selective breeding

• Selective breeding involves breeding the best plants or animals in a population to produce even better offspring
• Humans have been using selective breeding for thousands of years, especially in agriculture
• Selective breeding is used for various purposes such as:

  • Cows that produce lots of meat or milk
  • Crops that are resistant to diseases
  • Friendly cats and dogs as pets
  • Plants with large or unusual flowers
• The process of selective breeding involves:

  • Selecting individuals with desired characteristics
  • Breeding them together to produce the next generation
  • Repeating the process over multiple generations to continually improve the offspring
• Selective breeding can lead to significant changes in plants and animals over time, as seen in the transformation of sweet corn from its wild form to modern varieties
• Drawbacks of selective breeding include:

  • Reduction of the gene pool in the population
  • Increased risk of inbreeding due to closely related individuals with desirable traits breeding together
  • Inbreeding can result in offspring that are prone to diseases and inherited defects
• Inbreeding in breeds like German Shepherds and Rottweilers can lead to health conditions due to a small gene pool
• A smaller gene pool also means less variation within the population, making them more susceptible to diseases that can affect the entire population at once