The malarial parasite reproduces sexually inside a mosquito and asexually inside a human host.
A scientist exposed three populations of malarial parasites to the same drug concentration for the same length of time.
| Population | How the population was produced | Percentage of parasites that survived the drug (%) |
|---|---|---|
| P | asexually from one parent parasite | 2 |
| Q | sexually from two parent parasites | 31 |
| R | asexually from one surviving parasite from population Q | 86 |
Explain why a greater percentage of population Q survived the drug than population P.
Explain the result for population R and predict what would happen to the percentage surviving if these parasites reproduced asexually for one more generation before the drug was used again under the same conditions.
92 exam-style questions on Edexcel GCSE Biology 3.1 Reproduction and meiosis, covering 3.1.1 Advantages and disadvantages of reproduction and 3.1.2 Role of meiotic cell division. Each one has a worked solution and a mark scheme showing where the marks go.