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Flashcards in Other Deck (25)
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1
Q

Nectar decrease fact

A

Nectar production decreased by 30% between 1930 and 1978

Bauds et al., 2016

2
Q

What is most popular insecticide?

A

Neonicotinoids

Neurotoxins to most arthropods

3
Q

What % of crop species need pollinators?

A

75%

4
Q

What % of flowering plant species need animal pollination

A

88%

5
Q

Value of pollinators

A

Breeze et al. 2015

£379-£695 million

6
Q

Results of coating seeds in neonicotinoids

A

Negative results on honeybees - 24% population decline
Wind wild bees (Bombus terrestris) reproduction was negatively correlated with neonicotinoid residues
Woodcock et al., 2017

7
Q

Neonics and honey

A

1/5 neonics found in 75% of worldwide honey samples

2/5 found in 45% of samples

8
Q

% of UK’s land used for agriculture

A

70%

9
Q

Pest control method

A

Beetle banks
Boost predatory insect numbers so control pests
Protect banks from spray
Also overwintering and protection from ploughing

10
Q

Colorado beetle

A

Leptinotarsa decemlineata
Serious pest in USA
4 sp. predatory bugs/beetles attack it on potato leaves
3 sp. nematodes and bacteria attack it in the soil
On organic farms there was better ‘evenness’ of species abundances
Greater evenness meant more beetles were killed and potato plants benefitted
Crowder et al. 2010

11
Q

Parasitoids quote

A

Parasitoids are one of the largest and most important group of pest controllers
Cross et al. 1999

12
Q

Bumblebees and habitat quality

A

Carvell et al. 2017

Habitat quality significantly positively correlated with the survival of family lineages

13
Q

Who does pollinator loss disproportionately affect?

A

Developing countries

14
Q

What is ecological intensification?

A

Enhancing ecosystem functions that regulate and support production to get sustainable increases in crop yields

15
Q

How much arable land does Earth have?

A

3.1/14.7 billion hectares

16
Q

Number of species in Poaceae

A

857 genera

10,500-11,000 species

17
Q

What is a grass?

A
  • Monocot - parallel-veined leaves and flower parts in multiples of 3
  • Perennial or annual herbs, stems erect, ascending, prostrate or creeping, round, hollow or solid at internodes, solid at nodes
  • Leaves - alternate, composed of an open sheath, ligule and blade. Sheath encloses at stem
  • Flowers - spikelets contain 1 or more florets; usually subtended by glumes
  • Wide geographic range
18
Q

Why most grasses can tolerate grazing

A

-Apical meristems are either underground or at ground level

19
Q

What is the most efficient source of carbohydrate?

A

Rice

20
Q

When did agriculture begin?

A

8,000-12,000 years ago

21
Q

Where was wheat domesticated?

A

Near East

22
Q

Where was corn domesticated?

A

Central and South America

23
Q

Where was rice domesticated?

A

India and China

24
Q

Biological and technological advances

A
  1. Introduction of new crops
  2. Mechanisation
  3. New and improved varieties
  4. Inorganic fertilisers
  5. Pesticides and fungicides
25
Q

Further crop improvement

A
  • High crop yield
  • High nutritional quality
  • Nitrogen fixation: less use of fertilisers
  • Drought resistance
  • Resistance to pests
  • Insensitivity to photoperiod: multiple cropping during a growing season if they don’t respond to say length
  • Plant architecture: positioning of leaves, branching pattern of stem, height of plant, positioning of organs
  • Toxic or unwanted compounds