1. Unit A – Biological Diversity

2. Outcomes
4. identify the role of variation in species survival under changing environmental conditions 
6. describe examples of variation of characteristics within a species
13. distinguish between, and identify examples of, natural and artificial selection and the technology involved

3. VARIABILITY AND SURVIVAL
Variability is important if the environment of a species changes.
Environmental change can be from humans, adding a predator in, change in climate or the introduction of a new disease.
Example: Peppered Moth

4. VARIABILITY AND RESISTANCE
Variability is good for species to survive environmental changes but it can also be negative for humans when they want to eliminate something.
Certain strains of bacteria have become resistant to antibiotics and if the trend continues antibiotics may no longer be effective.
Can you think of other examples of variability being a negative or positive thing?

5. NATURAL SELECTION
Natural selection occurs when the environment “selects” which individuals within a species will be able to survive long enough to reproduce.
"Survival of the fittest" is a phrase that originated from an evolutionary theory as a way of describing the mechanism of natural selection.
Natural Selection is often seen as a survival for the desirable traits. This is what was seen by Charles Darwin and his finches.

6. EXAMPLE OF ADAPTATIONS FOR SURVIVAL

7. Think About it! What do we mean about survival of the fittest?
Complete bunny scenario

8. Outcomes
6. describe examples of variation of characteristics within a species
8. distinguish those characteristics that are heritable from those that are not heritable, and identify characteristics for which heredity and environment may both play a role
9. identify examples of dominant and recessive characteristics

9. Class Exploration
Working in groups, complete the table and test the following features of your group members
Characteristic
Option 1
Option 2
dimples
dimples present
no dimples
eye colour
brown/green
blue/grey
earlobe
detached
attached
hair colour
brown/black
blond/red
second digit finger
short
long
skin pigment
freckles
no freckles
thumb
bends back
does not bend back
tongue
can roll
cannot roll

10. Heritable and Non-Heritable Characteristics
Heritable characteristics are passed down from generation to generation.
These include: structural and distinguishing traits such as eye colour, hair type, skin colour and ear lobes.
Non-Heritable characteristics are acquired by each individual separately and not necessarily passed on from generation to generation.
These can include athleticism, artistic ability, having big muscles, dyed hair

11. Discrete vs. Continuous Variation
Discrete variation are characteristics that only has a few choices, either/or
Example: being able to roll your tongue or not; albino or not
Continuous variation are differences that have a range of forms
Example: height, weight, hair, eye colour

12. Variations and the Environment
Some variations may be influenced by interactions with the environment. These variations are NOT inherited
Example: Height and weight. How is this influenced by the environment?
Example: Changes in pigmentation of skin colour throughout different seasons

13. Review Left Thumb Top Right Thumb Top
A scientist wants to study continuous variation in a mouse population. What mouse characteristics would she/he investigate?
Is this discrete or Continuous?
Left Thumb Top
Right Thumb Top

14. 4.2 Selecting Desirable Traits

15. Outcomes
Identify issues related to selective breeding in game farming and in the rearing of fish stocks
Describe newly emerging technologies for recombining genetic material; and identify issues related to their application
Describe the use of biotechnology in environmental, agricultural, or forest management. Identify potential impacts and issues

16. Artificial Selection
The process of selecting and breeding individuals with desirable traits to produce offspring that have these desirable traits
What is the difference between artificial selection and natural selection?
Natural selection – Nature selects for traits (predator prey relationships)
Artificial selection – traits are chosen for (vegetables)

17. Artificial Selection
Artificial Selection can be applied to animals, food and ornamental plants.
Since the beginning of farming humans have practiced artificial selection.
Example: Corn

18. Risks in Animals
Artificial selection can reduce genetic variation by creating many offspring of the same individual animals
Having many animals that are genetically identical are more likely to get diseases that genetically differing herds of animals

19. Risks in Plants
Many of our crops were produced by artificial selection of wild plants
There has also been genetic engineering done to the crops to try and make them resistant to herbicide so that the crops can be sprayed and only the weeds die
Many crop plants can still cross with their wild weed relatives and some weeds can become resistant to herbicides

20. Biotechnology
Biotechnology is using living things to make agricultural, industrial or medicinal products.
Farmers and ranchers began using biotechnology many years ago to improve their crops and herds.
How would they do this?
It takes many generations to successfully get an organism with desired traits

21. Creating Plant Clones
Originally horticulturalists “cloned” a plant by taking a cutting off of it and growing an identical version of it
Today scientists can clone faster by taking a cell from an individual plant with desirable traits and place it in a Petri dish where they can grow into seedlings
Many more seedlings can be grown through cloning a cell than through cuttings

22. Artificial Reproductive Technology
Artificial Reproductive Technology is any artificial method of joining a male and female gamete
Most cows in Canada are produced this way
Artificial insemination us when sperm are taken from a bull with the desired traits and the sperm is inserted into the female cow
What is the benefit of artificial insemination?

23. Genetic Engineering
Refers to any technology that directly alters the DNA of an organism
This usually consists of inserting a desirable gene from one species into another
Example: Some genetically modified bacteria now produce insulin because of a gene inserted into them
Diabetics need insulin and since bacteria grow so quickly they can produce a lot of insulin which allows it to be sold cheaply

24. Biotechnology and Society
Development of technology that allows us to select or introduce desirable traits of the organism around us have given humans some important benefits
However we need to use these technologies responsibly and be aware of the possible risks as well as the benefits

25. Cloning
Scientists are able to produce an identical copy of a single animal
The most famous example is a sheep named Dolly who is genetically identical to her mother
Dolly was made from a full-grown mother
Even though Dolly is 6 years younger than her mother her cells appear the same as her mothers

26. Cloning Cloning is still in its early stages
Many have reported unsuccessful pregnancies, birth defects, and deaths among clones.

27. Dolly the Sheep

28. Case Study Work in your Table Groups and read through the study.
Create a Pro/Con list to answer the question at the end of the study.