Genetics Flashcards
What is genetics?
a branch of biology that studies inheritance
What are ways genetic improvement occurs?
selection, transgenic
What is Chester White?
a breed of swine that is the result of several years of genetic improvement through selection
How have genetic improvements occurred in dairy?
less cows are bred, but more milk is produced; cows were selected for more protein and fat in milk, and selected for health
What is feed efficiency?
6:1 down to 2.5:1 (feed intake : weight gain)
What are the benefits of feed efficiency?
save money and get to market faster
What is a genetic improvement in sheep?
wool production
How has genetic improvement affected chickens?
egg production; some Gallus domesticus strains can go up to 320 eggs per year
What are meat type chickens called? egg?
broilers; layers
How long are broilers kept? why?
6 weeks; after about 7 weeks they continuing growing until they plateau and develop leg problems
Why is AI used for domesticated turkeys?
sexual dimorphism, the males are too large
What is genetic improvement in beef cows?
less cows producing more meat
What is genetic improvement in horses?
There hasn’t been much change because selection is more for diseases and health than production; speed is almost maxed out in horses and there has to be a speed variant in order to breed it
What is linebreeding?
concentration of genes of a particular ancestor
How are genetic diseases inherited?
is a disease is a recessively inherited trait, have to be present in both parents in order for it to be shown; if dominant only shown in 1 parent
What is herritability?
degree of responsiveness, ratio of genetic variance to phenotypic variance; measures how much genetic variance is controlled by genes instead of environment
What is considered moderate to high herritability?
> 0.2
What is phenotype?
what you see
What is genotype?
genetic makeup
What is environment?
what is around (nutrition, housing, nourishment)
What is the equation for phenotype?
P=G+E
What is a gene?
basic unit of inheritance consisting of a DNA sequence at a specific location on a chromosome; a segment of DNA
What is DNA?
deoxyribonucleic acid
What is a chromosome?
one of a number of long strands of DNA and associated proteins present in the nucleus of every cell