Selective Breeding

Learn about selective breeding and how humans choose traits for plants and animals. Practice identifying desired traits and understand breeding outcomes.

Selective breeding always involves humans choosing organisms that they like the best. What is NOT an example of a reason that humans choose an organism for selective breeding? Cows that produce more milk. Rabbits that blend in with their environment the best. Dogs with the softest fur. Horses that run the fastest in a race. The dog breeder wants to help improve the genes of her next puppies. Even though she really wants puppies with really soft fur, which dog would be the best father for her new puppies?Dog #Soft furBone DiseaseEye disease1XX2XXX3 Dog #1 Dog #2 Dog #3 What question does the farmer ask when trying to choose types of plants to breed together? Does the corn plant produce a lot of corn kernels? Do the tomato plants grow well in the wild? Why do the orange plants only grow in a tropical environment? How long do the pecan trees need to grow? Farmers who grow animals must always be responsible and not choose traits that will hurt the animals. What would be a good question to ask a farmer about his cows? What do your cows eat? How do they survive in their environment? Do the cows have any pain in their legs from their large muscles? How fast do the cows run? Remember the picture of the wild mustard plant? Wild Mustard Plant (click to view)What is the best way to explain all of the plants that are related to it now? Bees only pollinated plants with certain traits. Different types of dirt helped the plant grow differently. Humans chose mustard plants with certain traits to breed together. They are not related. Benefits and problems Sort the terms Benefits of selective breeding Grow crops to feed people Make money for farmers Grow pets for people Problems with selective breeding May inherit diseases May inherit problems with their body May not survive in their environment without people What is one of the main problems with selectively breeding dogs? Dogs will inherit a disease. Dogs will become too expensive. Dogs will bite their owners. What is the main characteristic of ALL selective breeding? Organisms with desired traits survive in the wild. Organisms with desired traits are chosen by humans. Organisms without desired traits die. Organisms are randomly chosen.