4.8 - Selective Breeding

Question 1

What is selective breeding?

Answer 1

Selective breeding is when humans choose which organisms to breed to produce offspring with a certain desirable characteristic (e.g. animals with more meat, plants with disease resistance or big flowers).

Question 2

How does selective breeding work?

Answer 2

1. Parents with desired characteristics are chosen.
2. They are bred together.
3. From the offspring, those with desired characteristics are bred together.
4. The process is repeated many times until all the offspring have the desired characteristic.

Question 3

What is a problem associated with selective breeding?

Answer 3

Selective breeding can lead to inbreeding.

Question 4

What is inbreeding?

Answer 4

Inbreeding occurs when breeding those with similar desirable characteristics, likely resulting in closely related individuals.

Question 5

What is the consequence of a reduced gene pool?

Answer 5

A reduced gene pool means fewer different alleles, increasing the risk of extinction if the environment changes or a new disease arises.

Question 6

Why is a small gene pool problematic for crops?

Answer 6

A small gene pool can lead to rapid spread of disease, potentially destroying the entire population of crops and causing severe economic problems for farmers.

Question 7

What is another issue with a small gene pool?

Answer 7

A small gene pool increases the chance of genetic defects in offspring, as recessive characteristics are more likely to present.

Question 8

How does selective breeding affect domesticated animals?

Answer 8

Domesticated animals have a much higher frequency of genetic conditions than normal due to selective breeding.