Students investigated the effect of temperature on the decay of mashed pear.
For each temperature, the students prepared matching samples from the same thoroughly mixed batch of pear. One sample was dried to constant mass at the start. The matching sample was kept moist, exposed to the air and left for 6 days before being dried to constant mass using the same procedure.
The students used the change in dry mass to compare decay.
| Temperature in °C | Initial dry mass in g | Final dry mass in g |
|---|---|---|
| 5 | 16.2 | 15.4 |
| 25 | 16.0 | 12.0 |
| 60 | 16.1 | 15.7 |
Explain the effect of temperature on the decay of the pear. Use data from the table in your answer.
83 exam-style questions on AQA GCSE Biology 7.2 Organisation of an ecosystem, covering 7.2.1 Levels of organisation, 7.2.2 How materials are cycled, 7.2.3 Decomposition, and 7.2.4 Impact of environmental change (HT only). Each one has a worked solution and a mark scheme showing where the marks go.