A-Level Biology October/November 2024 Q9(c)(i): Suggest problems that may affect the success of captive breeding programmes of mammals…

1 answer

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  Captive breeding programmes for mammals like the red ruffed lemur can face several problems:

  • The animals are often under significant stress due to the artificial captive environment, which is very different from their natural habitat.
  • This stress, along with other factors like artificial lighting and diet, can disrupt the female's normal reproductive cycle, making successful conception difficult.
  • There may be behavioural incompatibility between paired individuals, causing them to reject their mate or fail to display the correct courtship behaviours required for breeding.

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  How the marks are awarded

  • B1 — The first mark is for identifying that animals can experience stress in captivity, which is a well-known problem affecting animal physiology and behaviour.
  • B1 — The second mark is for stating that the reproductive cycle can be disrupted. This is a specific physiological problem that hinders the success of a breeding programme.
  • B1 — The third mark is for describing a behavioural problem, such as individuals rejecting a mate or not performing the necessary courtship rituals.

  Common mistakes

  • Focusing on the problems of reintroducing the animals back into the wild (e.g., 'they won't know how to find food'), which is not what the question asks.
  • Being too vague, for example, writing 'they find it difficult to breed' without providing a specific biological reason like stress, mate rejection, or disruption to reproductive cycles.
  • Repeating the same point using different words, such as listing 'stress' and 'unhappiness' as two separate issues, when they would only be awarded a single mark.
  • Only providing one or two problems when the question is worth three marks, thus failing to achieve the maximum score.

  Examiner tip: For questions with a specific mark allocation, aim to provide a corresponding number of clear, distinct points to ensure you access all available marks.

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