genetic diversity

Question 1

what is a gene

Answer 1

a section of DNA that codes for a polypeptide or functional RNA

Question 2

what is an allele

Answer 2

different forms of a gene at the same locus

Question 3

what is a gene pool

Answer 3

all the alleles in a population

Question 4

what is genetic diversity

Answer 4

total number of different alleles in a population

Question 5

what is allele frequency

Answer 5

how often a particular allele occurs within a population

Question 6

why is it important to maintain genetic diversity

Answer 6

the greater the genetic diversity the more likely that some individuals within the population will survive an environmental change

Question 7

why is it ethically wrong to reduce biodiversity

Answer 7

prevent extinction/ loss of populations/ reduction in populations/ loss of habitats
idea of saving organisms for future generations

Question 8

what are the commercial implications of reducing biodiversity

Answer 8

medical/ pharmaceutical uses
commercial products- tourism, agriculture

Question 9

what is selective breeding

Answer 9

individuals with desired characteristics are selected for breeding
reduces genetic diversity

Question 10

how has selective breeding affected wheat and why

Answer 10

decreased the size of wheat

Question 11

what is the founder affect

Answer 11

• small starting population leading to inbreeding
• possibility of a rare allele becoming more common and new mutations may occur

Question 12

what is a genetic bottleneck

Answer 12

• occurs when some disaster or disease reduces a once large population to a small one very quickly
• only the alleles in the survivors are found in the surviving population