Download S-B-9-3_Got Lactase? Questions-Teacher Version Got Lactase

S-B-9-3_Got Lactase? Questions-Teacher Version
Got Lactase? Questions–Teacher Version
Directions: Read the following questions before you read the article. Then, read the article and
use information from the article to answer the questions.
Discussion Questions
1. Are you lactose tolerant or lactose intolerant? Based on what you learned in this article,
explain how your genes affect whether you can digest milk.
Answers will vary, but should include the fact that lactose tolerant individuals carry a
mutation to keep the lactase gene permanently turned on, OR the fact that lactose intolerant
individuals lack the mutation to keep the lactase gene switched on after infancy.
2. In Africa and Europe, why did natural selection favor individuals carrying the mutation for
lactose tolerance?
Natural selection favored individuals with the lactose tolerance mutation, because in
populations that herded cattle, being able to drink milk would have given people the
advantage of extra nutrients and water in their diets.
3. How do the concepts of genotype and phenotype apply to someone who is lactose tolerant?
Someone who is lactose tolerant has a mutation in their genotype that keeps the lactase gene
switched on. The phenotype of someone lactose tolerant is the trait that they can drink milk
and eat dairy products without digestive problems.