Agriculture & Climate Change Flashcards
Name the system that classifies areas of the world based on climate variables.
The Koppen-Geiger Climate Classification System.
What are the three variables used by the Koppen-Geiger Climate Classification System?
Main climate, precipitation and temperature.
Plants are autotrophs - what does this mean?
They create all the energy they need for themselves (from sunlight).
The majority of plants follow which photosynthetic pathway?
C3 photosynthesis.
Grassy crops, such as sugar cane, follow which photosynthetic pathway? How does this differ from C3 photosynthesis?
C4 photosynthesis.
There is an additional step prior to the Calvin Cycle where carbon is taken up by PEP carboxylase, requiring ATP.
Which requires more energy - C3 photosynthesis or C4 photosynthesis? What bearing does this have on where the crops can be grown?
C4 photosynthesis requires more energy, therefore they are grown closer to the equator.
Name an advantage of C4 photosynthesis.
Water conservation.
Name some crops which follow C4 photosynthesis.
Maize, sorghum, millet.
Name some crops which follow C3 photosynthesis.
Wheat, barley, oats, rye, triticale and rice.
Grain maize must be able to complete its full life cycle from ……….. to …………… at temperature above ……. .
Sowing, harvest, 10c.
The life cycle of maize grown in the UK is 140 days, from ……… until the end of …………….. This means most maize in the UK is harvested early and used as ………….. …………. .
May, September, cattle fodder.
How can soil temperature be raised slightly to enable crops such as maize to be planted early?
Laying plastic strips across fields.
What do farmers use heat map calculators for?
To check if they can grow a certain crop.
Why has maize ‘marched north’ in the UK? Why is it so valuable as cattle fodder?
Maize has marched north as global warming means that it can be grown across more of the UK.
It is more energy dense and has a higher % of crude protein and crude starch then, for example, first cut grass silage. Ity also provides higher yields because it is a C4 crop.
Agriculture is the …….. highest emitter of greenhouse gases globally and produces emissions at all stages of the pathway.
Fourth.
How do plants adapt their growth patterns to increasing temperatures?
Longer stalks and growing further away from other plants to increase air flow.
Smaller leaves to reduce water loss.
How can changes in night time temperatures affect crops?
At night, heat is trapped in a thin layer near the ground, warming the soil more quickly.
This means that yield decreases, partially to so with increased night time respiration.
Name some factors that can exacerbate extreme weather events.
Land use changes, overgrazing, continuous cropping, soil erosion etc.
Are the effects of climate change ALWAYS negative?
No! Although the 2022 summer heatwave in the UK lead to £20m losses in fruit and vegetables, apricots could be grown in the UK for the first time!
How does global warming affect the pests and diseases which can afflict crops?
As temperatures rise, pests can migrate further north. Insects can metabolise more food at higher temperatures, so they will eat more. Changes in dispersion problems such as wind and rain can chage which pests and diseases end up where.
What does abiotic mean?
All the non-living factors present in an ecosystem.
What does milder winters mean for the impact of aphids on sugar beet?
Milder winters mean that more aphids survive. Their first flight is earlier and lasts for longer.
The yield loss of a severe infestation of aphids on sugar beet can be…?
…over 30%.
How are fungal pathogen mostly spread?
Water dispersion.
