Variation Flashcards
What is variation?
differences in the characteristics of individuals in a population
What can cause variation?
genetic causes, environmental causes, combination of both
How do new phenotype variants occur?
mutations
What is selective breeding?
breeding plants and animals for particular characteristics
Describe the process of selective breeding
- choose parents with desired characteristics and breed
- produces mixed population of offspring
- choose offspring with desired characteristics and continue breeding
- repeat over many generations until all offspring have desired characteristics
What are the consequences of inbreeding?
inherited defects and disease
What is genetic engineering?
modifying the genome of an organism by introducing a gene from another organism to give a desired characteristic
Why have plant crops been genetically engineered?
- to be resistant to diseases/herbicides/pesticides
- to produce bigger fruits
- to give higher yields
Why have bacteria been genetically engineered?
to produce useful substances, such as human insulin to treat diabetes
What are enzymes used for in genetic engineering?
cut out the required gene
What is used to transfer the required gene into the new cell in genetic engineering?
vector e.g. plasmid or virus
Describe the process of genetic engineering
- select desired gene from organism
- desired gene is cut out from the cell using enzymes
- gene is transferred and inserted into another organism using a vector early in development
