Identify the names of the processes in the carbon cycle described below:
(i) The process by which green plants absorb carbon dioxide from the atmosphere to produce glucose.
(ii) The process by which organic carbon in fossil fuels is converted into carbon dioxide when burned.
An astronaut is designing a sealed bio-dome on the Moon. They use sterilized soil that contains a limited amount of essential minerals but no living microbes, and plant crop seeds in it.
(i) Explain why the crops will eventually stop growing if no other organisms are added to the soil.
(ii) Explain how adding microorganisms (such as decomposers) to the soil enables the crops and soil organisms to supply each other with the gases they need to survive in the sealed dome.
67 exam-style questions on OCR GCSE Biology 4.1 Ecosystems, covering 4.1.1 Cycling of materials in ecosystems, 4.1.2 Microorganisms in cycling materials, 4.1.3 The carbon and water cycles, 4.1.4 Factors affecting decomposition, 4.1.5 Levels of organisation in an ecosystem, 4.1.6 Abiotic and biotic factors affecting communities, 4.1.7 Interdependence and competition, 4.1.8 Trophic levels, 4.1.9 Pyramids of biomass, and 4.1.10 Efficiency of biomass transfers. Each one has a worked solution and a mark scheme showing where the marks go.