Cattle have been domesticated by humans for approximately 10 000 years. Many biotechnologies have been employed in the farming of cattle. The table shows examples of the application of these biotechnologies.
Biotechnology
Example
Selective breeding
The offspring of highest milk producing female cows were retained and over time cows that produced more milk were bred, leading to dairy breeds.
Artificial insemination
An American bull holds the current record for artificial insemination. He produced 2.4 million units of semen and has sired cattle in 50 countries.
Whole organism cloning
The success rate of cloning cattle is low. There are currently 30-40 cloned cattle in Australia. They are not used commercially.
Hybridisation
There are two species of domestic cattle, Bos taurus and Bos indicus. They can be hybridised to breed cattle with characteristics of both species.
Transgenic organisms
The first transgenic cow produced human serum albumin in its milk. The use of transgenic cattle is not widespread.
With reference to the table, evaluate the effect of biotechnologies on the biodiversity of cattle. (5 marks)
BIOLOGY, M6 EQ-Bank 25
A woman recently conceived a baby guaranteed to be free from hereditary breast cancer. Doctors screened for an embryo that was free from a gene that can cause breast cancer.
The screening was performed due to the long history of this form of cancer in the family and the fact that any daughter born with the gene would have a 50-80% chance of developing breast cancer.
- Explain the possible impact of this reproductive technology on the genetic composition of the population. (2 marks)
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- Discuss the use of this genetic technology in the treatment of medical conditions. (3 marks)
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BIOLOGY, M6 EQ-Bank 24
The yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae cannot naturally ferment the sugar xylose. Low value biomass, such as straw and wood fibres, contains up to 20% xylose. S. cerevisiae was modified to enable it to produce ethanol from xylose. Information on the two species involved in making the modified S. cerevisiae is shown in the table.
- Explain why biotechnology was needed to modify S. cerevisiae. (2 marks)
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- Two strains of genetically modified S.cerevisiae were produced. The two strains were compared under the same conditions. The results are shown.
- Justify which of these two strains would be better to use to produce commercial quantities of ethanol using low value biomass. In your answer, refer to information from the graph. (3 marks)
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BIOLOGY, M6 EQ-Bank 6 MC
Glofish are a genetically-modified organism in which the gene that causes fluorescence in jellyfish has been inserted into a tropical fish species, typically Zebra fish. These fish are sold commercially for home aquariums. Some sectors of the community have said that humans do not have the right to make genetically-modified organisms for this purpose.
What is the main nature of their concern?
- The limited application the Glofish have in society
- The risks to the biodiversity of the Zebra fish species
- The ethics of manipulating an organism's genes for commercial gain
- That the Glofish may interbreed with other species causing serious mutations in the future
BIOLOGY, M6 EQ-Bank 1 MC
A student was doing a literature review on biotechnology and wanted to see how biotechnology research could positively benefit people who suffered from Type 1 diabetes. He found several potential measures that were being explored to help people with diabetes.
Which of the following measures does NOT use biotechnology?
- Gene therapy in which genetic information is introduced into the cells of the pancreas
- The screening of genes to inform potential parents of the risk of their child developing Type 1 diabetes
- The use of auto-monitoring insulin pumps that can detect when a patient's insulin levels are dropping too low
- Collecting survey data on the prevalence of Type 1 diabetes in different communities to ensure insulin supplies are maintained at sufficient levels
BIOLOGY, M6 2014 HSC 32e
The text summarises an ethical framework for decision-making related to the use of biotechnologies.
Evaluate the ethics of the use of ONE specific biotechnology in relation to this framework. (7 marks)
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BIOLOGY, M6 2016 HSC 18 MC
How does the production of a new transgenic species have the potential to alter the path of evolution?
- The creation of new genes increases biodiversity.
- The removal of genes from a species decreases biodiversity.
- The transfer of genes within a species increases biodiversity.
- The transfer of genes between two species increases biodiversity.
BIOLOGY, M6 2015 HSC 29
'The application of modern reproductive techniques in plant and animal breeding limits genetic diversity.'
Discuss this statement. (6 marks)
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BIOLOGY, M6 2019 HSC 24
Explain the loss of biodiversity that may result from TWO biotechnologies used in agriculture. (5 marks)
BIOLOGY, M6 2021 HSC 11 MC
Many transgenic crops have been genetically engineered to have traits such as herbicide resistance. In at least four different crops the transgene has been found in nearby wild plant relatives of the cultivated crops.
What is the most likely reason for this observation?
- Crossing over in the wild plants
- Gene flow from the crops to the wild plants
- Genetic drift from the crops to the wild plants
- Mutations in the wild plants that match the transgenes