Topic 4 - Tissue Culture Flashcards
What is tissue culture?
A method of culturing living tissue outside the organism within a growth medium
What is a primary use of tissue culture in plants?
To produce an entire field of identical cloned crops from a small cutting
What types of tissues can be cultured using tissue culture?
Animal and human tissues, in addition to plant tissues
What is the first step in the tissue culture process for plants?
Take a plant with desirable characteristics and remove a piece of tissue
Which part of the plant is often used for tissue culture?
Fast-growing regions such as the root or shoot tip
What technique is crucial to maintain during tissue culture?
Aseptic technique to maintain sterile conditions
What is placed on the growth medium during tissue culture?
Tissue from the plant along with hormones and nutrients
What happens after the tissue has developed in tissue culture?
It can be transferred to compost for further growth
What is one benefit of tissue culture?
Produces lots of offspring with a specific desirable feature
What is a risk associated with tissue culture?
The gene pool is reduced, leading to lower population survival against diseases
What is another risk of cloning in tissue culture?
Clones have a low survival rate and may have genetic problems
How can tissue culture impact crop yields?
By increasing the number of crops resistant to bad weather
What potential conservation benefit does tissue culture provide?
It can help extremely endangered species or even bring back extinct species
True or False: Tissue culture may lead to human cloning.
True
Fill in the blank: Tissue culture is especially useful for plants because it allows the production of an entire field of identical _______.
cloned crops
