Selective Breeding (Edexcel IGCSE Science (Double Award) (Modular): Biology Unit 2): Exam Questions

Selective breeding has been carried out for thousands of years. An example of this is the Dorper breed of sheep; a fast-growing sheep with a high fertility rate that is well adapted to survive in the arid regions of South Africa.  The Dorper was developed from the following two breeds:

• Dorset Horn sheep; a British breed with up to two lambing seasons per year, but not very tolerant of heat or arid conditions

• Blackhead Persian sheep; a Somalian breed with a fast growth rate and high tolerance to heat

Explain how selective breeding resulted in the development of Dorper sheep.

Suggest two other characteristics that breeders may select for when carrying out an artificial selection in sheep.

Selective breeding can result in inbreeding which can have a negative impact on a species.

Describe the negative impact that inbreeding can have on a species.

The table shows some information about two types of potato plants.

Explain how selective breeding could be used to produce potato plants which are faster growing and produce many large potatoes.

A new breeding technique has been developed which allows the production of potatoes with improved yield and quality whilst also showing a natural protection against the fungal diseases, potato blight.

Explain the benefits of breeding potato plants that are resistant to fungal diseases such as potato blight.

Scientists carried out a genetic analysis on a population of potatoes of variety A and a population of variety B potato plants to establish the proportion of heterozygous genotypes in each population.

The data in the graph gives an indication of the genetic diversity of the population where the higher the heterozygosity, the higher the genetic diversity. Conversely, fewer heterozygous genotypes (and more homozygous genotypes) means there are fewer alleles in a population and therefore genetic diversity is reduced.

The graph shows the data collected for the two varieties or potato.

Describe what the graph shows.

Explain the issues which may be associated with a lower heterozygosity demonstrated by variety A.

Suggest how breeding together individuals from varieties A and B may reduce the effects described in (d).

Explain how natural selection is different to artificial selection.

Successful methods of selective breeding used to produce good quality crops often include cross-breeding with plants from wild populations.

Suggest why it is important to maintain viable wild populations of crop plant species for these cross-breeding purposes.

Humans have been selectively breeding animals and plants for many thousands of years.

For example, some 'hypoallergenic' breeds of dogs have been selectively bred to reduce the risk of allergic reactions in humans.

Suggest two other reasons why dogs might be selectively bred.

Dalmatians are a popular breed of dog but due to extensive inbreeding, they are prone to genetic defects. All pure-bred Dalmatians produce higher-than-normal levels of uric acid due to a gene mutation. This can lead to the formation of kidney and bladder stones which have to be surgically removed.

Another breed of dog called Pointer dogs do not possess this faulty gene and have normal levels of uric acid.

Cross-breed Dalmatians, which are about 99% Dalmatian and 1% pointer, look and behave like Dalmatians but crucially do not have the gene mutation which leads to high levels of uric acid. 

Explain how selective breeding was used to produce cross-breed Dalmatians that do not suffer from kidney and bladder stones.

The gene mutation in the pure-breed Dalmatian changes one amino acid in a protein involved in regulating levels of uric acid.

Explain how a change in one amino acid in the protein could stop it from functioning normally.