BIOL-UA 12 Lecture 22: Lecture 22
Document Summary
Lecture 22: plant nutrition and biotechnology: biotechnology, important if an animal gene was inserted into a plant genome in order for the plant to synthesize the animal protein. If this were the case, there could be some people allergic to the plant, as they would be allergic to the animal protein. Some vegetarians are vegetarians for health issues: 75% of processed food in the us have gm ingredients. Includes breakfast cereals, cooking oils and crackers and anything with soy or corn: traditional plant breeding was the precursor of gene manipulation. There is no evolutionary pressure for corn to be produced with big, juicy seeds. Human breeders have intervened in the reproduction and genetic makeup of crops for thousands of years. Humans need to eat plants in order to gain amino acids. The more the wild relative is propagated, the higher chance of a random mutation where the corn would have larger seeds.