6.4 cloning and biotechnology Flashcards
define clones
genetically identicl organisms or cells
define vegetative propagation
reproduction from vegetative parts of plants usually from an over-winering organ
Give some examples of natural cloning
mitosis
yeast in budding
bacteria in binary fission
what are the advantages of natural cloning
cloning is relatively rapid
reproduction can be carried out even if there is only one parent
if conditions of growth are good for parent it will be good for offspring
What are some disadvantages of natural clones
offspring may be overcrowded
no genetic diversity
population shows little variation
selection is not possible
population is susceptible to changes
Why might natural cloning be used in horticulture
to increase the number of plants
What are runners or stolens
Horizontal stems above ground that can form roots at certain points
What are rhizomes
horizontal stems below ground that are able to form roots at certain points
What are suckers
new stems that grow from the roots of plants
What are bulbs
over-wintering mechanism
they consist of an underground stem from which grow a series of fleshy leaf bases there is also an apical bud which will grow into a new plant
What are corms
Underground stem with scaly leaves and buds
they remain in the ground over winter and produce one or more new plants in spring
How do bulbs and corms differ
Corms are solid rather than fleshy like bulbs
how can leaves propogate
kalanchoe plants reproduce asexually as clones grow on the leaf margins and immature plants drop off and take root
What are tubers
another type of underground stem
potatoes are tubers and one potato will grow into one or more plants each new plant can produce many new tubers
Give examples of natural cloning in animals
Mammals clone when twins are forms - the zygote divides as normal but the two daughter cells split into two separate cells
water flea
green fly
Why is asexual reproduction quicker
no need for finding a mate going through courtship meiosis and fertilisation
why are plants more likely to reproduce asexually
the cells do not differentiate as completely
there are areas of meristem in the plant
why is it an advantage for small mobile animals to be able to reproduces asexually
able to take advantage of favourable environment quickly so there is no need to find a mate
if conditions ideal fro parent the will be ideal for the offspring
why is it likely a plant such as kalanchoe will become overcrowded
the offspring will not be dispersed well and grow close to the parent plant
suggest why many plants will grow suckers after the main stem has been damaged
The main stem releases plant hormones or growth substances. If production is changed (by cutting the stem) the roots are stimulated to grow suckers. Changing conditions, such as less shade after stem has been cut, may also stimulate roots to grow suckers.
the new stem will grow as a separate individual
Describe how to make a cutting
stem is cut between two leaf joints(nodes) and the cut end is placed in moist soil
new roots will grow from the tissues in the stem
How can we help stimulate root growth in cuttings
Dipping them in rooting hormones
Why are cutting used
can be used to produce large numbers of plants quickly
What other parts of the plant can cuttings be made from
root
scion- dormant woody twigs
leaf
Why are cuttings not used for large-scale cloning
time-consuming and require a lot of space and some plants do not respond well to cuttings
Define tissue culture
growing new tissues organs or plants from certain tissues cut from a sample plant
Under what conditions iws tissue culture carried out
sterile
Define micropropagation
growing large numbers of new plants from meristem tissue taken from a sample plant
What are explants
plant material selected and cut into pieces
Why are explants usually meristem
always free from virus infection
what is a callus
a mass of undifferentiated totipotent cells
Describe the steps involved in micropropagation
explant is collected
explant is sterilised using alcohol or dilute bleach to kill any bacteria or fungi
explants are placed on a sterile growth medium such as agar gel containing suitable nutrients such as glucose and high concentrations of auxin and cytokinin which stimulates cells of explant to divide by mitosis to form a callus
callus is divided to form a larger number of small clumps of undifferentiated cells
small callus clumps are then stimulated to grow divide and differentiate to plant tissues by moving them to different growth media
once plantlets are formed they are transferred to a greenhouse and compost
describe the different ratios of the growth media that the callus clumps are transferred to during micropropagation
100:1 auxin:cytokinin - stimulates root formation
4:1 auxin:cytokinin - stimulates shoot formation
What are the advantages of artificial plant cloning
relatively rapid
can be carried out where sexual reproduction is not possible
plants are all genetically identical
uniform in phenotypes
ensures plants are virus free
What are some disadvantages of artificial cloning of plants
labour intensive
expensive
can fail due to microbial contamination
cloned offspring will be susceptible to the same pathogens
no genetic variation
why do the new roots usually grow from the node
The node contains a meristem (this may be a dormant bud). This is a group of cells that can divide and
differentiate into different cell types. The side branch would normally grow from this meristem, but if the cutting is planted in moist soil, roots will grow.
define enucleation
removal of a cell nucleus
define embryo twinning
splitting an embryo to create two genetically identical embryos
Define somatic cell nuclear transfer
technique that involves transferring the nucleus from a somatic cell to an egg cell
What kind of cells does successful artificial cloning in animals begin with
totipotent cells - very early embryo cells
Why may animal cloning be useful
produce elite farm animals
genetically modified animals such as goats which produce spider silk in their milk
Describe the process of embryo splitting
a zygote is created in IVF and allowed to divide by mitosis to form a small ball
the cells are separated and allowed to continue dividing
each small mass is placed in the uterus of the surrogate mother
produced offspring are all clones
Why might embryo splitting be used
2 high value cows may be bred together to produce many high value calfs
What is a setback of of embryo splitting
the precise genotype and phenotype of offspring depend on sperm and egg used so precise phenotypes will not be known till offspring are born
What are some examples of reproductive cloning
embryo splitting
somatic cell nuclear transfer