Fig. 5.1 depicts a water vole, Arvicola amphibius. This species is native to Great Britain. Estimates suggest that the number of water voles has declined by $94\%$ over the past century. This is believed to be linked to habitat fragmentation, as well as heavy predation by mink, Neovison vison, shown in Fig. 5.2. Mink came from North America, but they were introduced to Great Britain for fur farming. Some escaped, or were let loose, into the wild, where their populations rose quickly.
(a)[4]
Name and describe a way to estimate the abundance of water voles in a local area.
(b)[2]
Outline two characteristics of the cells of organisms in the kingdom Animalia that set them apart from the cells of other multicellular eukaryotes.
(c(i))[3]
Discuss why alien species ought to be controlled.
(c(ii))[1]
Suggest one method for controlling mink numbers in Great Britain.
Worked solution & mark scheme
This 10-mark question has a full step-by-step worked solution and mark scheme. One marking point: “mark-release-recapture technique” …