GCSE Variation Flashcards
Define variation
The presence of differences between individuals.
What is interspecific variation?
Variation between species.
What is intraspecific variation?
Variation within species.
Why is there so much intraspecific variation within dogs (canis familiaris)?
Selective breeding by humans.
What is continuous variation?
When there is a broad range of variation that cannot be grouped.
What is discontinuous variation?
When the variation in characteristics can be specifically grouped - no inbetween (e.g tongue rolling)
How would we plot continuous and discontinuous variation on a graph?
Continuous - line graph / Discontinuous - bar graph
Give examples of when variation is caused by interaction between genes and the environment.
Height gene + diet, plant height + sunlight/water
What is manipulating genomes?
Changing the genes or the frequency of alleles within a group of individuals.
Describe selective breeding.
Selective breeding involves ‘selecting’ organisms from a population with a desired characteristic. Those individuals produce offspring with the desired characteristic.
What is a downside of selective breeding?
It can rapidly reduce the genetic variation of a population (inbreeding), resulting in a reduced ability to evolve (genetic weakness)
What is genetic engineering and what does it involve?
Moving gene(s) from one organism to another.
