Lesson 5.4.4

5.4.4 Effects of climate change on plants and animals Quiz: Pearson Edexcel Biology A (Salters-Nuffield), Unit 5

20 questions

Written by Revision Ninja · Last reviewed 11 October 2026

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Lesson 5.4.4, Effects of climate change on plants and animals: 20 multiple choice questions for the Pearson Edexcel Biology A (Salters-Nuffield) (9BI0), Unit 5: On the Wild Side, written with Revision Ninja.

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The 20 questions

  1. How can climate change alter the distribution of a species?

    • Species move poleward or upslope to suit conditions
    • Species stop reproducing as soon as the climate warms
    • Species always stay in exactly the same place regardless of temperature
    • Species become larger in every habitat they occupy

  2. What is phenology, and why is it affected by climate change?

    • The study of rock layers and their age in the ground
    • The number of predators in a habitat over time
    • The chemistry of soil and its nutrient content
    • Timing of seasonal events, which warming can advance

  3. Why can a mismatch in timing between a bird and its insect food be harmful?

    • Insects benefit most when birds hatch after them
    • Chicks may hatch after peak food has passed
    • Mismatch always increases the number of chicks that survive
    • Birds never need insects, so the timing makes no difference

  4. How might changing rainfall patterns affect plants?

    • Drought and flooding can both harm growth
    • Plants grow faster in every case when rainfall decreases
    • Rainfall has no effect on plant growth in any habitat
    • Plants stop photosynthesis whenever rain falls

  5. What is a likely effect of changing seasonal cycles on animals?

    • Animals are unaffected by seasonal changes in any situation
    • Animals stop feeding in every season once the cycle changes
    • Animals always become more numerous when seasons shift
    • Life cycles may fall out of step with food supply

  6. Why might a species be at greater risk of extinction under climate change?

    • If it cannot move or adapt quickly enough to changing conditions
    • If it lives in habitats that are never affected by climate
    • If it has very high genetic diversity in all populations
    • If it has a large range that covers many climates

  7. A plant species' flowering date moves 10 days earlier over 20 years. What is the best inference?

    • The plant has been moved to a new habitat by humans
    • The plant has evolved to flower in winter in all cases
    • The plant is no longer photosynthesising
    • Its life cycle timing is shifting with warming

  8. Which statement about the effects of climate change on animals is most accurate?

    • Animals are not affected by temperature because they are mobile
    • Climate change has only effects on plants, not animals
    • Animals always thrive equally well in any climate
    • Temperature and food changes alter distribution and breeding

  9. Which is an example of a species distribution change linked to warming?

    • A species moving to a warmer area that has become colder
    • A species moving to higher altitude on a mountain to find cooler conditions
    • A species that disappears from all habitats because the climate became more stable
    • A species unchanged in its range while temperatures rise sharply

  10. Why do changes in the timing of breeding matter for population survival?

    • They can cause mismatch with food supply, so fewer young survive to adulthood
    • They always increase the number of young produced in every species
    • They prevent all predators from finding prey
    • They have no effect because food is always available

  11. A student predicts that a population will decline if its habitat becomes too warm and it cannot move. Which evidence would best test this?

    • Measuring the colour of the animals only
    • Asking one person about the animals
    • Counting the number of leaves on nearby trees once
    • Tracking population size and distribution with temperature

  12. Why must changes in species distribution be studied over many years?

    • A single year always shows the full climate trend
    • Distribution changes only happen over one season
    • Species distribution cannot be recorded at all
    • Short-term fluctuations can hide long-term trends

  13. Which evaluation of the effects of climate change on plants is best supported?

    • Effects vary by species, via rainfall, temperature and timing
    • Plants are unaffected by climate because they are fixed in place
    • All plants will benefit equally from warming in all places
    • Climate change only affects plants that live in the ocean

  14. Why might a species that can disperse quickly be less at risk from climate change?

    • It can move to track suitable conditions as they shift
    • It is unaffected by food supply
    • It always has fewer offspring than slow dispersers
    • It cannot reach any new habitats at all

  15. What does an ecologist mean by a species being out of step with its environment?

    • The species has stopped reproducing altogether
    • The species has evolved a new body shape
    • Its life cycle timing no longer matches its resources
    • The species has moved to a new continent entirely

  16. Which factor could make climate-driven range shifts difficult for a species?

    • A short life cycle that allows rapid spread
    • Wide tolerance of temperature and rainfall
    • Open, connected habitat across its range
    • Barriers such as mountains, roads or seas

  17. A coastal plant is threatened by rising sea levels and salt water. What is the most likely response for the population?

    • It will become a new species immediately
    • It will always grow faster as the sea rises
    • It may decline if it cannot move inland fast enough
    • It will stop photosynthesising at once

  18. Which statement best links climate change to the balance of ecosystems?

    • Climate change has no effect on interactions between species
    • Climate can alter species interactions, such as predator timing
    • Only abiotic factors are affected by climate change
    • Ecosystems always become more stable as climate changes

  19. A conservation plan considers corridors that connect habitats. Why?

    • To trap species in a single small patch
    • To stop all movement of species between habitats
    • To let species move as climate shifts
    • To make the habitats identical to each other

  20. Why might the effects of climate change on an ecosystem be hard to predict?

    • Ecosystems have no interactions between species
    • Species respond differently, and interactions vary
    • Climate change always has an identical effect on all organisms
    • Every species responds in exactly the same way

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