The table shows the mean maximum dive depth of four species of penguin and the mean concentration of myoglobin in their muscle tissue.
Species of penguinMean maximum dive depth (m)Mean muscle myoglobin concentration (mg/g)Little blue penguin158Magellanic penguin4514Gentoo penguin9524King penguin14534\begin{array}{|l|c|c|} \hline \textbf{Species of penguin} & \textbf{Mean maximum dive depth (m)} & \textbf{Mean muscle myoglobin concentration (mg/g)} \\\hline \text{Little blue penguin} & 15 & 8 \\\hline \text{Magellanic penguin} & 45 & 14 \\\hline \text{Gentoo penguin} & 95 & 24 \\\hline \text{King penguin} & 145 & 34 \\\hline \end{array}Species of penguinLittle blue penguinMagellanic penguinGentoo penguinKing penguinMean maximum dive depth (m)154595145Mean muscle myoglobin concentration (mg/g)8142434
Plot the data from the table on the graph. [2]
Draw a line of best fit through the points. [1]
Adélie penguins are penguins that have a mean maximum dive depth of 75 m75\text{ m}75 m.
Use your graph to predict the mean muscle myoglobin concentration of Adélie penguins.
Mean muscle myoglobin concentration = ............................................................ mg/g\text{mg/g}mg/g [1]
Sperm whales are large marine mammals that can dive for over 90 minutes. This is much longer than predicted for mammals of their size. Scientists found that sperm whale muscle cells have a modified surface charge on their myoglobin molecules that prevents them from clumping together at extremely high concentrations.
Explain how having a very high concentration of myoglobin helps sperm whales to remain submerged for so long. [2]
Bar-headed geese migrate at extreme altitudes over the Himalayas, where the air pressure is very low.
During these flights, the availability of oxygen in the atmosphere is extremely limited.
Complete the sentences below to show how bar-headed geese are adapted to survive high-altitude flights.
Bar-headed geese can increase their ventilation rate during flight. This means they can extract more ............................................................ gas from the thin air.
This gas is stored and transported in large amounts in their red blood cells, bound to a protein called ............................................................ .
During intense flight at high altitude, their flight muscle cells may respire anaerobically. This produces ............................................................ acid, which their tissues can tolerate in high concentrations.
Scientists think that these geese have evolved these specialized high-altitude adaptations by the process of ............................................................ . [4]