Agroecosystems 1

Question 1

Agroecosystem

Answer 1

The living organisms, physical processes and their intersections in a farming system

Question 2

Selective breeding

Answer 2

Producing offspring from chosen parents, usually to produce desirable characteristics

Question 3

Genetic modification

Answer 3

The method of altering an organism’s genetic makeup by artificially introducing genes from another organism, often of another species

Question 4

Limiting factor

Answer 4

An environmental factor present in insufficient amounts to allow a process to occur at a faster rate. E.g. a nutrient being the limiting factor for plant growth

Question 5

Biota

Answer 5

Living organisms

Question 6

Évapotranspiration

Answer 6

The combined movement of water into the atmosphere from evaporation from surface leaves and transpiration form surface leaves

Question 7

Solar insolation

Answer 7

Sunlight landing on a surface

Question 8

Hydrological growing season

Answer 8

The length of the year that there is sufficient water to sustain growth

Question 9

Temperature range

Answer 9

Difference between the minimum and maximum temperatures experienced during the year

Question 10

Thermal growing season

Answer 10

It’s the season of the year that is warm enough for plant growth

Question 11

Topography

Answer 11

The 3D shape of the land surface

Question 12

Aspect

Answer 12

The direction something faces in terms of sunlight

Question 13

Tenant farmer

Answer 13

A farmer that rents land from owners

Question 14

Quota

Answer 14

A limit on the number or quantity of items e.g, milk production

Question 15

Harber process

Answer 15

A chemical process used to manufacture ammonia from which nitrate fertilisers can be made

Question 16

F1 hybrid

Answer 16

The first generation of offspring produced by breeding varieties. All the offspring have the same combinations of characteristics

Question 17

True breeding variety

Answer 17

A variety of selectively bred organism where all members are genetically almost identical and produce similar offspring

Question 18

Asexual reproduction

Answer 18

Production of new organism using genetic material from a single individual. The offspring are genetically identical to the parents

Question 19

Vegetative propagation

Answer 19

Asexual reproduction. Shoots grow out from parents plant. Where they touch the ground, roots and leaves start to grow and a ´daughter’ plant develops

Question 20

Micropropagation

Answer 20

Involves growing plants from small pieces of plant tissue in a sterile nutrient medium under carefully controlled conditions

Question 21

Cross breeding

Answer 21

Producing offspring by mating parents of 2 different breeds or varieties

Question 22

Cloning

Answer 22

An artificial form of asexual reproduction. Taking the genetic material from a body cell of one individual and implanting it into the egg cell from a different individual so that it develops like a normal fertiliser egg

Question 23

Hybrid vigour

Answer 23

The good health achieved by breeding between breeds that are not closely related, this reduces the risk of inbreeding and recessive gene diseases

Question 24

Heterosis

Answer 24

The hybrid vigour produced by breeding between two organisms that are not closely related

Question 25

Artificial insemination

Answer 25

A form of selective breeding where semen is collected from a chosen male and is inserted artificially into the chosen female to cause her to become pregnant

Question 26

Embryo transfer

Answer 26

The transfer of fertilised eggs or embryos from a female of rare species into females of a closely related species, this enables more young to be produced than could be achieved through normal breeding. It is also used in livestock breeding

Question 27

IR8

Answer 27

A Green Révolution rice variety

Question 28

Green Revolution

Answer 28

The agricultural change since the mid 20th century, in the 1969s, where high yielding cereal varieties were bred to increase food production

Question 29

Transgenics

Answer 29

The process of artificially transferring genetic material from one organism into an individual of another species

Question 30

Genetic engineering

Answer 30

The method of altering an organism’s genetic makeup by artificially introducing genes from another organism, often from another species

Question 31

Cutting (method of asexual reproduction)

Answer 31

Putting the cut end of a stem into damp soil. Roots develop from the current and a new plant is produced that is genetically identical to the original plant