9700_s13_qp_43
A paper of Biology, 9700
Questions:
10
Year:
2013
Paper:
4
Variant:
3

Login to start this paper & get access to powerful tools

1
2
For Examiner’s Use A number of diseases, such as dengue fever, are spread by mosquitoes. The incidence of this disease has increased dramatically in recent years and this has been linked with the spread of the mosquito, Aedes aegypti. In an attempt to reduce the numbers of A. aegypti, genetically modified (GM) male mosquitoes were produced. One of the genes added to these mosquitoes, when switched on, results in the production of a protein which is toxic to mosquitoes. In 2010, in the Cayman Islands and in Malaysia, GM male mosquitoes were released into the wild to mate with females. All the resulting offspring died in the larval stage. About 3 million GM male mosquitoes were released in the Cayman Islands. Suggest why releasing such large numbers of male mosquitoes did not immediately increase the risk of transmission of dengue fever. In Malaysia, both GM male and non-GM male mosquitoes were released in order to compare their dispersal and life span in the wild. The GM mosquitoes could be identified because they also carried a gene for green fluorescent protein (GFP). Explain why, in many examples of gene technology, fluorescent markers are used in preference to antibiotic resistance genes. For Examiner’s Use In addition to the gene for GFP, the DNA that has been added to the GM mosquitoes consists of • a promoter • a gene coding for a toxic protein, tTA • a binding site for tTA. When a GM mosquito larva hatches from an egg, the promoter induces the production of only a small amount of tTA, so that the larva does not die immediately. In a process of positive feedback, the tTA produced binds to the DNA as shown in . This increases the expression of the gene until the increased concentration of tTA kills the larva. binding site for tTA gene coding for tTA tTA produced promoter Suggest why this process is called positive feedback. Explain why, in gene technology, a promoter needs to be transferred along with the desired gene. For Examiner’s Use Switching on the gene coding for tTA in the mosquito larvae, rather than in the eggs, increases the effectiveness of this method of controlling mosquito numbers. Suggest why this is so. GM mosquitoes carrying the tTA gene can live and reproduce normally when fed on a diet containing an added chemical, A. With reference to : suggest how A could prevent death of the GM mosquitoes suggest how large numbers of adult GM male mosquitoes can be produced for release into the wild, from an original stock of GM males suggest why there is little danger of the gene carried by these GM mosquitoes being passed to other organisms from GM mosquitoes which escape or are released into the wild.
3
4
For Examiner’s Use An experiment was carried out to investigate the effect of temperature on the rate of oxygen consumption of the lizard, Sauromalus hispidus. The body temperature of a lizard varies with environmental temperature. Several lizards were fitted with small, airtight masks that covered their heads. Air was supplied inside the mask through one tube, and collected through another. The differences between oxygen concentrations in the air supplied for inhalation and the exhaled air enabled the researchers to measure the rate of oxygen consumption of the lizards. The rate of oxygen consumption of each lizard was measured when it was at rest and when it was running. Measurements were made at different temperatures ranging from 15 °C to 40 °C. shows the results. 0.01 0.10 1.00 temperature / °C O2 consumption / cm3 g–1 hour–1 (log scale) at rest running For Examiner’s Use Running requires rapid use of ATP by muscle cells in the legs and heart of a lizard. With reference to the events occurring inside a mitochondrion, explain why a faster use of ATP requires a greater rate of oxygen consumption. Explain the effect of temperature on the rate of oxygen consumption in Sauromalus when at rest. For Examiner’s Use The researchers also measured the oxygen debt that was built up when a lizard was running. They measured this for two species of lizard, Sauromalus hispidus and Varanus gouldi, at six different temperatures. The results are shown in Table 4.1. Table 4.1 temperature / °C Sauromalus oxygen debt / cm3 O2 kg−1 70.3 81.3 93.0 102.0 118.0 154.0 Varanus oxygen debt / cm3 O2 kg−1 62.0 72.2 78.5 87.9 96.7 102.0 The oxygen debts were found by using the masks described in . Suggest what measurements were taken, and how these measurements were used to calculate the oxygen debt. Compare the oxygen debt built up by a running Varanus with that of a running Sauromalus. For Examiner’s Use Varanus is a fast-moving carnivore. Sauromalus is a slow-moving herbivore. Explain how the results in Table 4.1 indicate that Varanus is well-adapted for its mode of life. Most lizards, including Sauromalus, have very simple lungs with no alveoli. Varanus, however, has lungs that are more like those of mammals, containing large numbers of air sacs similar to the alveoli of human lungs. Suggest how this difference could account for the differences in the oxygen debts of Sauromalus and Varanus shown in Table 4.1.
5
6
For Examiner’s Use outlines how a cholinergic synapse works. A A A B ACh wave of depolarisation A C B B acetylcholinesterase With reference to : name A and B A B name the process occurring at C state the effect of B entering the post-synaptic neurone For Examiner’s Use explain the role of acetylcholinesterase in the synapse. Some synapses in the brain use the neurotransmitter dopamine. After the postsynaptic membrane has been depolarised, dopamine leaves the receptor proteins and moves back into the presynaptic neurone through specific transporter proteins. Schizophrenia is a condition in which there is a higher than usual concentration of dopamine in certain areas of the brain. The drug phenothiazine has a similar shape to dopamine and is used to treat schizophrenia. Suggest and explain what occurs at the synapse when phenothiazine is used in the treatment of schizophrenia. For Examiner’s Use DRD4 is a dopamine receptor in humans. The gene coding for the DRD4 receptor has a large number of alleles, of which an individual can have only two. Three alleles of the DRD4 receptor gene have the following mutations: • a single base substitution • a 21 base-pair deletion • a 13 base-pair deletion. The 13 base-pair deletion has the most serious consequences for the structure of the DRD4 receptor protein. Suggest why this is so. One allele of the DRD4 gene has been found more frequently amongst individuals whose personality is described as ‘impulsive and exploratory’. Describe the mechanism whereby an allele such as this could have become common in the human population.
7
8