Selective Breeding and Genetic engineering. Flashcards
What are the advantages of selective breeding?
The desirable characteristic which gets passed on makes the breed/ variety more useful.
What is selective breeding?
Selective breeding is the process in which a human choses specific characteristics they wish to appear in a breed and lass it in through generations. (E.g. There are different types of dogs; Labrador, chihuahua and huskies etc)
What are the disadvantages of selective breeding?
It reduces gene pools which means there is less variation. If a genetically inherited disorder is present then many individuals will have it.
A reduced gene pool also means a that the population may be more vulnerable to future diseases. The useful genes that would have prevented the disease would not have been selected or may have been bred out by accident.
What is genetic engineering?
Genetic engineering is the process in which a scientist choses a desirable characteristic and places it into another organism.
What is the difference between selective breeding and genetic engineering?
Selective breeding is a slow process that takes place over many generations. It is also not very precise. (A characteristic may be chosen or the characteristic doesn’t pass on)
Genetic engineering is more precise as single genes for single characteristics may be used. It can also happen in one generation (so it is much quicker). It may also alter characteristics much. Ore dramatically.
What are the advantages of genetic engineering?
- It can produce medical drugs.
- It is much quicker than selective breeding.
- It increases crop yield.
- It produces crops with particular characteristics.
What are the disadvantages of genetic engineering?
- There is a possible escape of genes into wild population.
- There are unknown long term affects.
- It is a high cost to poor farmers.
- There are ethical issues.
What is the process of genetic engineering?
1) Chose the desirable characteristic and cut it out of the human cell’s DNA with an enzyme.
2) A loop of bacterial DNA is cut open and the gene is inserted into it.
3) The loop of bacteria with the gene is placed into a host bacteria, which is now genetically modified.
4) The genetically modified bacteria is placed into a fermenter.
5) The bacteria multiplies inside the fermenter.
6) The bacteria produces what it was chosen for.
7) The chosen characteristic is extracted from the fermenter and used.
What are examples of genetic engineering?
Cotton- to produce high yields.
Corn- to produce toxins (poison) to kill insects.
Bacteria- to produce medicinal drugs.
What can bacteria produce with genetic engineering?
Vaccines and antibiotics.
