Selective Breeding Flashcards
1
Q
What is selective breeding?
A
When humans artificially select plants or animals to breed so that genes for particular characteristics remain in a population
2
Q
What is selective breeding also known as?
A
Artificial selection
3
Q
Describe the process of selective breeding.
A
- Select the organisms which have the characteristics you’re after
- Breed them with each other
- Select the best of the offspring, and breed them together
- Continue this process over several generations, and the desirable trait gets stronger and stronger
4
Q
Suggest two uses of selective breeding in agriculture.
A
Any two from:
- To breed animals with higher meat/milk yields
- To breed crops with greater disease resistance
- To breed plants with bigger fruit
5
Q
Suggest one use of selective breeding in medical research.
A
Breeding animals to have a preference for alcohol
6
Q
What is meant by the term ‘gene pool’?
A
The number of different alleles in a population
7
Q
(Exam-style question)
A
8
Q
Explain three disadvantages of selective breeding.
A
- Inbreeding is caused by selective breeding, reducing the gene pool and causing all organisms to be closely related as a result
- Inbreeding can cause health problems because there’s a higher chance of organisms inheriting harmful genetic defects
- As there’s not much variation in the population, the organisms could be wiped out by a new disease as there’s less chance of resistance alleles being present
