Food Production

Question 1

The increasing human population requires an increases food yield. What two things can this involve?

Answer 1

1. Fertilisers

2. Pesticides

Question 2

What is a fertiliser?

Answer 2

Fertilisers provide chemicals such as nitrate which increases crop yield

Question 3

What is a pesticide?

Answer 3

Plants and animals which reduce crop yield can be killed by pesticides

Question 4

Fertilisers can leach into fresh water adding extra unwanted nitrates. This will increase algal populations which can cause what?

Answer 4

Algal blooms

Question 5

What do algal blooms have a negative impact on water?

Answer 5

Algal blooms reduce light levels in the pond, killing aquatic plants because they can no longer photosynthesise. These dead plants become food for the bacteria causing them to increase.

Question 6

How does the bacteria cause death of other organisms?

Answer 6

The bacteria uses large quantities of oxygen for other organisms

Question 7

Pesticides sprayed onto crops can accumulate in the bodies of organisms over time. As they are passed along the food chains, what increases?

Answer 7

Toxicity

Question 8

What is bio accumulation?

Answer 8

The chemicals in the pesticide could not be broken down by the animals that ate them. Therefore every time contaminated food was eaten the pesticide accumulated in the body tissues and its concentration increases along the food chain.

Question 9

What is the name given to the alternative use of pesticides?

Answer 9

Biological control

Question 10

What is used for biological control and why?

Answer 10

Natural predators because the number of pests can be reduced

Question 11

Genetically modified crops have received genes from other organisms in order to improve what?

Answer 11

Their characteristics

Question 12

What 3 things may genetic modification of crop plants help?

Answer 12

1. Reduce the impact of intense farming methods
2. Increase yield
3. Improve nutritional quality of the plant

Question 13

What is the impact of human population on food production?

Answer 13

Increase in human population requires an increase in food yield

Question 14

How do plants obtain and use nitrates?

Answer 14

Nitrates are dissolved into the soil and absorbed through the plant through the roots

Plants use nitrates to produce amino acids which make proteins

Question 15

How to animals obtain amino acids?

Answer 15

They consume other plants or animals to gain amino acids need for protein synthesis

Question 16

Describe the relationship between nitrates and fertiliser

Answer 16

Fertilisers can be added to the soil to increase nitrate concentration