Ecology - Food Security and Biotechnology 225-228 Flashcards
(19 cards)
what is food security
having enough food to feed a population
what factors threaten food security
5 points
1) the world population
2) diets in developed countries changing
3) farming being affected by pests, pathogens or changes in the environment
4) high input costs of farming
5) conflicts in the world
how does population affect food security
2 points
1) the world population keeps increasing, with the birth rate of many developing countries rising
2) this means more people to feed
how do changes in diet in developed countries affect food security
2 points
1) as diets in developed countries change, the demand for foods to be imported from developing countries increases
2) this means already scarce food resources become even more scarce
how does farming being affected by pests, pathogens or changes in the environment affect food security
this can result in loss of crops or livestock and lead to widespread famine
how does high input costs of farming affect food security
2 points
1) this can make it too expensive for people in some countries to start or maintain food production
2) this means there aren’t enough people producing food in these areas to feed people
how do conflicts in the world affect food security
they affect the availability of food and water
what is sustainable food production
2 points
1) making enough food without using resources faster than they renew
2) this is needed so that enough food can be made to feed everyone now and in the future
what effect does overfishing have
3 points
1) fish stocks are declining in the oceans
2) this means fewer fish for us to eat
3) the oceans food chains are affected, some fish species might disappear in some areas
how can we maintain fish stocks
2 points
1) fishing quotas
2) limits on net size
what are fishing quotas
2 points
1) there are limits on the number and size of fish that can be caught in certain areas
2) this prevents certain species from being overfished
how do limits to net size help maintain fish stocks
4 points
1) there are limits to the mesh size of the fish net depending on what’s being fished
2) this reduces the number of ‘unwanted’ and discarded fish - the ones caught accidentally
3) using bigger mesh sizes will let the ‘unwanted species escape
4) also means younger fish will escape, allowing them to reach breeding age
what is factory farming
4 points
1) limiting the movement of livestock and keeping them in a temp-controlled environment
2) this reduces amount of energy transferred form livestock to the environment
3) which makes farming more efficient as the animals use less energy moving around or controlling their body temp
4) this means more energy is available for growth, so more food
what are some examples of factory farming
3 points
1) livestock like calves or chickens can be factory farmed - this involves raising them in small pens
2) fish can be factory farm in cages where their movement is restricted
3) some animals are also fed high protein food to further increase their growth
why is factory farming controversial
2 points
1) the animals are kept so close together disease can spread easily
2) ethical objections as the conditions they’re kept in are unnatural and cruel
how can bacteria be genetically engineered to make human insulin
7 points
1) a plasmid is removed from a bacterium
2) the insulin gene is cut out a human chromosome using restriction enzymes, the cut leaves one of the DNA strands with unrepaired bases - a ‘sticky end’
3) the plasmid is cut open using the same enzyme - leaving ‘sticky ends’
4) the plasmid and human insulin gene are mixed together
5) ligase is added, which joins the sticky ends together to produce recombinant DNA
6) the recombinant DNA is inserted into a bacterium, the modified bacterium is grown in a vat under controlled conditions
7) you end up with millions of bacteria that produce insulin which can be harvested and purified to treat people with diabetes
what is Mycoprotein
3 points
1) it’s used to make high protein meat substitutes for vegetarian meals - Quorn
2) it’s made from the fungus Fusarium which is grown in aerobic conditions on glucose syrup (its food)
3) the fungal biomass is harvested and purified to produce mycoprotein
how can biotechnology help get enough food for people and help vary people’s diets
3 points
1) GM crops can be produced that are resistant to pests - improving crop yields
2) they can be genetically modified to grow better in drought conditions
3) some crops can be modified to provide more nutritional value e.g. ‘Golden Rice’ is modified to produce a chemical that’s converted to vitamin A in the body
why are people against genetically modifying food
3 points
1) some people argue they go hungry because they can’t afford food so instead we need to tackle poverty
2) there are fears that countries may become dependent on companies who sell GM seeds
3) sometimes poor soil is the main reason why crops fail so even GM crops won’t survive
