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Selective Breeding vs Transgenesis
Selective breeding is a way for humans to nurture desirable traits in plants and animals, but it is much older and less scientific than transgenesis. In selective breeding, two members of the same species are paired as breeding partners in order to encourage desirable characteristics in the offspring. For example, cows that have been observed producing large volumes of milk may be bred to pass that trait on to ensuing generations. This process helps ensure an increase in the milk yield of future cows. In New Zealand, new apple cultivars are developed through selective breeding. This is the same technique that humans have used for thousands of years to breed plants and animals with desirable characteristics.
Apple growers use selective breeding to create new types of apples that have the desired characteristics such as, longer storage time, faster growing, Healthier, disease resistant, better flavour, pest resistant, climate tolerance etc. The use of selective breeding can produce plants with greater disease resistance; they can survive for longer periods during a drought, periods of high rainfall or extreme temperatures. This has helped the survival of individuals and populations. Selective breeding can make the plant survive what would normally cause death if it hadn’t inherited the genes it had from selective breeding, this means that crops are more reliable than they have ever been.
Breeders now have access to genetic information from apples that can make the breeding process faster and more efficient.Marker-assisted selection (MAS)uses a small number of markers (morphological, biochemical or one based on DNA/RNA variation) to check whether a seedling will produce apples with a particular trai...
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...eeding is a better and preferred option for genetic manipulation due to a few simple points:
-Selective breeding is considered more natural and ethical. Transgenesis is considered unethical by numerous environmental parties
-The effects on bio-diversity are less likely to be detrimental, as the effect caused by transgenesis. This is because recessive genes may still be present. Therefore in the event of a disaster, in which all plants created by transgenesis will die, those a result of selective breeding will not necessarily die.
Therefore I believe that selective breeding is better for species and the environment than transgenesis
References:
Allan, Richard .NCEA Level 3 Biology. Hamilton NZ: Biozone, 2013. Print. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Transgenesis http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Selective_breeding
http://www.biology-online.org/2/12_selective_breeding.htm
...though scientific in this case, is the fact that, if cloning and genetic enginering become widely used technologies, they could begin to alter the natural evolution. When an animal is cloned, the mistakes of the previous generation are repeated. It is currently under question asto whether humans have the knowledge to allow the neceserry changes to occour, even while cloning, so as to stay in touch with the environmental changes. Or whether this halting of evolution could create disaster in the future.
scientists and totalitarian loonies are not the folks most likely to abuse genetic engineering. You
It also enables for variation in species to exist, through meiosis. This means that if factors such as environmental changes were to hinder the survival of a certain species, it would be able to produce genes that are altered to ensure better adaptations to the new conditions are found within the gene, ultimately ensuring the survival of that species.
A controversial issue is the possible application of new techniques in genetic engineering to produce human clones. Up until now genetic engineering and cloning has been used to clone plants, unicellular organisms, amphibians and simple mammals. This has led to significant advances in agriculture, industry, and medicine. Newer techniques in genetic engineering have enabled scientists to clone more complex mammals and opened up the possibility of cloning humans. Although there are many potential benefits to this technology, the prospect of cloning humans has raised many practical, ethical and religious dilemmas that are currently being debated by society. As of now, the actual cloning of humans does not seem likely to occur in the foreseeable future.
Selective breeding is carried out by both commercial and hobby breeders. Breeding must be carried out within the same species, if it is carried out with two different species then they can’t breed together. Animals that are bred are known as breeds, whereas plants which are bred are known as varieties or cultivars. The outcome of cross breeding animals and crossbreeding plants are called hybrids. There are two types of selective breeding which i...
The emergence of agriculture at the dawn of civilization was also the emergence of genetic engineering. Everyday varieties of horses and wheat that we know today were crossbred into current, recognizable states from earlier, wild plants and animals well before history began to be recorded. "Crossbreeding is a relatively slow and clumsy method of 'improving' animal and plant species" *1* compared to modern times, when gene manipulation means tests tubes and petri dishes, not dirt or husbandry. While prohibitively expensive (for the time being) DNA manipulation and fertility techniques will become simpler, cheaper, and more accurate. Soon, any hack scientist with...
The term GM foods or GMO (genetically-modified organisms) is most commonly used to refer to crop plants created for human or animal consumption using the latest molecular biology techniques (Whitman, 2000). These plants have been modified in the laboratory to offer desired traits such as increased resistance to herbicides or improved nutritional content. Also, genetic engineering techniques have been applied to create plants with the exact desired trait very rapidly and accurately. For example, this is done by the geneticist isolating the gene responsible for drought tolerance and inserts it into another plant. The new genetically-modified plant will now have gained drought tolerance as well.
The process of selective breeding starts with a human selecting a pair of animals that have a desired trait wanted in the offspring.Natural selection works by nature selecting what animals are better at surviving
Imagine a disease free world, overcoming diseases that we don’t currently have a cure for, or having an increased life span for those who can’t get enough of life. Or how about changing the food available now into food that won’t spoil so fast, more of it being accessible so it won’t cost so much, or maybe using fewer chemicals and herbicides on our plants because they are genetically altered so that bugs won’t bother them. These are all things that are achievable with genetic engineering.
Nevertheless, genetic selection will ultimately affect two major issues that are strongly correlated to each other, diversity and evolution. By prescreening for certain desirable traits, parents will ultimately lean towards certain characteristics that will eliminate variation and individuality. Diversity is ironically the thread that holds society together (BioMedicine, 2005, p. 3). If someone is given the power to create the basic foundations of another being the sense of living as a unique human being is lost. Individuality will be fading over time, and this will affect evolution over time. Without diversity in the species, adaptation to the new environment is more difficult without a wide range of individuals to choose from. “The evolution
Plant breeding has been around for thousands of years. It was first used to domesticate wild plants. A breeder can take the pollen from a purebreed dominant trait and cross it with another plant of the same type and have another plant with that dominant trait. For example, A purebreed dominant red tomato (RR) mixed with a purebreed recessive yellow tomato (rr) would have a genotype of (Rr) in every plant. So the seeds would make red tomatoes. “The application of genetics to agriculture since World War II has resulted in substantial increases in the production of many crops.” (Britannica 1). Not only has it been around forever and a day, but also selective breeding plants can have a really good effect on our society. You are probably wondering how this can be used with
“In agriculture, designer genes are used in a variety of ways, from creating drought- and insect-resistant seed strains to the modification of traits and behaviors in animals that lead them to be more readily domesticated” (“Designer Genes”). It is used in many plants and animals that are eaten by humans daily. Genetic engineering in plants allows for plants to be more beneficial to humans. In plants genetic engineering makes them last longer on shelves, last through droughts or freezing weather, and make some plants not affected by herbicides (“Genetic Engineering”). The plants commonly used for genetic engineering are the typical farm plants: tomatoes, wheat, soybeans, grapes, and corn. Genetic engineering in agriculture is a good thing because it makes those plants more available for humans to eat. In animals, genetic engineering can be used to make domestication of certain animals easier. Most animals that are genetically engineered for agricultural purposes are fish and typical farm animals such as, pigs, cows, sheep, and chickens (“Designer Genes”). Genetically engineering plants and animals ensures that humans will have food to eat, which can only be a positive thing. If it weren’t for the genetically modified plants and animals, providing food for humans would be made more
...y lead to a chimeric offspring. The steps of developing a genetically modified crop (GMC) The steps are: “isolation of the gene of interest, indention of the gene, plant transformation, selection of the selected cells, regeneration in a large amount through tissue culture, verification of the transformation of the characterization of the inserted DNA fragment, and safety assessment” (CM Crop)
Genetic Engineering may or may not be beneficial. In terms of being an advantage, it can help decrease the death rate by destroying disease and has the potential to increase the lifetime of humans. Based on what scientists have discovered , genetic engineering is used as a beneficial technique to slow down the aging process of people, meaning it helps to store more life existence. Cloning is one of its biggest successful advantages which developed a whole new discovery in today’s life making life more interesting and easier. This cloning process has made it pos...
Ideas could be separated into three aspects: First, transgenesis violates the nature, so it’s harmful. Second, no one knows if it is safe for people to eat the food that has been reformed. Third, transgenesis could cause biology pollution - some breeds might extinct in the process. Forth, the anti-bacteria crops might strengthen the ability of pests and the result is unpredictable.