Brainscape's Knowledge GenomeTM

Browse over 1 million classes created by top students, professors, publishers, and experts.


See full index

GCSE Biology > Inheritance, Variation and Evolution 2 > Flashcards

Inheritance, Variation and Evolution 2 Flashcards

You may prefer our related Brainscape-certified flashcards:
GCSE Geography - AQA flashcards AP® Biology flashcards GCSE Religious Studies - Edexcel Route B flashcards GCSE Religious Studies - Eduqas Route A flashcards GCSE Religious Studies - Edexcel Route A flashcards GCSE Religious Studies - Eduqas Route B flashcards Biology 101 flashcards
1
Q

What is a mutation

A

A change in a base in DNA

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
2
Q

How to name an organism using classification system (Binomial name)

A

Genus, Species

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
3
Q

Who came up with the classification system

A

Linneaus

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
4
Q

Binomial name meaning

A

Genus, Species
(How you determine the name of any organism as binomial means 2 names)

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
5
Q

Linneaus used a classification system to group together living organisms based on what 2 things

A

Structure and characteristics

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
6
Q

What advancement allowed Linneaus’s classification system to be replaced with the ‘Three Domain’ system

A

Technology
E.g microscopes, DNA evidence and biochemistry

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
7
Q

Who developed the Three Domain system

A

Woese

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
8
Q

Which system is used today, the classification system or the Three Domain system

A

Three Domain system
(It’s more advanced due to using technology e.g biochemistry)

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
9
Q

3 categories Three Domain divides organisms into

A

Archaea
Bacteria
Eukaryota

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
10
Q

What is included in the Archaea category in the Three Domain

A

Primitive (ancient) bacteria (live in extreme environments)

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
11
Q

What comes under the ‘Bacteria’ category in the Three Domain

A

True bacteria

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
12
Q

What comes under the Eukaryota category in the Three Domain

A

Animals
Plants
Protists
Fungi

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
13
Q

Development of classification system to Three Domain system including how each system works and who came up with it

A

1) Linnaeus came up with the classification system: kingdom, phylum, class, order, family, genus, species
Organisms are categorised based on structure and characteristics
Organisms are named using the binomial system (genus, species) which is how you decide the name for each organism
2) Advances in technology led to Classification system being replaced with ‘Three Domain’ system which was developed by Woese
Organisms categorised into 3 categories: bacteria (true bacteria), archaea (primitive bacteria), eukaryota (plants, animals, fungi, protists)

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
14
Q

Variation definition

A

Differences in characteristics between individuals in the same population

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
15
Q

3 main causes of variation (differences in characteristics between individuals in the same population)

A

1) inheriting different genes e.g eye colour
2) Environment e.g language spoken
3) combination of both genes and environment e.g height can be based off genes and diet

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
16
Q

True or false, most mutations have an effect on our phenotype

A

False
Most have no effect

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
17
Q

Variation is caused by 3 things including genes, environment and combination of genes and environment

But what causes specifically genetic variation

A

Mutations

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
18
Q

Very rarely a mutation leads to a new what

A

Phenotype
(But most of the time mutations have no effect on phenotype)

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
19
Q

When is a mutation leading to a new phenotype an advantage (although it’s very rare that mutations actually change the phenotype)

A

If the environment changes
Then the new phenotype can actually be beneficial
This then leads to rapid change in a species

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
20
Q

What does it lead to if a mutation leads to a new phenotype that can be beneficial if the environment changes

A

Rapid change in that species

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
21
Q

Describe process of natural selection

A

1) Variation in phenotypes occur between different organisms of the same species (e.g some rabbits have thick fur, some rabbits have thin fur)

2) if the environment changes, organisms best suited to the environment are more likely to survive and reproduce (e.g if it suddenly got colder the rabbits with thick fur would be more likely to survive)

3) These beneficial characteristics are passed on to the offspring e.g thick fur

(This happens over many generations until the beneficial characteristics are widespread across the population meaning that the species has evolved)

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
22
Q

Evolution occurs through what process

A

Natural selection

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
23
Q

Evolution meaning

A

Change in inherited characteristics of a population overtime through the process of natural selection

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
24
Q

4 key examples of selective breeding

A

1) domestic dogs have been selectively bred to have a gentle nature
2) food crops have been selectively bred to be resistant to disease
3) Animals e.g cows have been selectively bred to produce more meat and milk
4) Certain plants have been selectively bred to produce large or unusual flowers

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
25
Q

Describe the process of selective breeding

A

1) select parents with the desired characteristic from a mixed population
2) Breed them together
3) Choose offspring with desirable characteristic and breed them together
4) repeat this over many generations until all offspring have desired characteristic

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
26
Q

Fill in the gaps for key examples of selective breeding
1) domestic dogs are selectively bred to have a … nature
2) Animals e.g cows are selectively bred to produce more… and …
3) certain flowers are selectively bred to have…..or…..flowers
4) crops are selectively bred to be resistant to….

A

Gentle
Meat, milk
Large, unusual
Diseases

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
27
Q

2 key problem of selective breeding

A

Inbreeding (breeding together closely related animals/ plants)
Causes some breeds to be particularly prone to inherited diseases/ defects

Reduces genetic variation (all of a species could be susceptible to a certain disease)

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
28
Q

One key problem of selective breeding is inbreeding which is where…
This is bad because it can make some breeds particularly prone to…

A

Closely related plants/ animals are bred together
Inherited diseases/ defects

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
29
Q

Variation is the differences in characteristics between individuals of the same…

A

Population

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
30
Q

Variation is the change in ….. of a……. overtime through the process of natural selection

A

Inherited Characteristics
Population

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
31
Q

What is genetic engineering

A

The genome of an organism is changed by introducing a new gene from another organism in order to produce a desired characteristic

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
32
Q

Genetic engineering is where the…. of an organism is changed by introducing a… from another organism to produce a desired….

A

Genome
Gene
Characteristic

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
33
Q

Another word for genetic engineering (how it is advertised in food)

A

Genetic modification

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
34
Q

2 key examples of where genetic engineering is used

A

Crops
(to get GM crops- crops can produce bigger/ better fruits, be resistant to certain diseases, produce a higher yield etc)

To treat type 1 diabetes (bacteria contain insulin gene to produce insulin)

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
35
Q

How is insulin produced through genetic engineering

A

Bacteria given human insulin gene
Bacteria produce insulin
Insulin purified and used (e.g for people with type 1 diabetes to inject insulin into themselves)

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
36
Q

Process of genetic engineering (changing the genome of an organism by introducing a gene from another organism to produce a desired characteristic e.g larger crop yield)

A

1) identify gene we want to transfer
2) enzymes used to isolate gene
3) gene transferred into vector e.g plasmid
4) desired gene inserted into cells of target organism during early stage of organism development

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
37
Q

Process of genetic engineering:
1) identify… that we want
2) use… to isolate the gene
3) transfer gene into….e.g plasmid
4) insert desired gene into cells of targeted organism using the vector
Important- this must be done during organism’s early stage of..

A

Gene
Enzymes
Vector
Development

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
38
Q

How cuttings makes clone of plant

A

Remove small piece of plant
Dip end of plant in rooting powder
Let plant grow as normal

39
Q

Which method of plant cloning is very easy and gardeners have used for many years

A

Cuttings

40
Q

For cuttings (type of plant cloning) what must you dip the end of the plant in to help it grow

A

Rooting powder

41
Q

Which type of plant cloning only produces a few clones of the plant

A

Cuttings
(Tissue cultures produce lots more so are used commercially)

42
Q

2 methods of plant cloning

A

Tissue culture
Cuttings

43
Q

Method of tissue culture for plant cloning

A

1) Take plant we want to clone
2) divide plant into hundreds of tiny pieces (each piece contains a small number of cells)
3) incubate plant cells with plant hormones to allow plants to grow into full sized clones

44
Q

Tissue cultures help preserve….species of plant

A

Rare

45
Q

Which method of plant cloning helps preserve rare species of plant

A

Tissue culture

46
Q

Which method of plant cloning is done on a large scale, helps preserve rare plant species and is quick and cheap

A

Tissue cultures

47
Q

2 methods of cloning in animals

A

Adult cells cloning
Embryo transplant

48
Q

Embryo transplant method (type of animal cloning)

A

Split cells apart from an early developing embryo before they have become specialised
Transplant identical embryos into host mothers

49
Q

In embryo transplants… are split apart from an early developing…before they have become…and are then transplanted into host mothers

A

Cells
Embryo
Specialised

50
Q

Process of adult cell cloning

A

1) Body cell taken from animal (sheep 1) we want to clone and nucleus is removed
2) take egg cell from another animal (sheep 2) and remove nucleus
3) nucleus from sheep 1 inserted into egg cell of sheep 2 and given an electric shock to stimulate it to divide and develop into an embryo
5) embryo inserted (transplanted) into uterus of sheep 3 which gives birth to a clone of sheep 1

51
Q

In adult cell cloning What stimulates the egg cell with the nucleus inserted in it to divide into an embryo

A

Electric shock

52
Q

Darwin developed the theory of…by

A

Evolution
Natural selection

53
Q

In 1859 Darwin published a book called what

A

On the Origin of species

54
Q

Darwin published a book called ‘on the origin of species’ in what year

A

1859

55
Q

In what year did Darwin publish his book on his theory of evolution by natural selection and what was it called

A

1859
On the origin of species

56
Q

In 1859 Darwin published his book called ‘on the origin of species’ based on his theory of what

A

Evolution by natural selection

57
Q

True or false, Darwin’s theory of evolution by natural selection was immediately accepted

A

False
It was only gradually accepted

58
Q

Was Darwin’s theory of evolution by natural selection controversial or not

A

Yes
It was extremely controversial

59
Q

4 reasons Why Darwin’s theory of evolution by natural selection was extremely controversial so only gradually accepted

A

1) it challenged the idea that God made all of Earth’s plants and animals
2) lack of evidence (at the time the theory was published)
3) genetics was not understood
4) theories by other scientists e.g Lamarck

60
Q

Religious reason why Darwin’s theory of evolution by natural selection was not initially accepted

A

Challenged idea that God made all of Earth’s plants and animals

61
Q

One key other person who had a theory at the same time as Darwin’s

A

Lamarck
But his theory has now been proven incorrect

62
Q

Which person looked at the theory of evolution by natural selection at the same time as Darwin

A

Wallace
(Lamarck also had a theory of evolution but it wasn’t based off natural selection)

63
Q

Wallace was specifically interested in..in animals

A

Warning colourations

64
Q

What is speciation

A

The gradual formation of a new species due to evolution

65
Q

Describe speciation (process of how new species form)

A

1) 2 populations of one species are isolated from each other by a geographical barrier e.g by a river
2) natural selection occurs for the 2 different populations so over many generations the 2 populations change in different ways due to different beneficial characteristics being passed down
3) eventually the phenotypes of the 2 different populations are so different that they cannot successfully breed to produce fertile offspring
4) now the 2 different populations are classed as 2 different species

66
Q

In order for speciation to occur, first 2 populations of a species must be separated by a…. e.g River/ mountain range

A

Geographical barrier

67
Q

In speciation, what key process occurs within each of the populations of the separated species (e.g snails on one side of the river and snails on the other side of the river)

A

Natural selection
E.g One population of snails may get bigger
One population of snails may get smaller

68
Q

Mendel carried out experiments in the 1800s on…plants

A

Pea

69
Q

From his experiments in pea plants in the 1800s Mendel found that the characteristics are determined by…and these don’t change when passed onto the offspring

A

Inherited units
(Now called genes)

70
Q

What did Mendel find from his experiments on pea plants (2 key things)

A

Characteristics are determined by inherited units (now called genes)
These inherited units (genes) can be recessive or dominant

71
Q

Who discovered that genes can be dominant or recessive

A

Mendel

72
Q

True or false, most scientists agreed with Mendel’s findings (Inherited units (Genes) determine characteristics and genes can be either dominant or recessive)

A

False
Many scientists still believed in blended inheritance

73
Q

Instead of agreeing with what Mendel found, what did most scientists at the time still believe in

A

Blended inheritance (.g a white flower and a purple flower produce a lilac flower)

74
Q

3 key stages in development of gene theory (after Mendel’s work on pea plants in the 1800s)

A

1) late 1800s- behaviour of chromosomes during cell division is observed
2) early 1900s idea that genes are located in chromosomes as they both behave similarly
3) mid 1900s structure of DNA and how genes function was determined

75
Q

1st key stage in development of the gene theory (not to do with Mendel) was in the late 1800s where the behaviour of….during…was observed

A

Chromosomes
Cell division

76
Q

In the mid 1900s as the last key stage in the gene theory scientists determined the structure of….and the function of…

A

DNA
Genes

77
Q

The second key stage in the gene theory was in the early 1900s and was that genes and chromosomes behave similarly which means that…

A

Genes are located in chromosomes

78
Q

What are fossils

A

The remains of living organisms that dies millions of years ago which are found in rocks

79
Q

What are fossils

A

The remains of livings organisms from millions of years ago which are found in rocks

80
Q

Fossils are the remains of….. from…… of years ago which are found in…..

A

Living organisms
Millions
Rocks

81
Q

3 key ways fossils can form (remains of living organisms from millions of years ago which are found in rocks)

A

1) from parts of organisms that haven’t decayed (conditions needed for decay are absent e.g it’s too cold/ lack of oxygen/ lack of water)

2) the organism has decayed but parts of the organism are slowly replaced by minerals during decay

3) persevered traces of organisms e.g burrows/ footprints

82
Q

One way fossils can form is when the organism decays but parts of it are replaced with….

A

Minerals

83
Q

One way fossils form is by the preservation of……of organisms e.g………

A

Traces
Footprints/ burrows

84
Q

True or false, soft bodied organisms always form fossils

A

False
Soft bodied organisms very rarely formed fossils and many early organisms were soft bodied
(This is a big problem in the fossil record)

85
Q

2 key problems with the fossil record

A

1) many early organisms were soft bodied so didn’t form fossils (most decayed before they could form fossils)
2) many fossils formed have been destroyed by geological or human activity- scientists cannot be certain of how life began on earth

86
Q

One key problem with the fossil record is that many fossils have been destroyed by …..or……activity

A

Human
Geological

87
Q

One key problem with the fossil record is that many fossils have been destroyed by human or geological activity which means that scientists cannot be certain about how….

A

Life began on Earth

88
Q

What is extinction

A

Permanent loss of all members of a species

89
Q

Why can bacteria evolve so quickly

A

Because they can reproduce at such a fast rate

90
Q

Name for one common strain of antibiotic resistant bacteria

A

MRSA

91
Q

Describe process of antibiotic resistance (how bacteria become resistant to antibiotics)

A

1) In a population of bacteria, genetic variation may occur due to mutations so some bacteria are resistant to the antibiotic
2) when the antibiotic is used to treat the disease only the resistant bacteria survive whilst all the non resistant bacteria are killed
3) the resistant bacteria quickly reproduce because they cannot be killed by the antibiotic so now all of the existing bacteria in the population are resistant to the antibiotic

92
Q

3 ways to reduce the rise of antibiotic resistant strains

A

1) doctors only prescribe antibiotics when extremely necessary
2) patients must complete their full course of antibiotics (e.g every day for a week) to ensure all bacteria are killed so none can survive to mutate and form resistant strains
3) restrict use of antibiotics in farming

93
Q

In selective breeding you take parents with the desired characteristic from a….population

A

Mixed
(E.g if you want large cows you take the parents from a population that includes big and small cows)

GCSE Biology (21 decks)

Brainscape helps you reach your goals faster, through stronger study habits.
© 2025 Bold Learning Solutions. Terms and Conditions