Selective Breeding and Genetic Engineering

This lesson covers selective breeding (artificial selection) and genetic engineering as required by the Edexcel GCSE Combined Science specification (1SC0). You need to understand how humans manipulate the characteristics of organisms, the benefits and risks of each technique, and the ethical issues involved.

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Selective Breeding (Artificial Selection)

Selective breeding is the process by which humans choose organisms with desirable characteristics to breed together. Over many generations, the desired trait becomes more common in the population.

The Process

1. Choose individuals with the desired characteristic from the existing population.
2. Allow these individuals to breed together.
3. From the offspring, select those that best show the desired trait.
4. Allow these selected offspring to breed together.
5. Repeat the process over many generations.

graph TD
    A["Choose parents with desirable traits"] --> B["Breed selected individuals"]
    B --> C["Select best offspring"]
    C --> D["Breed selected offspring together"]
    D --> E["Repeat over many generations"]
    E --> F["Desired trait becomes more common"]

Examples of Selective Breeding