Selective breeding

• Selective breeding

  The process by which humans breed plants and animals for desired genetic characteristics
• Uses of selective breeding

  • Disease resistance in crops
  • Animals which produce more meat or milk
  • Unusual flowers
• Steps in selective breeding

  1. Choosing parents with desired characteristics from a mixed population and breeding them together

  2. Offspring with desired characteristics are bred together

  3. Repeating over many generations until all the offspring show the desired characteristic
• Disadvantages of selective breeding

  • Reduces gene pool of population
  • Can lead to inbreeding where some breeds are particularly prone to disease or inherited defects