Cloning Flashcards
What is micropropagation?
Micropropagation is the process where small pieces of a plant (explants) are grown in vitro using sterile agar jelly containing plant hormones and nutrients.
What is the purpose of micropropagation?
Micropropagation is used to preserve rare plant species and commercially produce large numbers of genetically identical plants with desired characteristics.
When can micropropagation be done?
Micropropagation can be done at any time of the year.
What is embryo splitting?
Embryo splitting involves splitting a developing embryo into individual cells which multiply into embryos and are implanted into surrogate mothers to produce clones.
Are clones produced by embryo splitting genetically identical to the parents?
The clones are not genetically identical to either of the parents but are clones of each other.
What are the disadvantages of embryo splitting?
Disadvantages include not being able to predict the specific traits of the clones and a low success rate.
What is adult cell cloning?
Adult cell cloning involves removing the nucleus from a body cell and an egg cell then transferring the nucleus from the body cell into the egg cell to create a clone.
What happens after the nucleus is transferred in adult cell cloning?
The cell divides by mitosis to form an embryo which is implanted into a surrogate mother.
What is the genetic outcome of adult cell cloning?
The offspring produced by adult cell cloning has the same genetic information as the organism the body cell was taken from.
What are the disadvantages of adult cell cloning?
Disadvantages include developmental problems in cloned animals a reduced gene pool making organisms vulnerable to diseases and ethical/religious concerns about creating life.
