International A Level (IAL)BiologyEdexcelExam Questions4. Plant Structure & Function, Biodiversity & ConservationPlants & Conservation

Plants & Conservation (Edexcel International A Level (IAL) Biology): Exam Questions

Exam code: YBI11

19 mins2 questions
1a
3 marks

Plant‐based products can replace plastics produced from oil.

Wheat bran comes from the outer layers of grains of wheat.

The diagram shows the structure and composition of a grain of wheat.

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Wheat bran contains 43 % fibre.

A grain of wheat has a mass of 48 mg.

Calculate the mass of fibre in the wheat bran of this grain of wheat.

Give your answer to two significant figures.

How did you do?

1b
3 marks

Disposable plates and cutlery can be made from either plant‐based products or from oil‐based plastics.

The photograph shows cutlery and a plate made from wheat bran.

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Explain the advantages of using cutlery and plates made from wheat bran instead of oil‐based plastics.

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1c
3 marks

The endosperm of a grain of wheat develops from the endosperm nucleus, formed during fertilisation.

Explain the role of the pollen tube and nuclei in the formation of the endosperm nucleus.

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2a
6 marks

Seed banks are used to store seeds from a wide variety of plants. Some plants are a sustainable source of bioplastics.

The Germplasm Bank of Wild Species is the largest seed bank for wild species of plants in Asia.

Seeds from 8 500 species have been collected and stored.

Seeds were dried before being stored at temperatures below 0 °C.

The effect of length of time in storage on seed germination is shown in the graph.

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(i) Describe the effect of length of time in storage on the germination of these seeds.

(2)

(ii) Two of the methods used in seed banks are:

  • store seeds from many different plants of the same species, instead of many seeds from just one plant

  • regularly germinate samples of the stored seeds, allowing them to grow into adult plants.

Explain the advantages of these methods.

(4)

How did you do?

2b
4 marks

The photograph shows bioplastic straws and cutlery. Bioplastic can be produced from the seeds of avocados.

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F. Kesselring, FKuR Willich, CC BY-SA 3.0 DE <https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/de/deed.en>, via Wikimedia

(i) In 2018, a company in Mexico produced 130 000 kg of bioplastic cutlery and straws per month.

40 % of the products were straws.

Calculate the mass of cutlery produced per year by this company.

Give your answer to two significant figures.

(2)

(ii) The use of these plant-based products is more sustainable than the use of cutlery and straws made from oil-based plastic.

Explain what is meant by the term sustainable, with reference to the cutlery produced from the seeds of avocados.

(2)

How did you do?