W I T H I N TO P I C Q U E S T I O N S

Option B - data-based questions

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1. 64;
2. 3 in 64;
3. stop codons should occur with a frequency of about 1 in 20 codons; their frequency would be
lower in an open reading frame; the first reading frame has one stop codon, the second has two,
but the third has none, so the third is possibly an open-reading frame; a much longer sequence is
necessary to identify the open reading frame.

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 E N D O F TO P I C Q U E S T I O N S

Option B - end of topic questions

1. a) 28 hours after untreated sewage added;
b) (i) sunlight reduces counts of fecal coliform bacteria significantly; fecal coliform bacteria fall
below 1 count per 100 ml on day 2; no reduction during dark period; significant drop on
day 1 as bacteria count drops from 105 per 100 ml to less than 102 per 100 ml;
(ii) sunlight causes small reduction of coliphage viruses; coliphage virus counts never fall
below 102 counts per 100 ml; no reduction during dark period;
c) coliphage viruses, because they are less affected by the sun/numbers do not decrease much in
two days;
2. a) 12 litres × 3 mg dm-3 = 36 mg;
b) inverse relationship; approximately the same rate for decrease in terephthalate concentration
and increase in methane production; linear degradation of terephthalate and methane
production; on day 12, methane production starts to level out/plateaus/terephthalate
concentration is at zero;
c) anaerobic methanogenic bacteria/chemoheterotroph;
d) breakdown rate is (approximately) constant; terephthalate concentration decrease and methane
concentration increase are linked; concentration of 3 mg dm-3 is non-lethal for these bacteria;
breakdown is very efficient (100%), but slow (as it takes 12 days);
3. a) 400 million years ago;
b) 10 (events);
c) vertebrate hemoglobin and myoglobin are more closely related to each other because of a more
recent split over evolutionary time / invertebrate hemoglobin more distantly related because of
a more ancient (distant) split in evolutionary time;
d) animals have a higher metabolic rate / greater oxygen needs which requires transport of
oxygen to cells / plants do not move thus have a lower metabolic rate / plants produce their
own oxygen (through photosynthesis);
e) the genetic code is degenerate / more than one codon will code for an amino acid; so a
mutation may result in the same amino acid being produced; some mutations are neutral;
multiple point mutations for the same base (can obscure the mutation history).

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