CAIE A Level Biology 9700 · Classification, biodiversity and conservation

Classification, biodiversity and conservation: compare question

Compare4 marksStandard

A field biologist is studying two groups of beetles (Group A and Group B) found in different valleys. The beetles in Group A and Group B are morphologically indistinguishable, but when individuals from the two groups are brought together in the laboratory, they produce no offspring. Meanwhile, a third group (Group C) in a nearby forest has differently coloured wing cases, but can interbreed successfully with Group A to produce fertile offspring.

Compare how the biological species concept, the morphological species concept, and the ecological species concept would classify these beetle groups.

How this question is marked

4 marks, so the mark scheme is looking for about 4 separate creditworthy points. Making the same point twice in different words earns it once.

Compare means: Give similarities or differences between two things, and say which side each point belongs to. Write each point as a pair, for example: A is X, whereas B is Y. Two separate descriptions rarely earn the marks.

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