Ecology - Biomass,Food and Biotechnology

Trophic Level

Refers to the position of an organism within a food chain

Trophic level 1

• Produces

• make own food by photosynthesis using energy from the sun

Trophic level 2

• primary consumers

• herbivores that eat plants and algae

Trophic level 3

• secondary consumers

• carnivores that eat secondary consumers

• meat eaters

Trophic level 4

• tertiary consumers

• carnivores that eat other carnivores

• apex predators - have no predators top of food chain

Decomposers

• break down dead plant and animal matter

• diffuse into microorganisms

• releases nutrient into environment

Food chain loss of energy

• arrows represent transfer of energy

• only 10 percent of energy is transferred at each level which is not enough biomass/energy for organisms to exist at higher levels

Biomass

Mass of organic material that comes from living organisms

Pyramid of biomass

• might be asked to draw,calc ratio

• shows biomass of each trophic level in a food chain

Reasons why energy is lost at each level

• Inedible/Undigestible food - bones

• Respiration/Heat/Movement

• Egestion

• Excretion

Biomass calculation for efficiency

efficiency = biomass transffered to the next level/biomass availale at the previous level *100

Food security

Having enough food to feed a population

Factors affecting food security

• birth rate population increase

• chainge in diet

• new pest and pathogens - loss of livestock

• high input cost of farming

• conflict affecting availiability of food/water

Methods to reduce overfishing

• quotes

• net size

• specific fishing times

How does net size affect fishing

• selectively capture adult (mature) fish

• allow for young fish to escape

• pormoting growth and reporduction for sustainable fish populations

How do quotas affect fishing

• limit amount of fish caught

• maintain balanced ecosystems

• ensuring long term viability of fish stocks

Efficiency of food production

• limitng movement of livestock and temperature controlled environment

• reduced transfer of energy into environment

• more efficient as less energy so more is available for growth

Intensive farming

• free range animals produce less mean than animals farmed intensely

• animals kept indoors

• provided with high nutrient food

• antibitoics

• constant optimuim temp

Euthrophication 6 marker

• too many mineral ions in soil trees cannot absorb

• rain occurs mineral ions get leached

• starts of good as aquatic plants grow

• no light can enter due to algal bloom

• no photosyntehsis

• aquatic plants die

• decompose

• no o2 - anoxic environement

Positivies and negatives of farming

Pos - Produces food,creates jobs,efficient

Neg - Deforest - GW,Extinction,Reduced biodiversity

• Fertlisers leached euhtrophication

• soil depletion of mg2+ for chlorophyll and No32- for amino acids

• Pesiticdes/herbicides/fungicides

Mycoprotein

• protein made by fungi

• high protein meat substitutes for vegetarian meals

• fungus fusarium

• anaerobic conditions in gklucose syrup

Fermentor DRAW

• Tube for thing to go i and out

• substances - fuserium glucose +nitrogen for ammonia

• water jacket to control temp

• monitor temp for thermometer

• o2 tube

• ph meter

Producing human insulin

• plasmid removed from bacterium

• insulin gene cut out human chromosone with restriction enzyme

• cut leave dna strand and a sticky end

• plasmid cut open sticky end

• plasmid and humans insulin gene mixed together

• lipase is added join sticky ends to produce recombinant DNA

• recombinant DNA is inserted into a bacterium

• grown under a vat in controlled conditions

• insulin harvested to treat people with diabetes

Genetically modified crops evaluation

• Benefits

• increase amount of food organism provides

• help people “Golden Rice”

• Negatives

• need to tackle poverty first

• countries might be dependent of GM seeds

• poor soil is the main reason and gm crops wont survive

Golden rice

• rice modified to produce a chemical that is converted to vitamin A in the body

• lack of this vitamin can cause blindness