Key enquiry questions

What are the characteristics that differentiate the worlds biome?

 Every biome has particular features that make it different from other biomes. The main
characteristics that differentiate these biomes are latitude, altitude, soil, temperature,
precipitation, sunlight and plants and animals. Every biome is different because of its
location (latitude), the type of soil, which affects what types of plants and animals there
are and the climate considering its altitude. For example, hot desert biomes have high
temperatures but not enough precipitation to sustain an abundance and diversity of life.
On the other hand, tropical rainforests have an abundance of heat and precipitation
making them plentiful in plant and animal communities.
How do people use and alter biomes for food production?
 Across the world people have modified biomes to produce food thorough the
applications of innovative technologies. In general, the focus of food production is to
modify water, climate, soil, land and crops. Forests are cut down, burnt and replaced
with a single plant species, wetlands and swamps are drained and vast areas of native
grasses are replaced with crops such as wheat and rice. Places where water is not
consistently available to water the crops irrigation is used.
Can the worlds biomes sustainably feed the world’s population?
 The worlds biomes can feed the world’s population now and in the future. However, if
we don’t change the way we treat our environment future generations may be affected
greatly. Many issues that we face affects the way we produce food. Climate change is
one of the biggest concerns as it changes the way we grow our crops and what types of
crops can be grownups certain areas of the world. Despite the many issues tamper with,
and effect how we produce food, as time goes on technology is constantly developing
which means we can find other ways to grow crops. So overall we can sustainably feed
the worlds population if we use the technology effectively and treat the environment in
a well mannered way.
What strategies can be used to increase global food security?
 To increase the global food security we need to look after the soil, manage water and
control pests.
Managing the soil: many farming practises such as ploughing, fertilising, clearing natural
vegetation, irrigating and drainage have degraded soil to such an extent that the soil can
longer support the same growth as before. So in order to stop we have to reduce ploughing,
add protective layers of organic materials( mulch) ad growing plants that help return
nutrients to the soil.
Water management- Measuring soil moisture and delivering water to plants and animals are
help to reduce poor water management techniques and improve results in yields.
Measuring distribution of. Water not only con severe the resource, but also avoids over
watering witch can lead to salty soils. Another good strategy is storing rain water in dams
and adding it to crops during critical growing times.
Pests control: Pesticides such as chemical sprays helps to increase the amount of food
grown in many places. But some of the side effects of using these pesticides are; build-up of
chemicals in the soil, loss of biodiversity and an immunity of some pests to the chemicals –
have damaged some of the natural processes on which farmers depend. Using natural pest
controls such as ladybirds to reduce the numbers of aphids on crops has been highly
successful in many places.