Module 6.2.1 - Cloning and Biotechnology Flashcards
What are natural clones?
Genetically identical copies
e.g. mitosis, asexual reproduction (budding yeast, binary fission)
What are some advantages of natural cloning?
- dont need a mate
- pass on advantageous alleles
- quicker pop increase
- condition good for parents are good for offspring
What are some disadvantages of natural cloning?
- lack of genetic variation
- conditions may change and be unsuitable
- offspring may become overcrowded
- selection not possible
- whole pop susceptible to changes in environment
- little variation/diversity
What is vegetative propagation?
Plants that can reproduce asexually by cloning as they have many cells that retain ability to differentiate
e.g. spider plants, suckers, bulbs, leaves
What is a clone?
Genetic copy of another organism
What is tissue culture?
Growing new tissues, organs or plants from certain tissues cut from sample plants
What is micropropagation?
Growing large numbers of plants from meristem tissue taken from a sample plant
When is micropropagation used?
Desirable plant:
- doesn’t produce many seeds
- doesn’t respond well to natural cloning
- is rare
- is GM or selectively bred
- needs to be pathogen free
What is the process of micropropagation?
- cells taken from shoot
- cells sterilised before being placed onto nutrient medium
- explants placed on sterile growth medium, forms callus culture, divided to produces lots of small clumps of undifferentiated cells - transferred to new agar medium, plantlets grow
- plantlets are transferred into compost
What are some advantages of micropropagation?
- quick
- disease free plants
- increase pop of rare plants
- larger number of seedless plants
- naturally infertile plants can be grown
What are some advantages of micropropagation?
- monoculture
- expensive, skilled workers needed
- explants and plantlets vulnerable to mould during process
- if source infected with virus, new plants will be infected
How do invertebrates clone?
Regenerate an entire organism from just a fragment of original
Hydra - small buds on side of bodies that eventually live independently, small aquatic animals
What is the process of artificial embryo twinning?
- fertilised egg created using IVF
- Zygote divides by mitosis to form ball of cells
- Cells are separated and allowed to continue dividing
- Each mass of cells is placed into uterus of surrogate mother
What are the arguments for artificial cloning in animals?
- increase pop of rare species
- pass on advantageous characteristics
- supply stem cells
- develop new disease treatments
- control in testing on animal clones
- infertile pop of endangered
What are the arguments against artificial cloning in animals?
- expensive
- time consuming
- doesn’t continuously work
- death of foetus and animal welfare problems when it fails
- no genetic variability
- may not live as long as natural offspring