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GCSE Biology · key term
An organism that damages crops, stored food or livestock and so reduces agricultural output.
Used by AQA, Edexcel and OCR
Specification 4.7.5.1 · Paper 2
Revise: Food Security FactorsA pest damages crops, stored food or livestock. A pathogen causes disease. New pests and pathogens can lower crop yields, kill livestock or spoil stored food, leaving less food available from the same area of land.
Specification 4.13B, 5.9B, 5.10B, 9.11B · Paper 1, Paper 2
An organism that damages crops or reduces their yield.
Biological control reduces pest numbers rather than necessarily eliminating the pest.
For a plant defence question, state what the chemical does to a pest or pathogen, not just that the plant produces it.
Distinguish a pest, which damages or eats a crop, from a pathogen, which causes disease.
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Insecticides can reduce crop losses to insects, while herbicides kill weeds that compete with crops for light, water and mineral nutrients. These chemicals may also affect organisms that were not the intended targets, and pests can evolve resistance. Selective breeding and genetic engineering can produce high-yielding or pest-resistant crops, but their processes and wider risks are considered in neighbouring lessons.
An organism that harms a plant, for example by feeding on it.
A living organism that damages crops or livestock, for example by eating a crop.
Specification B6.2a · Paper 2 (Foundation), Paper 4 (Higher)
An organism that damages crops, attacks livestock or consumes food intended for humans.
Revise: Food securityPests can eat crops, compete with them or damage stored food. Examples include insects feeding on leaves and grain, and rodents consuming stored harvests. Damage before or after harvesting reduces the amount that reaches consumers.
Paper 1 (Foundation), Paper 2 (Foundation), Paper 3 (Higher), Paper 4 (Higher)
An organism that damages crops or livestock, reducing the food available to people.
Revise: Food SecurityPests can eat or damage crops, while pathogens cause disease in crops or livestock. A new pest or pathogen may spread through a farming area and reduce the amount harvested or the number of healthy animals. Environmental change can have a similar effect.