Harnessing Biology: Food Production Flashcards
how have different varieties of dog been produced?
- through deliberate selective breeding by dog-owners
what are the steps taken to select a particular feature in an organism?
- choose individuals with the desired feature
- let only these individuals reproduce
- choose the offspring that have the desired feature
- let only these individuals reproduce
- repeat steps 3 and 4 until you have produced a variety in which all individuals show the desired feature.
what is the key to success with selective breeding?
- is to identify the feature you want, only breed from the individuals that have that feature, and do not allow individuals with undesirable features to breed
what are some examples of what selective breeding can produce?
- hens that lay big eggs of a particular colour
- cattle that produce lots of meat
- tomato plants that produce lots of tomatoes
- crops that are resistant to certain plant diseases
what do farmers do to make a profit on their farms?
- they try to control the environment in such a way as to maximise the yield from crop plants and livestock
what are the factors which affect photosynthesis?
- light intensity
- CO2 conc.
- temperature
where do farmers grow crops and why?
- in greenhouses
- as in open fields it is very difficult to control the factors which affect photosynthesis and many others
- greenhouses mean that farmers can have artificial heating, artificial lighting, additional CO2 in the air and regular watering
what provide enhanced conditions for plants to grow?
- greenhouses
- polythene tunnels
why do greenhouses and polythene tunnels provide enhanced conditions for plants to grow?
- the transparent material allows sufficient natural light in for photosynthesis during the summer. additional lighting gives a ‘longer day’ during the winter for valuable crops
- the greenhouse effect also raises the temperature in the glasshouses
- burning fossil fuels or wood raises the temperature when the external temperature is too low. it also produces carbon dioxide and water vapour
- water vapour maintains a moist atmosphere and so reduces water loss by transpiration
what do fertilisers provide?
- elements needed by plants to grow such as nitrates for proteins and magnesium for the production of chlorophyll
what are the two types of fertilisers?
- organic
- inorganic
what is an organic fertiliser?
- made from faeces of a range of animals, sometimes mixed with straw
- also compost from legumes such as clover
what is inorganic fertiliser?
- inorganic compounds carefully formulated to yield a specific concentration of a particular ion when applied according to the manufacturer’s instructions
what are the advantages of organic fertiliser?
- improves soil structure
- greater range of minerals
- releases minerals over a longer period of time
- less cost to farmer - already available on the farm
what are the disadvantages of organic fertiliser?
- slow acting - has to be decomposed first
- bulkier, so more difficult than inorganic fertilisers to apply
- may contain pests
what are the advantages of inorganic fertiliser?
- mineral ions release immediately so fast acting
- contents known
- easy to apply
what are the disadvantages of inorganic fertiliser?
- can lead to eutrophication as fertiliser is soluble
- requires regular application
what is a way to replace lost nitrates?
- to grow a legume crop, such as clover, in a field one year in four
- these plants have nitrogen-fixing bacteria in nodules on their roots
- they convert nitrogen gas in the air into ammonium ions
- some of this is passed to the plants, which use it to make proteins
- in the autumn, the crop is ploughed in and when the protein in the crop and bacteria is broken down (decomposed) ammonium is released into the soil
- the ammonium is then converted to nitrate by nitrifying bacteria and is available to next years’ crops
what are pests?
- pests are organisms that reduce the yield of crop plants or stock animals
- by doing this they cause economic damage to the farmer
- any organism can be a pest
how are pesticides names?
- according to the type of organism they kill
how can pests be controlled?
- chemicals called pesticides
- use another organism to reduce the numbers of a pest- biological control
what do herbicides kill?
- plant pests
what to insecticides kill?
insects
what do fungicides kill?
fungi
what do molluscicides kill?
- molluscs (e.g. slugs and snails)
what do pesticides do?
- used to kill specific pests and so improve the yield from the crops and livestock
when are pests a problem?
- when they are present in sufficient numbers to cause economic damage