Selective Breeding

• What is selective breeding?

  Breeding the best plants or animals together
• Why do humans use selective breeding?

  To get better offspring with desired traits
• How long have humans been using selective breeding?

  Thousands of years
• What is agriculture?

  A fancy term for farming
• For what purposes do we selectively breed animals and plants?

  For meat, milk, disease resistance, and pets
• What is the first step in selective breeding?

  Select individuals with desired characteristics
• What happens after selecting the best individuals in selective breeding?

  They are bred together to produce offspring
• How does selective breeding affect the gene pool?

  It reduces the gene pool of the population
• What is a gene pool?

  The collection of all alleles in a population
• What is the consequence of repeatedly selecting for certain alleles?

  It leads to a smaller pool of alleles
• What is a potential risk of inbreeding in selective breeding?

  Increased susceptibility to diseases and defects
• Why are certain dog breeds prone to health conditions?

  Due to a small gene pool from inbreeding
• What could happen if a new pathogen infects a selectively bred crop?

  The entire crop could be lost at once
• What are the steps involved in selective breeding?

  1. Identify individuals with desired traits
  2. Breed selected individuals together
  3. Repeat the process with the best offspring
  4. Monitor changes in traits over generations
• What are the drawbacks of selective breeding?

  • Reduces gene pool
  • Increases risk of inbreeding
  • Less variation in the population
  • Susceptibility to diseases