Edexcel IGCSE Biology · Section 5
Use of Biological Resources
Producing food with crops, microorganisms and fish, plus selective breeding, genetic modification and cloning.
What this section covers
This final section focuses on how humans use biological knowledge. Students need to understand food production, microorganisms, selective breeding, genetic modification and cloning.
- Explain how crop production and fish farming can be managed.
- Describe the use of microorganisms in food production.
- Compare selective breeding and genetic modification.
- Understand the methods and uses of cloning in plants and animals.
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1
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Crop Production
Spec 5.1-5.4
How glasshouses, fertilisers and pest control are used to increase crop yields.
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2
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Biological Control: Benefits and Risks
Spec 5.4
Covers define biological control, Explain advantages over chemical pesticides and Evaluate limitations and ecological risks.
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3
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Microorganisms and Food
Spec 5.5-5.8
How microorganisms are used to make food and drink, including yoghurt and bread, using fermenters.
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4
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Investigating Yeast Fermentation
Spec 5.6
Covers plan a reproducible yeast fermentation investigation, Identify independent, dependent and control variables and Improve reliability and control practical risks.
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5
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Fish Farming
Spec 5.9B
How fish farming increases food production, and the methods used to maximise the yield.
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6
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Fish Farming: Water Quality and Waste
Spec 5.9B
Covers explain how intensive fish farms maintain water quality, Link waste removal to fish health and Balance productivity with environmental impact.
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7
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Selective Breeding
Spec 5.10-5.11
How selective breeding produces plants and animals with desired characteristics over generations.
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8
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DNA Ligase and Recombinant Plasmids
Spec 5.12
Covers distinguish restriction enzymes from DNA ligase, Explain how a recombinant plasmid is made and Describe how transformed bacteria are selected.
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9
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Genetic Modification
Spec 5.12-5.16
What genetic modification is, how it is carried out, and examples such as bacteria making insulin.
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10
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Cloning
Spec 5.17B-5.20B
How plants and animals are cloned, including tissue culture and the cloning of Dolly the sheep.
Frequently asked questions
How is selective breeding carried out?
Choose parents with the desired characteristic, breed them together, then repeat over many generations so the trait becomes more common.
What is genetic modification?
Transferring a gene from one organism into another to give it a useful characteristic — for example, putting the human insulin gene into bacteria.
How are microorganisms used to make food?
Microorganisms such as bacteria and yeast are grown in fermenters to make foods and drinks like yoghurt, bread and alcohol.
How can crop yields be increased?
By using glasshouses, fertilisers and pest control to give crops the best conditions for photosynthesis and growth.
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