Genetic Modification Flashcards

All 13 cards in this deck

What is selective breeding?

Choosing the organisms with the desired characteristics and breeding them together over many generations.

Give one problem caused by selective breeding.

It reduces genetic variation, so inbreeding can increase the risk of inherited disease.

What is genetic engineering?

Modifying the genome of an organism to introduce a desirable characteristic.

Name the human protein made by genetically modified bacteria to treat diabetes.

Insulin.

Give one benefit of producing painkillers from genetically modified yeast rather than extracting them from opium poppies.

Yeast grows rapidly, increasing the yield in a shorter time.
Accept: cheaper, takes up less space, not weather dependent.

Give one risk of producing painkillers from genetically modified yeast rather than extracting them from opium poppies.

The painkillers may not be identical or as effective.
Accept: the GM yeast could be used to manufacture drugs illegally, or GM organisms escaping into the environment.

Why are scientists genetically engineering animals for organ transplants?

There are not enough donors to meet the demand for organ transplants.

True or false? Genetic engineering can transfer a gene between different species, but selective breeding cannot.

True. Genetic engineering can put a gene from one species into another, e.g. the human insulin gene into bacteria; selective breeding only breeds organisms of the same species together.

Name two characteristics that food crops such as wheat are selectively bred for.

High yield (more grain per plant) and disease resistance.

Why are some crops genetically engineered to be resistant to herbicides?

So a field can be sprayed with weedkiller that kills the weeds but leaves the crop unharmed, giving a bigger crop yield.

Give one risk of growing herbicide-resistant GM crops.

The resistance gene could spread to wild plants or weeds, producing 'superweeds' that herbicides cannot kill.

Why could a new disease affect a whole selectively bred population?

Selective breeding lowers genetic variation, so few (if any) individuals are likely to have alleles for resistance to the disease.

Give two characteristics that domesticated animals are selectively bred for.

Any two of: a higher milk yield (dairy cows), more meat (beef cattle), a calm, gentle temperament (e.g. pet dogs), better wool (sheep).