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Q41 - Burmese Python Heart Mass Changes After Feeding

Theoretical B Real exam question - full text reproduced under IBO's CC BY-NC-SA 4.0 license
Cardiovascular Physiology

Scientists have studied the Burmese Python’s heart size changes due to different feeding regimes, which are either fed (last feeding 3 days ago) or fasting (last feeding 28 days ago).

Three-panel figure: panel A is a bar chart of percentage change in python heart mass across six conditions (fed pythons, fed pythons infused with BSA + substance Z, and fasting pythons infused with plasma from fed pythons, BSA alone, BSA + substance W, or plasma from fasted pythons); panel B is a bar chart of relative heart DNA mass at three time points (fasting, 3 days after feeding, 28 days after feeding); panel C is a table of heart masses (grams) for four animals (P, Q, R, S) before feeding and 3 days after feeding. Figure 1. A Percentage change in python heart mass (Y-axis) compared to the fasting state, due to feeding regimes. X-axis: A - fed pythons; B - fed pythons infused with BSA + substance Z; C–F - fasting pythons infused with: (C) plasma from fed pythons, (D) BSA, (E) BSA + substance W, (F) plasma from fasted pythons. B Python relative heart DNA mass measured at different time points. Y-axis: relative DNA (ng/mg of ventricular tissue). X-axis: A - fasting python, B - 3 days after feeding, C - 28 days after feeding. C Heart masses (in grams) of animals P, Q, R, S, including the Burmese python, before feeding (BF) and 3 days after feeding (3AF). G - feeding state, H - animal heart masses (g). BSA: bovine serum albumin.

On your answer sheet, indicate “T” for true statements and “F” for false ones.

A. An increase in heart mass of pythons is likely to be due to the increase in cell size.
B. Minimal heart mass increase after feeding occurs in animal P among other animals presented in figure 1-C.
C. Animal R corresponds to Burmese Python.
D. Fed python's plasma might contain substance W.
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Question reproduced from IBO 2024, Theoretical Exam Part B, licensed under CC BY-NC-SA 4.0 - attributed to the International Biology Olympiad. Open the full exam PDF