Which term describes the process of selecting a few organisms with desired traits to serve as parents of the next generation?

Which term describes the process of selecting a few organisms with desired traits to serve as parents of the next generation?

• A. Hybridization
• B. Clone
• C. Selective breeding
• D. Genetic engineering

Answer: (C)

Selective breeding is choosing individuals with desirable traits to serve as parents for the next generation. By selecting those organisms that display the traits we want and allowing them to reproduce, those traits are more likely to appear in their offspring, and, over generations, become more common in the population. This is driven by humans, using natural variation that already exists. This differs from hybridization, which involves crossing individuals to combine traits and often involves different varieties or species; cloning, which creates an exact genetic copy of one organism; and genetic engineering, which directly alters genes using laboratory techniques. An example of selective breeding is choosing cows that produce a lot of milk and breeding them to increase milk yield in the herd.

Selective breeding is choosing individuals with desirable traits to serve as parents for the next generation. By selecting those organisms that display the traits we want and allowing them to reproduce, those traits are more likely to appear in their offspring, and, over generations, become more common in the population. This is driven by humans, using natural variation that already exists.

This differs from hybridization, which involves crossing individuals to combine traits and often involves different varieties or species; cloning, which creates an exact genetic copy of one organism; and genetic engineering, which directly alters genes using laboratory techniques. An example of selective breeding is choosing cows that produce a lot of milk and breeding them to increase milk yield in the herd.