The steps the scientist used to set up the pitfall trap are shown below - Edexcel - GCSE Biology Combined Science - Question 3 - 2020 - Paper 1
Question 3
The steps the scientist used to set up the pitfall trap are shown below.
The steps are not in the correct order.
1. put some sand around the beaker
2. put a beaker,... show full transcript
Worked Solution & Example Answer:The steps the scientist used to set up the pitfall trap are shown below - Edexcel - GCSE Biology Combined Science - Question 3 - 2020 - Paper 1
Step 1
Complete the steps in the correct order, from left to right.
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Answer
dig a hole in the garden
put some sand around the beaker
put a beaker, baited with food, in the hole
place a flat stone on pebbles over the beaker
check the pitfall trap each day
Step 2
Complete the table by filling in the tally and number for the spiders and worms.
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Answer
Invertebrate
Tally
Number of Invertebrates
Ant
Beetle
Slug
Snail
Spider
Worm
Step 3
State how the type of food used to bait the pitfall trap could affect the number of different invertebrates caught.
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Answer
The type of food used can attract certain invertebrates more than others. For example, if the bait is something sweet, it may attract ants and beetles, but not slugs or spiders. Conversely, using decaying organic matter might attract slugs and worms more effectively. Therefore, the choice of bait directly influences which invertebrates are captured in the trap.
Step 4
Describe how the scientist can use this information to estimate the number of snails in the garden.
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The scientist can determine the average number of snails per square meter from the four 1m² areas counted. By calculating the average and then multiplying it by the total area of the garden (40m²), the scientist can estimate the total number of snails in the garden. This is effective because it assumes that the distribution of snails is uniform across the garden.