Question

1. Why is there excess phosphorous in the environment? 0.5 pt 2. What is Eutrophication? 1 pt 3. What is the cause of the murky waters along the Florida coastline, and how does this affect the local economy? 0.5 pt 4. Pigs are naturally unable to break down phosphorous. What is different in the Enviropig that allows it to break down phosphorous? What is the enzyme? 0.5 pt 5. Is this gene knocked-in or knocked-out? 1 pt

Answer 1

(1) Too much phosphorus can cause increased growth of algae and large aquatic plants, which can result in decreased levels of dissolved oxygen– a process called eutrophication. High levels of phosphorus can also lead to algae blooms that produce algal toxins which can be harmful to human and animal health.

(2)the process of too many plants growing on the surface of a river, lake, etc., often because chemicals that are used to help crops grow have been carried there by rain.

(3) in Florida, where three-quarters of the state’s 20 million residents live in coastal counties, a sudden change in the water is more than a colorful curiosity. Algae blooms, with their potential for damaging local economies, are the subject of particularly intense research here, as scientists and environmental officials seek to pinpoint their cause while improving early detection systems that can predict when and where they will occur.

(4)Like all animals, pigs' cells need phosphorus to make DNA, build cell membranes, and transport energy. But pigs can't digest phytate, a phosphorus-heavy molecule in grains, so farmers fortify pig feed with pure phosphate or phytase, an enzyme that breaks usable phosphate off phytate.

(5) Gene Knockout : A gene knockout is a genetic technique in which one of an organism's gene is made inoperative ("knocked out" of the organism). However, KO can also refer to the gene that is knocked out or the organism that carries the gene knockout.