Midterm 2 Flashcards
What is human-mediated evolution?
Evolution which occurs as a result of human activities.
What is artificial selection?
Rapid changes in a population of domestic animal or plants through breeding for select traits.
What is traditional breeding?
Traditional breeding is the selection for pre-existing traits in a species. Intentional activity where organisms with perceived beneficial traits are bred and organisms which don’t have those traits are not allowed to reproduce (plant breeding, animal husbandry).
What is genetic engineering?
Genetic engineering is the intentional transformation of the genome.
What is taming?
Conditioned behavior in a wild-born animal involving reducing is natural avoidance response to humans.
What is domestication?
Phenomenon where one organism assume responsibility for the care and reproduction of the second organism.
What is population sire effect?
It’s the over representation of certain genes in the next generation due to the over breeding of an animal with superior traits.
Over time, offspring from this animal may make up a disproportionately large proportion of the next generation, and so its negative traits, which might lead in a population bottleneck.
What is agrobacterium tumefaciens?
A parasitic species of bacteria that can insert the DNA of its plasmid into plant host and it’s now used to do genetic engineering.
What is CRISPR/Cas9
A natural immune system against viruses and pathogenic plasmids in prokaryotes. It destroys viral DNA by cutting DNA strand. Modified, it allows us to specifically choose which genes to cut out and which genes to insert in the organism.
What is gene drive technology?
During sexual reproduction, an organism equipped with CRISPR/Cas9 could potentially see the CRISPR/Cas9 system modifying the DNA of BOTH parents as the embryo develops.
How have humans practiced artificial selection?
By plant breeding and animal husbandry.
In what way can we used CRISPR/Cas9 to affect other species?
- Resisting pathogenes
- Limiting fertility in invasive species
- Increasing fertility in endangered species
- Destroying population
How novel gene-editing technologies can direct evolution?
By mixing genes in different species.
What kind of selection is traditional breeding?
Directional selection because breeding attempts are generally focusing on a single trait.
What are the desirable traits in animal husbandry?
- Harvestable commodity
- Ability to be domesticated
- Useful role
- High fecundity
What are the limitation of traditional breeding?
- The pre-existing genes in a species
2. The number of other species that could hybridize
What is the big revolutionary thing about genetic engineering?
Possibility to combine desirable genes of two different species that could never naturally breed.
What is the big revolutionary thing about genetic engineering?
Possibility to combine desirable genes of two different species that could never naturally breed.
What are the big problems with A. tumefaciens?
- There is no control over where the bacteria inserts it’s DNA into the genome of the host.
- You can’t insert bacterial DNA into a fully mature plant.
- To transform al the cells of a plant, you need to develop an embryo on a artificial growth media, which is itself costly and take long studies to develop.
How do you test to see whether the DNA has inserted into the correct position with A tumefaciens?
You need to test each and every plant (long and costly).
What are the desirable traits in commercial flowers?
- Herbicide tolerance
- Pest and disease resistance
- Comercial compounds
- Flower color
- Longer flower life
- Longer shelf life
- Better nutrition
What are the big advantage with CRISPR/Cas 9?
- Specifically choose which genes to cut out and where to put it in the organism.
- Less costly and time consuming
- Guarantees that the trait will be inherited because CRISPR in one parent can modify the genes of the other parent in the developing embryo. (gene drive technology)
On what should editing of human embryos should be limited?
On eliminating genetic diseases.
Why is New Zealand one of the countries most severely impacted by invasive species?
Because it’s an island nation with naïve fauna that has stable temperate environment and different habitats (alpine mountains to lowland forests).