7.5 Ecology (food production) Flashcards
What is food security?
Having enough food to be able to feed a population
State the biological factors threatening food security
- rising birth rates
- changing diets in developed countries - food is transported around the world
- new pests and pathogens
- environmental changes affecting food production
- increased cost of agriculture
- armed conflicts
How does intensive farming increase the production of animals?
- feed animals high protein foods to increase growth
- reducing their energy loss to the environment by limiting movement and regulating their surrounding temperature
- feed animals antibiotics to prevent diseases
What are the advantages of intensive farming?
- higher yield of food
- more efficient
- allows easier quality control
What are the disadvantages of intensive farming?
- may lead to antibiotic resistance
- cost is high
- ethical objections (limiting movement of animals may cause them harm)
- biodiversity may be reduced
How can fish stocks be conserved?
- control the size of gaps in fishing nets to prevent juvenile fish from being killed before reaching reproductive maturity
- introduce fishing quotas
What is a transgenic organism?
an organism that has been genetically modified to contain genetic material from another source
State an example of genetically modified foods?
golden rice
How/why might crops be genetically modified?
- to improve nutritional value
- to be pest resistant
- to be pesticide resistant
What are the advantages of golden rice?
it contains additional beta-carotene which can be converted to vitamin A in the body, supplementing people who do not obtain enough vitamin A in their diet to prevent night blindness from forming
What is mycoprotein?
a protein-rich substance used to make meat substitute food for vegetarians and vegans
How is mycoprotein produced?
Fusarium, a fungus, is grown on glucose syrup in aerobic conditions and the biomass is harvested and purified to get the mycoprotein
