chapter 38: biotechnology and agriculture

Question 1

What are the different hypothesis for the shift from hunting to gathering?

Answer 1

1. changes in climate
   - reduced wild food sources
2. greater population density
   - increased food demand
3. overhunting
   - led to decline of wild prey populations
4. changing technology
   - would’ve made agriculture more viable lifestyle.

Question 2

What is argriculture?

Answer 2

cultivation of food and goods through farming

Question 3

What is crop domestication?

Answer 3

process of artificially selecting plants to increase suitability to humans

Question 4

What are the features of domestication syndrome?

Answer 4

1. loss of dispersal
2. increase in size
3. loss of seed dormancy
4. loss of chemical/mechanical protection

Question 5

What is hybridization?

Answer 5

Common in nature, used to introduce new genes.

Question 6

What are mutations?

Answer 6

Can arise spontaneously or can be induced.

Question 7

What are beneficial mutations?

Answer 7

They are mutations used in breeding experiments

Question 8

What is done to desirable traits?

Answer 8

They can be introduced to different species.

Question 9

What are the two meanings of biotechnology?

Answer 9

1. innovations in use of plants to make useful products
2. GM organisms in agriculture and industry

Question 10

What does transgenic mean?

Answer 10

organisms that are engineered to express a gene from another species

Question 11

What did GMO and GMP increase worldwide?

Answer 11

quality and quantity of nutrition

Question 12

Transgenic crops are developed to do what?

Answer 12

1. produce Bt toxin to defend against insect pests
2. tolerate herbicides
3. resists specific diseases

Question 13

What are two examples of nutritional quality improvements?

Answer 13

1. golden rice: vitamin A deficiency
2. Cassara: increase levels of iron and beta-carotene