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Edexcel IGCSE Biology 5.4 pest control

Practise pest control by interpreting population graphs, weighing biological control against pesticides and planning measured crop-damage investigations.

Syllabus
First assessment 2019
Course
Biology 4BI1

Exam points

  • Interpret pest population graphs after pesticides, predators or combined control methods.
  • Compare biological control with pesticides using specificity, residues and other-species effects.
  • Design pest-control investigations with repeats and measured crop damage or pest counts.

5.4 Pest control question 1

[Maximum number: 6]

Golden rice is an example of a genetically modified plant.

Golden rice has been given a gene to make a substance called carotene.
This gene was taken from daffodil plants.

Question (a)

(a)

Chemical pesticides can be used in rice fields to kill insect pests.

Scientists investigate the effect that spraying pesticides in a rice field has on three types of organism.

The three types of organism investigated are:
- insect pests
- carnivorous beetles (predators of insect pests)
- lizards (higher trophic level predators)

The scientists count the number of each type of organism in the rice field.
The scientists then spray the field with pesticide.
The number of each type of organism in the field are then counted every three months for a year.

The table shows the scientists' results.

These are the scientists' results.

Table for Question (a) — Edexcel IGCSE Biology
[ 6 ]

Question (i)

(i)

Comment on the effects on the numbers of different organisms of spraying pesticides in a rice field.

[ 4 ]

Question (ii)

(ii)

State two reasons why using biological control is better for the environment than using chemical pesticide.

1
2

[ 2 ]
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