| Organism | How growth and development occur |
|---|---|
| Animal | Mitosis increases cell number. Daughter cells grow and differentiate to form tissues such as muscle or nervous tissue. |
| Plant | Mitosis produces new cells in meristems near root and shoot tips. Many new cells then take in water, elongate and differentiate. |
| Feature | Asexual reproduction | Sexual reproduction |
|---|---|---|
| Parents and gametes | One parent; no fusion of gametes. | Gametes fuse at fertilisation; usually two parents. |
| Advantages | No need to find a mate. A rapid reproductive cycle can produce many offspring in favourable conditions. | Genetically varied offspring increase the chance that some survive a change in conditions. |
| Disadvantages | Clones have little or no genetic variation, apart from mutations. The same disease or environmental change may affect many of them. | Finding a mate takes time and energy in many species; reproduction is often slower. |
| Feature | Mitosis | Meiosis |
|---|---|---|
| Daughter cells | Two. | Four. |
| Chromosome sets | The same number as the parent cell. | Half the number in the original diploid cell. |
| Genetic information | Genetically identical, unless mutation occurs. | Genetically different. |
| Main role | Growth, repair and asexual reproduction. | Production of haploid gametes. |
| Term | Meaning |
|---|---|
| Chromosome | A long DNA molecule associated with proteins. It carries many genes. |
| Gene | A section of DNA that codes for a specific protein. |
| Genome | The entire DNA of an organism, including coding and non-coding regions. |
| Base on one strand | Complementary base |
|---|---|
| Adenine (A) | Thymine (T) |
| Thymine (T) | Adenine (A) |
| Cytosine (C) | Guanine (G) |
| Guanine (G) | Cytosine (C) |
| Step or material | Purpose |
|---|---|
| Crushing fruit | Breaks up tissue and helps release cells and their contents. |
| Detergent | Disrupts the cell and nuclear membranes, releasing DNA. |
| Salt | Helps DNA molecules come together when alcohol is added. |
| Filtering | Removes larger pieces of cell debris; dissolved DNA passes into the filtrate. |
| Cold ethanol | DNA is poorly soluble in ethanol and precipitates as visible strands. |
| DNA template base | RNA base added |
|---|---|
| A | U |
| T | A |
| C | G |
| G | C |
| mRNA codon | Amino acid |
|---|---|
| AUG | Methionine |
| CCU | Proline |
| GAA | Glutamic acid |
| Location of variant | Possible effect | Link to phenotype |
|---|---|---|
| Protein-coding DNA | An altered base sequence can change the amino acid sequence and protein activity. | For example, an enzyme may make less pigment because its active site changes. |
| Non-coding regulatory DNA | Altered RNA polymerase binding can change how much mRNA and protein are made. | The amount of pigment may change even if the protein sequence stays the same. |
| Term | Meaning and example |
|---|---|
| Allele | An alternative version of a gene. Different alleles can produce differences in inherited characteristics. |
| Genotype | The alleles an organism has; for one gene, examples are BB, Bb and bb. |
| Phenotype | An observable characteristic, influenced by genotype and sometimes the environment. |
| Dominant | An allele expressed in the phenotype of a heterozygote, in a simple dominant–recessive model. |
| Recessive | An allele expressed only when no dominant allele is present, in that model. |
| Homozygous | Two identical alleles of a gene: BB or bb. |
| Heterozygous | Two different alleles of a gene: Bb. |
| Gamete | A haploid sex cell carrying one allele of each gene in the simple crosses studied here. |
| Zygote | The diploid cell formed by the fusion of two gametes at fertilisation. |
| Gametes | T | t |
|---|---|---|
| T | TT | Tt |
| t | Tt | tt |
| Gametes | t | t |
|---|---|---|
| T | Tt | Tt |
| t | tt | tt |
| Outcome | Probability | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| TT | 1/4 | 25% |
| Tt | 2/4 = 1/2 | 50% |
| tt | 1/4 | 25% |
| Tall phenotype (TT or Tt) | 3/4 | 75% |
| Egg gamete / sperm gamete | X sperm | Y sperm |
|---|---|---|
| X egg | XX | XY |
| X egg | XX | XY |
| Blood-group phenotype | Possible genotypes |
|---|---|
| A | IᴬIᴬ or Iᴬi |
| B | IᴮIᴮ or Iᴮi |
| AB | IᴬIᴮ |
| O | ii |
| Gametes | Iᴮ | i |
|---|---|---|
| Iᴬ | IᴬIᴮ (AB) | Iᴬi (A) |
| i | Iᴮi (B) | ii (O) |
| Egg gamete / sperm gamete | Xᴴ sperm | Y sperm |
|---|---|---|
| Xᴴ egg | XᴴXᴴ: unaffected daughter | XᴴY: unaffected son |
| Xʰ egg | XᴴXʰ: carrier daughter | XʰY: affected son |
| Cause | Explanation | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Genetic | Different alleles and allele combinations are inherited. Mutations create new variants; sexual reproduction reshuffles alleles. | ABO blood group. |
| Environmental | Conditions and experiences affect the phenotype. | A scar caused by an injury. |
| Both | Inherited differences interact with environmental conditions. | Human height is influenced by many genes and by nutrition and health. |
| Application | Potential benefit | Limitation or concern |
|---|---|---|
| Identifying disease-related variants | Can support diagnosis and estimates of inherited disease risk. | Many conditions also involve other genes and the environment. |
| Developing treatments | Studying affected proteins can reveal targets for new medicines. | Finding a target does not guarantee a safe, effective treatment. |
| Personalised medicine | Genetic differences may help doctors select a medicine or dose. | Suitable treatments and evidence are not available for every condition. |
| Informed family choices | Can inform reproductive and healthcare decisions. | Privacy, consent, distress and implications for relatives matter. |
| Leaf length (mm) | Frequency |
|---|---|
| 30 ≤ length < 40 | 2 |
| 40 ≤ length < 50 | 5 |
| 50 ≤ length < 60 | 8 |
| 60 ≤ length < 70 | 4 |
| 70 ≤ length < 80 | 1 |
| ABO group | Number of records |
|---|---|
| A | 7 |
| B | 4 |
| AB | 1 |
| O | 8 |
| Genotype | Observed out of 40 | Expected out of 40 |
|---|---|---|
| TT | 12 | 10 |
| Tt | 17 | 20 |
| tt | 11 | 10 |
| Stage | Susceptible bacteria | Resistant bacteria |
|---|---|---|
| Before treatment | 990 | 10 |
| Immediate survivors, before further reproduction | 10 | 10 |
| Desired characteristic | Possible benefit |
|---|---|
| Higher yield or disease resistance in crops | More usable food can be harvested or fewer plants may be lost. |
| Higher milk yield in cattle | Greater milk production per animal under suitable conditions. |
| Particular behaviour in domesticated animals | Animals may be more suitable for a working role or handling. |
| Issue | Why it matters |
|---|---|
| Time and available variation | Many generations may be required, and breeders can select only characteristics with a heritable basis. |
| Animal welfare | Selection for extreme body shape or production can harm health or normal behaviour. |
| Genetic diversity | A narrow gene pool can increase vulnerability to disease and reduce options for future breeding. |
| Application | Advantage |
|---|---|
| Plant breeding programmes | Rapidly multiplies a selected plant while retaining its useful combination of alleles; many plants can be produced in a small space. |
| Medical research | Allows scientists to study cell behaviour, disease and responses to potential treatments under controlled conditions; can reduce reliance on some animal experiments. |
| Component | Role |
|---|---|
| Restriction enzyme | Cuts DNA at a specific recognition sequence; suitable cuts produce sticky ends. |
| Sticky ends | Complementary exposed bases pair, aligning the DNA fragments. |
| DNA ligase | Joins the DNA backbones to make a continuous DNA molecule. |
| Vector | Carries the gene into a recipient cell, for example in a recombinant plasmid. |
| Possible benefit | Limitation or risk to investigate |
|---|---|
| Less damage and a greater usable harvest | The benefit depends on the target pest, local conditions and the cost of seed. |
| Reduced need for some sprayed insecticides | The crop does not control every pest; effects on non-target organisms still require testing. |
| Protection while the crop grows | Repeated exposure can select resistant pests, reducing long-term effectiveness. |
| Application | Benefit and evidence to consider |
|---|---|
| Insect-resistant crops | May reduce damage and some insecticide use; compare yield, costs, resistance and non-target effects. |
| Nutritionally improved crops | May improve intake of a particular nutrient; consider actual diet, access and whether the nutrient is available to the body. |
| Microorganisms producing medicines | May provide large, reliable supplies of a useful protein; assess production control, purification, safety and affordability. |
| Possible advantage | Possible disadvantage |
|---|---|
| Replaces nutrients removed in harvested crops | Fertiliser purchase, production and application use money and resources. |
| Can increase yield when minerals are limiting | Excess application may give little further yield and can damage plants. |
| Supports food production on existing farmland | Nutrient runoff or leaching can pollute water and contribute to oxygen depletion. |
| Possible advantage | Limitation or risk |
|---|---|
| May reduce reliance on chemical pesticides | It can act slowly or be unreliable if conditions do not suit the control organism. |
| A suitable organism may target a particular pest | Non-target species could be affected; specificity must be investigated. |
| Control can persist if the organism establishes | An introduced organism may spread and be difficult to remove. |
| Fertiliser application (kg ha⁻¹) | Mean crop yield (t ha⁻¹) |
|---|---|
| 0 | 2.0 |
| 50 | 4.0 |
| 100 | 5.0 |
| 150 | 5.3 |
| 200 | 5.4 |
| Yield (t ha⁻¹) | Frequency |
|---|---|
| 3.0 ≤ yield < 4.0 | 2 |
| 4.0 ≤ yield < 5.0 | 5 |
| 5.0 ≤ yield < 6.0 | 7 |
| 6.0 ≤ yield < 7.0 | 6 |
| Method | What happens | Main limitation to consider |
|---|---|---|
| Selective breeding | Chosen parents reproduce; useful inherited characteristics are selected over generations. | Can take many generations and narrow genetic diversity. |
| Genetic engineering | The genome is directly modified to introduce a desired characteristic. | The particular modification and its consequences need testing and evaluation. |
| Tissue culture | Cells multiply by mitosis under controlled conditions; selected plants can be cloned. | Contamination, cost and shared vulnerability of clones. |
| Term | Meaning |
|---|---|
| Insect-resistant crop | The plant is protected against damage from particular insect pests. |
| Bt-resistant pest | The insect can survive exposure to the Bt protein, making the crop’s protection less effective. |
| Evidence to consider | How it affects the decision |
|---|---|
| Damage from the target pest | The crop may be useful where that pest causes substantial losses. |
| Usable yield and insecticide use | Increased usable yield and reduced insecticide use would support adoption. |
| Seed costs | Higher seed costs must be weighed against the benefits. |
| Pest resistance | Resistant pests could become more common, reducing the crop’s effectiveness over time. |
| Trials over several seasons | Consistent results would strengthen confidence in the judgement. |