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IGCSE - Bio - Lesson Plan 20 - Selective Breeding

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100 views

IGCSE - Bio - Lesson Plan 20 - Selective Breeding

Uploaded by

Hisokagen
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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Chapter 20: Selective Breeding

Textbook pages
268–276

Chapter overview
This chapter covers selective breeding and modern methods of cloning animals and plants.

What to expect
Specification areas covered:
5.10 understand how selective breeding can develop plants with desired characteristics
5.11 understand how selective breeding can develop animals with desired characteristics
5.17B describe the process of micropropagation (tissue culture) in which explants are grown in vitro
5.18B understand how micropropagation can be used to produce commercial quantities of
genetically identical plants with desirable characteristics
5.19B describe the stages in the production of cloned mammals involving the introduction of a
diploid nucleus from a mature cell into an enucleated egg cell, illustrated by Dolly the sheep
5.20B understand how cloned transgenic animals can be used to produce human proteins.

Selective breeding is best taught after covering natural selection as it is a form of selective pressure,
with humans carrying out the selection rather than the environment. It is possible to teach the
section on the micropropagation of plants with the chapter on plant reproduction, as it is a method
of artificial asexual reproduction. It is best to teach the genetics topics and human reproduction
before the section about animal cloning.

Homework tasks could include completing worksheet questions, research and discussion of ethical
issues.

Teaching notes
 Selective breeding is best taught immediately after natural selection and the parallels with it
should be reinforced.
 A good way of demonstrating selective plant breeding is by bringing in a wide range of
brassicas and asking students to consider what feature each has been selected for (root,
leaf, flower, stem, etc.)
 To demonstrate selective breeding in animals, photographs of different animal varieties, e.g.
dog, cattle or horse varieties, could be placed around the room. Students explain how and
why the breeds have been produced (e.g. lapdogs, hunting dogs, guard dogs, retrievers).
 Plant micropropagation offers an excellent opportunity to revisit plant asexual reproduction.
There are Internet videos demonstrating the techniques. The benefits and drawbacks of it
can be explained with specific examples such as apples and bananas. There are key points
that students need to appreciate, for example:
o what explants are
o the size of explants
o the use of sterile, nutrient agar
o the use of hormones
o transfer to soil in greenhouses with light, warmth and high humidity.
 Although not strictly micropropagation, students could practice taking cuttings of different
plants. It is also possible to use micropropagation to clone pieces of cauliflower.

© Pearson Education Ltd 2018. Copying permitted for purchasing institution only. This material is
not copyright free.
 To understand the methods used in animal cloning, students could draw out a flowchart
showing the cloning of Dolly the sheep. There are certain key points that should be
reinforced:
o use of enucleated eggs
o nucleus from sheep with desirable characteristic placed into enucleated egg
o use of electric current
o mitosis increasing cell number to produce an embryo
o transplant of embryo into uterus of surrogate sheep.
 Students can research the use of animal cloning and produce a poster / information sheet on
the actual and potential uses. This requires some knowledge of how to produce transgenic
animals and so may be best to cover after genetic engineering has been taught.

Common misconceptions
 There is often confusion as to the role of the animal nucleus and enucleated egg. The
importance of the enucleated egg should be reinforced and possibly modelled using paper.
 Many students confuse cloning with genetic engineering – when both have been taught, the
differences should be reinforced.
 Students often do not appreciate that alleles are passed on to the next generation when
breeding.

Differentiation
 For extension, students could research and produce information sheets about topics such as:
the threat to bananas, the ethics and use of cloned animals, the use and ethics of selective
breeding of farm and domestic animals.
 Less-able students often find the vocabulary and number of stages involved in
micropropagation and animal cloning challenging. They might benefit from carrying out a
simulation practical of micropropagation (using a plant, sterilising equipment, using rooting
powder and placing pieces of plant into agar). A cut and paste exercise can help less-able
students understand animal cloning – diagrams of egg, nucleus and the sheep can be used
for them to physically work through the stages.

Practicals

Practi cals listed in the textbook

There are no practicals in this chapter.

Additi onal practi cals

 As many cultivated brassicas as possible should be shown to students. They can be placed at
different places in the room and students move round describing the adaptations of each. If
real plants are not available, photographs can be used. A similar exercise with animals can
be done.
 A micropropagation simulation can be performed with scalpels, sterilising fluids, a plant,
agar and rooting powder.
 There are several protocols available on the Internet for the micropropagation of cauliflower
florets.

© Pearson Education Ltd 2018. Copying permitted for purchasing institution only. This material is
not copyright free.

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