13+Transgenic+Plants

Transgenic Plants

Describe: Transgenic plants carry foreign genes that were inserted into its genome on purpose. The foreign gene was constructed using the recombinant DNA methodology. The genes in the plant are genetically manipulated to change how the scientists want them to. It used to require the slow process of cross-breeding before recombinant DNA technology was improved.

Analyze: A gene is inserted in the DNA of an organism. It causes the genes to be expressed differently and produce different functions the cell or organism can do. An example would be improved nutritional quality because milled rice is a food for most of the world and it can be altered to add vitamin A where there is vitamin A deficiency, especially in Southeast Asia.

Apply: Transgenic plants can be used to better our way of life. A few ways plants can be changed to help live our lives better would be improved nutritional quality, in things such as rice, insect resistance, where the toxin can be introduced to the plant and make it resistant to it, or disease resistant, where plants can become resistant to any disease such as tobacco that has already been infected. There are many other uses for transgenic plants, each having a different cause, like in the medical field or agriculture.

Synthesize: This reminds me of a kind of steroid that can be added to plants. It causes them to be able to fight off the diseases and be resistant, just like transgenic plants.

Argue: I am for this because it helps us create new ways to be safer with what we eat. It also allows us to be able to resist disease more because the plants can be changed to resist disease, then we can eat the plant and be able to resist diseases.

sources: AP Biology textbook, eighth edition http://users.rcn.com/jkimball.ma.ultranet/BiologyPages/T/TransgenicPlants.html

Transgenic Plants Animation

