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Biology Paper 1 · B4 · Lesson 4.9

Higher Tier: limiting factors and greenhouses

Compare several factors, use the inverse square law and consider profit.

Key ideas1 of 4

Find the factor that is limiting

Higher Tier only. Several factors interact. Compare curves where only one condition changes. If raising carbon dioxide increases the rate at the same light intensity, carbon dioxide was limiting under the lower-CO₂ conditions.

At low light, both CO2 conditions have similar rates. At high light, low CO2 plateaus at rate 8 and high CO2 at rate 16. Illustrative data.

Compare at the same horizontal-axis value, not at different light intensities.

Next: Higher Tier: oxygen debt and recovery →
Topic resources and sources

Daily 5 · Core exam practice · Higher Tier questions · A4 revision sheet

Lessons 4.1–4.8 cover the core. Lessons 4.9–4.10 are Higher Tier only. Daily 5 practises core facts.

AQA Combined Science Trilogy specification · 4.4.1.2 · Higher Tier only. Original notes, questions and diagrams. Experimental numbers are illustrative.

Photographs: pondweed by Frank Vincentz; dough by ElinorD, both CC BY-SA 3.0. Polytunnel by Bob Nichols / USDA, public domain. Images displayed without cropping or other alterations.