Use of Biological Resources · 6 question types
Past paper frequency (2018 to 2024)
This topic accounts for approximately 9% of your exam marks.
Selective breeding vs natural selection comparisons and examples appear across most papers.
Most of our staple food crops have been transformed by thousands of years of selective breeding.
| Goal | Why it matters |
|---|---|
| Higher yield | More food per hectare of farmland |
| Disease resistance | Less crop lost to fungal, viral or bacterial disease |
| Pest resistance | Less reliance on chemical pesticides |
| Drought tolerance | Crops survive in drier climates and use less irrigation |
| Tolerance to extreme temperatures | Crops can be grown in more places |
| Better taste, colour or shelf life | More commercially valuable |
| Larger fruits or grains | More food per plant |
| Shorter growing season | Two or three crops per year instead of one |