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ScotlandBiology

Area 3: Sustainability and Interdependence

6 dot points across 6 inquiry questions. Click any dot point for a focused answer with worked past exam questions where available.

How does the welfare of farmed animals affect productivity, and how is it judged?

The costs and benefits of intensive and free-range farming, the link between animal welfare and productivity, the use of indicators of poor welfare such as stereotypy and misdirected behaviour, and how observed behaviour is used to assess the welfare of farmed animals.
An SQA Higher Biology answer on animal welfare, covering the costs and benefits of intensive and free-range farming, the link between welfare and productivity, and indicators of poor welfare such as stereotypy, misdirected behaviour, failure in sexual behaviour and altered activity.
9 min answer →

What is biodiversity, why does it matter, and what threatens it?

The components of biodiversity (genetic diversity, species diversity and ecosystem diversity), the measurement of species diversity from richness and relative abundance, the threats posed by human activity, and the meaning and causes of mass extinction.
An SQA Higher Biology answer on biodiversity and mass extinction, covering genetic, species and ecosystem diversity, how species diversity is measured from richness and relative abundance, the threats from human activity, and the meaning and causes of mass extinction.
9 min answer →

How are crops protected from weeds, pests and disease in a sustainable way?

The threats that weeds, pests and diseases pose to crop productivity, the characteristics of annual and perennial weeds, the use of chemical control by selective and systemic pesticides, the problems of pesticides, and the use of cultural, biological and integrated pest management.
An SQA Higher Biology answer on crop protection, covering the threats from weeds, pests and diseases, the features of annual and perennial weeds, selective and systemic pesticides and their problems, and cultural, biological and integrated pest management.
10 min answer →

How can we increase food supply sustainably, and how does photosynthesis make food possible?

Food supply, sustainable food production and the demands of a growing human population, the dependence of food production on photosynthesis, the capture and conversion of light energy in the light reactions and carbon fixation, and the factors limiting productivity in crops and livestock.
An SQA Higher Biology answer on food supply and photosynthesis, covering sustainable food production for a growing population, the dependence of food production on photosynthesis, the capture and conversion of light energy and carbon fixation, and the factors that limit productivity.
10 min answer →

How are crops and livestock improved to give better, more sustainable yields?

The improvement of crops and livestock by breeding, the aims of breeding programmes, inbreeding and the problem of inbreeding depression, crossbreeding and F1 hybrids, the role of genetic technology and genome sequencing, and the use of field trials to test new varieties.
An SQA Higher Biology answer on plant and animal breeding, covering the aims of breeding programmes, inbreeding and inbreeding depression, crossbreeding and F1 hybrid vigour, the role of genetic technology and genome sequencing, and the design of field trials.
10 min answer →

How do close relationships between species, and social behaviour within a species, aid survival?

Symbiosis as a co-evolved intimate relationship between members of two species, including parasitism and mutualism, and social behaviour including social hierarchy, co-operative hunting, social defence, altruism, kin selection and the social organisation of insects and primates.
An SQA Higher Biology answer on symbiosis and social behaviour, covering parasitism and mutualism as co-evolved relationships, and social behaviour including social hierarchy, co-operative hunting, social defence, altruism, kin selection and the social organisation of insects and primates.
10 min answer →