Artificial Selection and Genetic Engineering
Summary Table
Definition
Examples
Artificial Selection: The
- breeding of certain dogs for protection
process of selecting and
- breeding dairy cattle to produce the most milk
breeding animals or plants with - breeding wheat that matures quickly or resists frost
desired traits to produce
- Canadian Western Amber Durum wheat – good cooking qualities and yellow
offspring with those traits.
colour makes it ideal for pasta
Biotechnology: Technology or
procedures that are used to
speed up or enhance artificial
selection.
 Artificial Reproduction:
- Cloning: Making an identical copy of a molecule, gene, cell or entire organism.
Creation of new life by other - Artificial Insemination: Sperm is harvested from a male and inserted into
than natural means.
females to fertilize eggs.
- In Vitro Fertilization: Sperm and eggs are harvested from male and female;
the eggs are fertilized in a Petri dish; the embryo is then place into a female.
 Genetic Engineering:
- Transgenics: Adding human genes to the fertilized egg of an animal so it will
Technology that is used to
produce offspring with human genes. The offspring can then produce human
move the DNA from one
proteins which can be used by humans
organism into another, thus
o e.g. insulin produced by bacteria with human gene for insulin
altering the genetic makeup
o e.g. iron-rich milk produced by cows with human gene lactoferrin
of the 2nd organism.
- Acquaculture: genes are added to fish eggs to improve offspring… such as by
increasing grown rate and size, improving disease resistance, etc
o e.g. ‘antifreeze’ gene is added to Atlantic salmon and halibut to allow
winter fish farming
- Genetically Modified Crops: crops such as wheat, corn, tomatoes and potatoes
are genetically altered to improve production, reduce allergic reactions, have
longer shelf life, increase nutrition, etc.