CAIE IGCSE Biology 20.1 Food Supply Question Bank
Practise food-supply questions by evaluating farming methods, monoculture trade-offs and intensive livestock impacts on yield, biodiversity and pollution.
- Syllabus
- 2026–2028
- Course
- Biology 0610
Exam points
- explain how machinery, fertilisers, insecticides, herbicides and breeding raise yield
- weigh monoculture yield against disease risk, habitat loss and reduced biodiversity
- compare intensive-livestock output with feed, waste, disease and environmental costs
Covered syllabus points
20.1 Food supply question 1
Phloem is used to transport sucrose and amino acids in plants. Sucrose is a carbohydrate.
Aphids are used by investigators to discover how plants transport sucrose.
Fig. 2.2 shows an aphid with its mouthparts inserted into a plant stem to feed on the liquid in the phloem.
Fig. 2.2
A plant was put in a dark cupboard for several days.
Four aphids, A, B, C and D, were then placed on the plant in the dark cupboard as shown in Fig. 2.3.
Fig. 2.3
Many crop farmers try to prevent insects such as aphids from damaging their plants.
Describe how modern technology is used to reduce damage to crop plants by insects.
20.1 Food supply question 2
Fig. 4.1 is a flow chart showing some of the processes that occur in a biofuels power plant.
Fig. 4.1
Farmers grow giant reed plants as monocultures.
Describe the disadvantages of growing giant reed plants to provide biomass for the production of biofuels.
20.1 Food supply question 3
The dominant grass species in an African grassland ecosystem are star grass and red oat grass.
- Star grass is eaten by antelope species, such as topi and Thomson's gazelle.
- Smaller animals such as mice and grasshoppers feed on red oat grass.
- Topi and Thomson's gazelle are eaten by predators such as cheetahs, lions and serval cats.
- Grasshoppers and mice are eaten by serval cats and tawny eagles.
- Vultures feed on dead mammals.
Fig. 1.1 shows part of the food web for this ecosystem.
Fig. 1.1
Fish such as salmon can be reared intensively in fish farms. They are fed on high protein food made from animals. When eating this food, the fish are feeding as secondary consumers.
Describe the disadvantages of intensive farming, such as salmon farming, for producing human food.
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