How did selective breeding improve agriculture?
By selectively breeding animals (breeding those with desirable traits), farmers increased the size and productivity of their livestock.
What is the effect of selective breeding on food crops?
Breeders select two parents that have beneficial phenotypic traits to reproduce, yielding offspring with those desired traits. Selective breeding can be used to produce tastier fruits and vegetables, crops with greater resistance to pests, and larger animals that can be used for meat.
How has selective breeding been used to improve our food supply?
Selective breeding is where humans select the individual organisms that are allowed to breed according to chosen characteristics. It is the traditional method of improving crops and livestock, such as increased disease resistance or high milk yield.
How do Breeders of domestic pets use selective breeding to produce many pets?
Selective breeding takes place over many generations. These are the main steps for both plants and animals: Choose the best offspring with the desired characteristics to produce the next generation. Repeat the process continuously over many generations, until all offspring show the desired characteristics.
What are the problems with selective breeding?
Risks of selective breeding include: reduced genetic variation can lead to attack by specific insects or disease, which could be extremely destructive. rare disease genes can be unknowingly selected as part of a positive trait, leading to problems with specific organisms, eg a high percentage of Dalmatian dogs are deaf.
What are two dangers disadvantages that can come from selective breeding?
List of Disadvantages of Selective Breeding
- It can lead to loss of species variety.
- It does not have control over genetic mutations.
- It brings about discomfort to animals.
- It can create offspring with different traits.
- It could create a genetic depression.
- It poses some environmental risks.
What are pros and cons of selective breeding of organisms?
List of Pros of Selective Breeding
- It is free.
- It requires no company patent.
- It provides higher yields.
- It leads to higher profits.
- It does not pose any safety issues.
- It helps eliminate diseases.
- It ensures quality produce.
- It can provide a sustainable food chain.
Is GM faster than selective breeding?
Genetic modification is a faster and more efficient way of getting the same results as selective breeding. Improves crop yields or crop quality, which is important in developing countries.
What are the benefits of genetically modified foods?
The possible benefits of genetic engineering include:
- More nutritious food.
- Tastier food.
- Disease- and drought-resistant plants that require fewer environmental resources (such as water and fertilizer)
- Less use of pesticides.
- Increased supply of food with reduced cost and longer shelf life.
- Faster growing plants and animals.
What are the disadvantages of genetically modified foods?
What are the new “unexpected effects” and health risks posed by genetic engineering?
- Toxicity. Genetically engineered foods are inherently unstable.
- Allergic Reactions.
- Antibiotic Resistance.
- Immuno-suppression.
- Cancer.
- Loss of Nutrition.
What are the disadvantages of GMO?
Various Cons of Genetically Modified Organisms (GMO’s)
- They might contribute to a rise in allergic reactions.
- Genetic food can prompt allergic reactions from different foods.
- GMOs may contribute to antibiotic resistance.
- Some research has linked GMOs to cancer.
- Very few companies are in charge of all the GMO seed market.