3.4.7 Investigating diversity

Question 1

Name four ways we can measure genetic diversity.

Answer 1

1. Frequency of observable characteristics
2. Base sequence of DNA
3. Base sequence of mRNA
4. Amino acid sequence

Question 2

what is meant by gene technology?

Answer 2

Sampling DNA or mRNA in order to read and compare the base sequence of organisms.
Alternatively the amino acid sequence can be studied as this will also provide information on the organism’s mRNA and DNA sequences.

Question 3

Why do scientists prefer to use gene technology instead of observation?

Answer 3

simply inferring DNA differences by observing an organism’s characteristics is not reliable; the characteristic could be coded for by more than one gene, or could be influenced by the environment.

Question 4

what is sampling?

Answer 4

selecting a group of individuals to measure that will represent the whole target population

Question 5

how can a random sample be achieved?

Answer 5

create a grid for your sample area, and then randomly generate coordinates where a quadrat or transect can be placed. Repeat until required sample size is reached.