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Selective Breeding Manipulation

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AS 91607
Demonstrate understanding of human manipulations of genetic transfer and its biological implications.

Genetic manipulation is the process of humans changing, or manipulating, the DNA of another species. Humans have been breeding animals for specific traits for over 10,000 years. Ever since the development of agriculture humans have been unknowingly manipulating the DNA of both plants and animals. This process is called Selective Breeding. Selective Breeding is done by simply taking two organisms of the same species, who show the desired trait, and forcing them to breed together. In recent years genetic manipulation has taken huge steps forward with the development of Transgenesis. Transgenesis is similar to Selective Breeding as …show more content…

Sperm are analysed to find any abnormalities in structure, concentration, and motility (the ability to move spontaneously/actively, whilst consuming energy). If the sperm had any abnormalities it would not be used to breed, this reduces the chance of the offspring produced having undesirable phenotypes as only the sperm with the desired traits are used to inseminate. The best sperm are selected, and if they are going to be traveling to another location they will be stored in plastic straws which are frozen to -196 oC using liquid nitrogen and a sperm extender. The sperm extender is added to maintain the quality and life of the sperm, it is made up of; a cryoprotectant- glycerol is used to prevent damage to the sperm due to freezing; a buffer to help regulate the pH in the sperm due to its metabolic processes; a source of energy; and antibiotics for the sperm to kill any remaining pathogens (2). Artificial insemination in more beneficial for animals as I enables one bull to father more calves if they have better genetic make-up. Cows are also chosen to breed based on their milk production, udder structure, their body shape and strength of limbs, and in the case of cattle being breed for increased muscle mass, muscle mass. This means that only the best offspring are produced as only the cattle with the best physical traits are breed. AI is …show more content…

Both the health and survival of the individual and the survival of the entire population is affected by cattle who are breed wholly for increased muscle growth. Many individuals have difficulties walking and even holding themselves up as their mass is too large to be supported by their normal sized bones, tendons, and ligaments. The gene hyperplasia has no control over anything other than the amount of muscle is produced so, cattle with this gene still have the same sized bones, ligaments, and tendons as normal cattle but they have to support almost twice the weight. Often some of the tendons do not even attach to bone they are simply not long enough to go around he extra muscle, this renders the muscles useless as without attaching to bone they have nothing to pull on when contracting, nothing to move. This further limits the movements of these animals, when moving the animal would be in at least slight pain and discomfort. Their size also affects the breeding capabilities of the animals as their immense size makes it impossible for them to mount a female, so the only way a bull with this trait can breed is through artificial insemination. In the wild this trait would not be selected for as the cattle with it would simply not be able to breed so the allele would be taken out of the gene pool right away, but with human intervention they are able to survive. This

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