Plants and people Flashcards
(20 cards)
1
Q
how much atmospheric carbon is fixated per year via terrestrial photosynthesis
A
50B tonnes
2
Q
plants as food
A
- at least 30,000 plant species edible
- only 6-7,000 cultivated for food
3
Q
what 4 crops are mainly relied on for food
A
- wheat
- rice
- soybeans
- maize
4
Q
food waste/loss
A
- 1/3 of food lost/wasted
- if just 25% can be saved, 870m more people could be fed
5
Q
how to feed 2B more people by 2050
A
- utilise more species
- shift diets
- reduce waste
- innovation
6
Q
methods of innovation to feed more people
A
- vertical farming
- genetic modification
- AI & computing
- precision agriculture
7
Q
sources of energy
A
- wood
- oil & gas
- coal
- hydroelectric
8
Q
products made by plants
A
- rubber
- paper
-timber - cloth
- oils
- spices
- herbs
9
Q
examples of medicinal plants
A
- mandrake = first anaesthetic, used in Egyptian childbirth
- foxglove = digitoxin derived
- opium poppy = morphine
- willow = aspirin
10
Q
leprosy
A
- affects nervous system, causes skin lesions & disfigurement
- chaulmoogra oil from hydnocarpus tree most effective drug until 1946
11
Q
malaria
A
- worlds greatest killer
- quinine was most important anti-malarial drug until 1944
- tonic water contains quinine
- modern medicine uses synthetic versions of quinine
12
Q
psychoactive plants
A
- coca
- kat
- cannabis
- opium poppy
-mescal bean - snakeroot
- kava
- ololuiqui
13
Q
coca
A
- cocaine is one of 14 derivatives
- coca leaves important in South American cultures
- chew on leaves to suppress hunger and relieve tiredness
14
Q
opium
A
- extracted from opium poppy
- highly effective analgesic
- highly addictive
- opium wars
- morphine most abundant opiate
- heroin= modified version of morphine
15
Q
LSD
A
- psychedelic drug
- affects emotions and visual perception
- marketed as a cure for everything = from schz to sexual perversions
16
Q
dangerous plants
A
- nettles
- giant hogweed
- hemlock
- laburnum trees
- ricin
17
Q
giant hogweed
A
- sap makes skin extra sensitive to UV light, causes lesions
18
Q
laburnum trees
A
- common in uk
- seeds are poisonous & look like peas
19
Q
ricin
A
- 1mg of ricin can kill
- found in caster beans but ricin compound is not lipid soluble so not found in caster oil
- used in many assassination attempts
20
Q
Irish potato famine
A
- 1840s
- 500,000-1,100,000 died
- 2m emigrated
- 15% Americans have Irish heritage
