Unit 2: Ecosystems and Ecology

Topic 2.5: Flows of Energy and Matter Questions

Practice 20 exam-style questions for IB ESS Topic 2.5. Review the question stems below, then unlock the full Question Bank to access markschemes, model answers, and AI grading.

1define2 marks
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Define the term zonation.
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2define2 marks
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Define the term ecological succession.
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3define2 marks
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Define the term ecosystem resilience.
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4state2 marks
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State two typical changes that occur as succession progresses.
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5state2 marks
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State two examples of environmental gradients that can produce zonation.
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6describe4 marks
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Describe how a transect can be used to study zonation on a rocky shore.
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7define3 marks
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Define the term pioneer species.
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8define3 marks
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Define the term kite diagram in the context of zonation fieldwork.
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9define3 marks
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Define the term climax community.
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10outline3 marks
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Outline how competition can influence zonation patterns.
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11distinguish4 marks
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Distinguish between primary and secondary succession.
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12explain4 marks
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Explain why abiotic factors can create distinct zones of organisms along a gradient.
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13suggest4 marks
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Suggest why biodiversity is often higher in the lowest tidal zone compared with the highest tidal zone.
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14explain4 marks
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Explain why secondary succession is usually faster than primary succession.
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15suggest4 marks
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Suggest why large storages within ecosystems can increase resilience.
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16explain4 marks
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State one abiotic factor that changes with altitude and explain how it influences zonation on mountains.
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17outline4 marks
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Outline one difference between local scale zonation and global scale zonation.
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18outline6 marks
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Table 1 shows the abundance of three species along a transect on a rocky shore. Use the data to answer parts (a) to (c).
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19outline4 marks
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Outline two ways that biodiversity can increase ecosystem resilience.
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20outline6 marks
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Table 1 summarises community features at three successional stages after a forest fire. Use the data to answer parts (a) to (c).
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