Plant genetic resources

High school (ages 12+)
Environment & Earth

Name:

Date:

Step 1 · Read the article

Open the article and read it at the level above. Then answer the questions below in your own words.

https://smallwhale.org/articles/plant-genetic-resources

Write what each word means, using the article.

Do not copy the article. Write two things you learned, the way you would explain them to a friend.

Answers below are taken from the article’s stored facts, so they match what the student read.

1. What is the source of variability?Human selection during domestication and breeding, alongside natural evolutionary processes
2. Why are seeds important for plant genetic resources?Seeds are tiny packets that carry a plant’s genes. By saving seeds, we keep a library of many different plant traits that can be used to grow stronger, tastier, or more climate‑tough crops.
3. How do farmers help create new plant varieties?Farmers pick the best plants each season and plant them again. Over many years this “artificial selection” changes the plants, giving us new varieties that grow well in local conditions.

Landraces: Traditional varieties of a crop that have been developed by farmers over generations in a specific region.
Crop Wild Relatives (CWR): Wild species that are genetically similar to cultivated crops and can be a source of valuable traits.
Ex situ Conservation: Conservation of genetic material outside of its natural habitat, typically in genebanks or botanical gardens.