Explain what a transgenic organism is, and give two examples
What will be an ideal response?
A transgenic organism is one that contains genes from other organisms. These genes usually add some special ability or function to the organism. Agriculture offers many examples of transgenic organisms. Soybeans have been engineered to contain glyphosate-resistance genes, and other crops have been engineered to grow well in soil with high salt concentrations. Plants have been modified to be resistant to naturally occurring microbial diseases. Still other plants have been engineered to contain the gene for Bt toxin, a bacterial toxin that kills insect pests that would otherwise feed on and destroy the crop. Not all transgenic organisms represent such extreme genetic modifications, however. Some genetically modified organisms simply represent efforts to improve nutritional content (in the case of plant crops) or to increase food yield (in the case of bovine growth hormone, which is produced by transgenic bacteria and then given to cattle to increase their meat and milk yield).
Bloom's Taxonomy: Comprehension
Section: Applications of Recombinant DNA Technology
Learning Outcome: 8.23
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Fill in the blank(s) with the appropriate word(s)