish populations lowest?

(ii) State the factors that might have caused the lowest fish populations during the

year you have stated in (a) (i) above ( 3 marks)

(iii) Explain how each factor you have stated in (a) (ii) above could have brought

about the changes in fish populations (11 marks)

(b) (i) What is the difference in the rate of population recovery of species A and

D? (1 mark)

(ii) Suggest two biological factors that could have led to this difference

(2 marks)

(c) (i) State a method that might have been used to estimate the fish population

in the lake ( 1 mark)

(ii) State one disadvantage of the method you have stated in (c) (i) above

( 1 mark)

7. Industrial wastes may contain metallic pollutants. State how such pollutants may indi-

rectly reach and accumulate in the human body if the wastes were dumped into rivers.

8. State three measures that can betaken to control infection of man by protozoan parasites

( 3 marks)

9. The chart below shows a feeding relationship in a certain ecosystem

Green plants Hawks

(a) Construct two food chains ending with a tertiary consumer in each case (2 marks)

(b) Which organisms has the largest variety of predators in the food web? (1 mark)

(c) Name secondary consumers in the food web ( 2 marks)

(d) Suggest three ways in which the ecosystem would be affected if there was prolonged

drought ( 3 marks)

10. To estimate the population size of crabs in a certain lagoon, traps were laid at random.

400 crabs were caught, marked and released back into the lagoon. Four days later, traps

were laid again and 374 crabs were caught. Out of the 374 crabs, 80 were found to have

been marked.

(a) Calculate the population size of the crabs in the lagoon using the formula below

N=nxM

Where

N= Total population of crabs in the lagoon

n= Total number of crabs in the second catch

M= Number marked crabs during the first catch

M= Number of marked crabs in the second catch. ( 2 marks)

(b) State two assumptions that were made during the investigation ( 2 marks)

(b) What is the name given to this method of estimating the population size?

( 1 mark)

11. The figure below represents a feeding relationship in an ecosystem

 Termites

Gazelles Leopards

(a) Write down the food chains in which the guinea fowls are secondary consumers

( 1 mark)

(b) What would be the short term effects on the eco- system of lions invaded the area?

( 3 marks)

(c) Name the organisms through which energy from the sun enters the food web.

( 1 mark)

12. The diagram below represents a simplified nitrogen cycle

(a) Name the organisms that causes processes E and J ( 2 marks)

(b) Name the processes represented by F and H (2 marks)

(c) Name the group of organisms represented by c (i)

13. (a) Distinguish between a community and a population (2 marks)

(b) Describe how a population of grasshopper in a given area can be estimated

(5 marks)

14. Explain how the various activities of man have caused pollution of air ( 20 marks)

15. Explain how birds of prey are adapted to obtaining their food ( 2 marks)

16. (a) Name the crop infested by phytophthora infestants and the disease it

causes

Crop -

Disease -

(b) State four control measures against the diseases ( 4 marks)

17. Explain why the carrying capacity for wild animals is higher than for cattle in a given

piece of land ( 2 marks)

18. (a) What is meant by

(i) Autecology ( 1 mark)

(ii) Synecology ( 1 mark)

(b) The number and distribution of stomata on three different leaves are shown in

the table below

 Leaf Number of stomata

Upper epidermis Lower Epidermis

A 300 0

B 150 200

C 02 13

Suggest the possible habitat of the plants from which the leaves were obtained.

( 3 marks)

Leaf Habitat

A ____________________

B ____________________

C ____________________

(c) State the modification found in the stomata of leaf C

19. After an ecological study of feeding relationships students constructed the food web be-

low
 Large birds

Bird J Bird K Bird L Bird M Bird N

Small fish Mussels Snails

Zooplankton
Algae Green plants

(a) Name the process through which energy from the sun is incorporated into the food web

( 1 mark)

(b) State the mode of feeding of the birds in the food web (1 mark)

(c) Name two ecosystem in which the organisms in the food web live( 2 marks)

(d) From the information in the food web construct a food chain with the large bird as a

quarter – nary consumer ( 1 mark)

(e) What would happen to the organisms in the food web if bird N migrated?

(f) Not all energy from one trophic level is available to the next level. Explain

( 3 marks)

(g) (i) Two organisms, which display a role in the ecosystems, are not included

in the food web. Name them. ( 1 mark)

(ii) State the role played by the organisms named g (i) above. (1 mark)

(h) (i) State three human activities that would affect the ecosystems ( 3 marks)
 (ii) How would the activities stated in h (i) above affect the ecosystems?

( 3 marks)

20. How is aerenchyma tissue adapted to its functions? ( 2 marks)

21. Explain how abiotic factors affect plants ( 20 marks)

22. What is the importance of the following in an ecosystem? ( 3 marks)

(a) Decomposers

(b) Predation

23. Chart below represents a simplified nitrogen cycle

What is represented by X, Y and Z? ( 3 marks)

24.

(a) Distinguish between pyramid of numbers and pyramid of Biomass

( 2 marks)

(b) Give three reasons for loss of energy from one trophic level to another in a food

chain. ( 3 marks)

(c) Describe how the belt transect can be used in estimating the population of a shrub

in a grassland ( 2 marks)

25.

(a) Distinguish between population and community ( 2 marks)

(b) Name a method that could be used to estimate the population size of the following

organisms

(i) Fish in a pond ( 1 mark)

(ii) Black jack in a garden ( 1 mark)

26.

State two ways in which schistosoma species is adapted to parasitic mode of life

27.
 Describe causes and methods of controlling water pollution ( 20 marks)

28. (a) What is biological control of population growth? ( 2 marks)

(b) Describe one example where biological control has been used successfully

( 2 marks)

(c) Explain why the number of predators in nay ecosystem is less than the number of

their prey ( 1 mark)

29. Suggest reasons to account for the following observations.

(b) Antelopes are more commonly found in open grassland while giraffe while gi-

raffes are commonly found in wooded areas. ( 2 marks)

(b) In the savannah there is a wider variety of herbivores in wooded areas than in

open grassland ( 1 mark)

(c) Removal of predators for an herbivore may in the long run lead to a decrease in its

population

30. Explain why primary productivity decreases with depth in aquatic environments.

( 2 marks)

31. The following is a simplified drawing of nitrogen cycle.

 (a) Identify the compound named A ( 1 mark)

(b) Name the processes

X _________________

Y _________________

Z _________________

(c) In what form is nitrogen found in plants and animals?

32. An investigation was carried out to study the type of food eaten by birds found in forest

and savannah in a certain area. The table below compares the feeding habitats of the

birds found in a closed forest area and an open dry savannah of the area.

Diet Percentage of birds

Forest Savannah
 Insects only 60 50

Vertebrates 10 10

Seeds 5 20

Fruits 25 10

Other plant materials 5 5

Number 120 60

(a) Work out the difference in the number of bird species the feed on:

(i) Fruits found in forest and savannah ( 2 marks)

(ii) Seed found in forest and savannah ( 2 marks)

(b) State two factors that may cause this difference in (a) above ( 2 marks)

(c) In another investigation two vertebrate species from the savannah were counted and

recorded on monthly basis as shown below.

 Year Month Species A Species B

1998 July 96 240

1998 August 79 590

1998 September 75 900

1998 October 87 750

1998 November - 230

1998 December 99 80

1998 January 129 200

1998 February 96 330

1998 March 99 300

1998 April 79 320

1998 May 135 90

1998 June 104 450

(i) Which species show more fluctuation in numbers? ( 1 mark)

(ii) Suggest an explanation of this ( 3 marks)

(d) Suggest two ways by which the savannah environment can be destroyed and how

it can be conserved ( 4 marks)