Pre-AP Biology & Environmental Science

Diagnostic Evaluation September 2019

Objective 3 and Objective 5

Study the text below and answer the tasks and questions which follow.

RED BLOOD CELL COUNT AND ALTITUDE

The amount of oxygen available in the atmosphere decreases with increasing altitude. This is shown in
the image below.

Lack of oxygen is the principal reason why it is so difficult to climb high mountains without a period of
acclimatization. Many climbers who attempt to reach the summits of the high mountains of Ecuador,
such as Chimborazo and Cotopaxi, fail because they suffer altitude sickness.

Oxygen is required by all living organisms, including humans, to help break down sugars to release the
energy which was stored in the sugar, and synthesise ATP. This energy is in the form we need to live.
The breaking down of sugar is a reaction known as cell respiration and can be shown like this:

SUGAR + OXYGEN  CARBON DIOXIDE + WATER + ENERGY

People who live at altitude or who have acclimatized properly for a long period of time, often have more
red blood cells in their blood than people who live at sea level. Red blood cells contain a protein called
haemoglobin. It is haemoglobin in red cells which picks up oxygen in the lungs and carries it around the
body, releasing it in the muscles and elsewhere, ready for cell respiration.
At high altitude and at low oxygen pressure, the human body responds by producing more of a natural
hormone called erythropoeitin (EPO), which stimulates the formation of red blood cells by the bone
marrow. EPO is produced by the kidney. The cells that make EPO are sensitive to low oxygen levels in
the blood that travels through the kidney. After a period of acclimatization at altitude, the blood will
contain many more red blood cells. This adaptation allows more oxygen to be carried in the blood.

Table 1 below shows the average number of red blood cells in the blood of people living at different
altitudes.
Altitude Average number of red blood cells
(metres) (millions/mm3 of blood)
Sea level (0) 5.1
1,500 5.3
3,000 5.4
4,500 5.6
6,000 5.9
7,500 6.2

(Readings are the average for 10 male adults of the same age who have lived at each altitude for at least 6 months.)

Endurance sports athletes often attend altitude training camps for some weeks or months before coming
back down to sea level to take part in major competitions. Others sleep in hypoxic tents, where oxygen
pressure is artificially kept low (hypoxic), simulating altitudes of between 8,000 and 12,000 feet. This sort
of preparation is legal.

EPO can also be artificially made in a laboratory. Some athletes inject themselves with synthetic EPO to
obtain the same benefits but without having to train at altitude. This is a form of blood doping and is
illegal in all sports.
Tasks and Questions

Objective 5: Analysis and Interpretation of Scientific Writing and Quantitative data Represented in
Tables, Charts and Graphs, in order to Make and Justify Conclusions, or propose viable solutions

1 Draw a line graph to show the change on the average number of red blood cells with increasing
altitude. [5 points]

2 Calculate the average increase in red blood cells with each 1,500 metre increase in altitude.
[2 points]

3 Explain why at each altitude:

i) The average of 10 male adults of the same age was taken
ii) The male adults have lived at that altitude for at least four months [2 points]

4 The amount of oxygen present in the air decreases with increasing altitude. Red blood cells
contain the substance haemoglobin which combines with oxygen in the lungs and carries it to the
tissues. Using this information, explain:
i The results in the Table 1
ii The fact that many top endurance athletes include several months of training at high
altitude as part of their preparation for a major event. [4 points]

Objective 3: Research and Critical Analysis, Followed by Representation and Communication of

Biological and Environmental Information

The text contains a number of underlined words and phrases in bold. Select any one of the 15 words or
phrases and make a short, scientific research about that topic, producing an A4 sized poster presentation,
according to the rubric below.