A student investigates the distribution of wildflowers growing in a field next to a tall, dense hedge. The student lays out a tape measure starting from the base of the hedge and places a quadrat on the ground at regular intervals. At each distance, they record the percentage of the ground in the quadrat covered by wildflowers. The table below shows their results:
| Distance from the hedge (m\text{m}m) | Percentage of ground covered by wildflowers (%\%%) |
|---|---|
| 1 | 6 |
| 2 | 15 |
| 3 | 24 |
| 4 | 50 |
| 5 | 75 |
| 6 | 81 |
Calculate the percentage increase in wildflower cover when moving from 2 m2 \text{ m}2 m to 5 m5 \text{ m}5 m away from the hedge.
Explain the biological mechanism that explains why the wildflower coverage is lower closer to the hedge.
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.