WAEC Biology 2002 Theory question 101

Theory question 101

Ecological Associations

(a) Explain the terms:
(i) Parasitism (ii) Commensalism
(b) Mention:
(i) one fungal parasite of a plant and its host
(ii) one bacterial parasite of humans.
(c)(i) List four symptoms of malaria. (ii) Mention six methods of controlling malaria in West Africa

Show the model answer
Model answer

(a)(i) Parasitism: a close association between two organisms of different species in which one (the parasite) lives in or on the other (the host), gets food or shelter from it and harms it.
(ii) Commensalism: an association between two organisms of different species in which one (the commensal) benefits while the other is neither helped nor harmed.
(b)(i) Any one, e.g. Puccinia (rust) on maize or wheat; Phytophthora palmivora (black pod) on cocoa; Phytophthora infestans (blight) on potato or tomato; Ustilago (smut) on maize.
(ii) Any one, e.g. Vibrio cholerae (cholera); Mycobacterium tuberculosis (tuberculosis); Salmonella typhi (typhoid); Clostridium tetani (tetanus); Neisseria gonorrhoeae (gonorrhoea).
(c)(i) Any four: high fever; shivering/chills; headache; pains in the joints; loss of appetite; vomiting; weakness/tiredness; paleness (anaemia).
(ii) Any six: sleep under (treated) mosquito nets; put wire gauze/nets on windows and doors; drain stagnant water and remove empty cans and containers; spray stagnant water with oil to kill larvae; spray insecticides or burn mosquito coils; use mosquito repellent creams; clear bushes around homes; introduce fish (e.g. Tilapia) to eat larvae; take anti-malarial drugs to prevent or treat the disease; educate the public on malaria control.

Explanation

Name each parasite with its host or disease, and give exactly the number of points asked.