This key facts covers Problems with Selective Breeding within Selective Breeding for GCSE Biology. Artificial selection and selective breeding techniques It is section 3 of 11 in this topic. Use this key facts to connect the idea to the wider topic before moving on to questions and flashcards.
📋 Problems with Selective Breeding
- Inbreeding: Reduces genetic variation
- Genetic diseases: Harmful alleles can accumulate
- Vulnerability: Whole population susceptible to same disease
- Animal welfare: Some breeds have health problems (e.g., breathing issues in flat-faced dogs)
Practice questions for Selective Breeding
What is selective breeding?
Explain how selective breeding has been used to develop modern wheat varieties with higher yields.
Quick recall flashcards
Give three examples of selective breeding.
1. Dogs — bred for specific traits (speed in greyhounds, herding in border collies, guiding in labradors). 2. Cattle — bred for high milk yield or increased meat production. 3. Wheat — bred for disease resistance, higher yield, and shorter stems (less likely to fall over).
Describe the process of selective breeding.
1. Choose parents that show the desired characteristic. 2. Breed them together. 3. Select offspring that best show the characteristic. 4. Repeat over many generations. Over time the desired trait becomes more common in the population.