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Modern farming techniques and efficiency

Ecology • Food production (biology only)

Key concepts

What you'll likely be quizzed about

  • Intensive farming maximizes crop or livestock yields using machinery, chemicals, and close housing.
  • Intensive animal farming houses larger numbers of animals in confined spaces while often restricting movement to minimize energy loss, thus increasing the food energy converted to biomass.
  • Monoculture refers to the continuous cultivation of the same crop on the same land.
  • This practice boosts harvesting efficiency and allows for mechanization, but can lead to soil nutrient depletion and increased pest populations due to continuous access to a single host species.

Flashcards

Test your knowledge with interactive flashcards

Describe how faeces contribute to energy loss in animals.

Click to reveal answer

Incomplete digestion retains energy in feces; a substantial quantity of consumed energy is unabsorbed and lost rather than converted into body tissue.

Key notes

Important points to keep in mind

Producers capture only ~1% of incoming light energy; this limits food production.

Roughly 10% of biomass transfers between trophic levels; removing trophic levels increases efficiency.

Restricting animal movement decreases respiration and enhances feed-to-biomass conversion.

Monoculture increases mechanization benefits but elevates pest risks and soil depletion.

Selective breeding and controlled feeding improve feed conversion ratios, yet raise ethical and disease management issues.

Antibiotic use in feed boosts short-term yield but can accelerate antibiotic resistance.

Crop rotation and hedgerow preservation support soil health and biodiversity, curbing long-term yield declines.

Alternative proteins (e.g., mycoprotein) present lower-land, lower-energy methods for human nutrition via controlled fermentation.

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