All flashcards
Flashcard 1: What is selective breeding?
Answer: Choosing parents with desired traits to increase those traits in offspring. Artificial selection based on desired characteristics across generations.
Flashcard 2: What is genetic engineering?
Answer: Directly changing an organism’s DNA to alter traits. Uses biotechnology to modify genetic material at the molecular level.
Flashcard 3: What is a genetically modified organism (GMO)?
Answer: An organism whose DNA has been altered using genetic engineering. Contains artificially inserted or modified genes from the same or other species.
Flashcard 4: What is cloning?
Answer: Producing a genetically identical copy of a cell or organism. Creates exact genetic duplicates through asexual reproduction methods.
Flashcard 5: What is a common benefit of selective breeding in livestock?
Answer: Increased production traits such as faster growth or more milk. Breeding selects for traits that maximize agricultural productivity.
Flashcard 6: What is a major concern of selective breeding related to genetic diversity?
Answer: Reduced genetic variation, increasing vulnerability to disease. Limited gene pool makes populations susceptible to widespread disease.
Flashcard 7: What is inbreeding, and why is it a concern in selective breeding?
Answer: Breeding close relatives; it raises the chance of harmful recessive traits. Related parents share more genes, doubling harmful allele expression risk.
Flashcard 8: What is a potential benefit of GM crops related to pesticides?
Answer: Some GM crops reduce insect damage and can lower insecticide use. Built-in pest resistance reduces chemical pesticide applications.
Flashcard 9: What is a major environmental concern about gene flow from GM crops?
Answer: Engineered genes may spread to wild relatives through cross-pollination. Modified genes could create uncontrollable wild plant hybrids.
Flashcard 10: What is a concern about pests and weeds when a single trait is widely used?
Answer: Resistance can evolve, making control methods less effective. Overuse of single traits accelerates natural selection for resistance.
Flashcard 11: What is a medical benefit of gene therapy?
Answer: It can treat genetic disorders by correcting or replacing faulty genes. Repairs genetic defects causing inherited diseases at their source.
Flashcard 12: Which option best matches this case: “Dogs bred for very short snouts often have breathing issues”?
Answer: Concern: selective breeding can increase health problems. Extreme physical traits from selective breeding cause health issues.
Flashcard 13: Which option best matches this case: “A crop is engineered to survive drought with less irrigation”?
Answer: Benefit: genetic engineering can improve survival in harsh conditions. Engineered traits help crops thrive with limited water resources.
Flashcard 14: Identify the correct concern: A single high-yield crop variety replaces many local varieties.
Answer: Concern: reduced genetic diversity and higher risk from disease outbreaks. Monoculture farming eliminates genetic variation needed for resilience.
Flashcard 15: Which term describes humans choosing parents with desired traits to produce offspring?
Answer: Artificial selection (selective breeding). Humans control breeding to enhance specific traits.
Flashcard 16: What is the main benefit of artificial selection in crops and livestock?
Answer: Increases frequency of desired traits in a population. Breeding selects for beneficial traits over generations.
Flashcard 17: What is a major concern of artificial selection regarding genetic diversity?
Answer: Reduced genetic variation in the population. Selecting for specific traits reduces overall genetic diversity.
Flashcard 18: What term describes mating of close relatives that increases homozygosity?
Answer: Inbreeding. Related individuals share similar genes, increasing homozygosity.
Flashcard 19: What is a common genetic risk associated with inbreeding in domesticated animals?
Answer: Higher chance of harmful recessive traits appearing. Inbreeding unmasks harmful recessive alleles in offspring.
Flashcard 20: Which term describes a harmful effect when a population has too little genetic variation?
Answer: Inbreeding depression. Low genetic diversity reduces fitness and survival.
Flashcard 21: Which option best states a benefit of selective breeding for food supply?
Answer: Higher yield and more uniform product quality. Selected traits improve crop productivity and consistency.
Flashcard 22: Which option best states a concern of uniform crops created by selective breeding?
Answer: Greater vulnerability to the same disease or pest. Genetic uniformity makes all plants susceptible to same threats.
Flashcard 23: What term describes a sudden reduction in population size that lowers variation?
Answer: Genetic bottleneck. Population crash dramatically reduces genetic diversity.
Flashcard 24: What is a likely outcome when a bottlenecked population is later selectively bred?
Answer: Even less genetic diversity and more inherited disorders. Limited gene pool amplifies negative effects of selective breeding.
Flashcard 25: What is the definition of a recessive allele in inheritance?
Answer: An allele expressed only when two copies are present. Recessive traits appear only in homozygous individuals.
Flashcard 26: Identify the technology that inserts a gene from one organism into another.
Answer: Genetic engineering (transgenic modification). DNA from different species is combined artificially.
Flashcard 27: What is one benefit of genetically engineered crops related to pest damage?
Answer: Reduced crop loss due to pests. Engineered resistance genes protect crops from insects.
Flashcard 28: What is a major environmental concern about genes from engineered crops spreading?
Answer: Gene flow to wild relatives, creating hard-to-control weeds. Modified genes may spread to wild plants uncontrollably.
Flashcard 29: Which term describes editing DNA at a specific location to change a trait?
Answer: Gene editing (for example, CRISPR). Precise DNA changes modify specific genetic sequences.
Flashcard 30: What is one potential medical benefit of gene editing in humans?
Answer: Possible treatment or prevention of genetic diseases. Correcting disease-causing genes could cure inherited disorders.