A Matter of Selection

1.) Which part (anatomy) or characteristic of the Brassica oleracea plants seems to exhibit the most variation (greatest number of different forms)? Which part or characteristic of the Brassica oleracea plants seems to show the greatest range of variation (biggest difference between one extreme and its opposite)? Use and include data collected from multiple measurements to support your answer. The part of the plant that I thought seemed to exhibit the most variation between all of the Brassicas were the leaves. I thought that the leaves were the most different because they all were different shapes, sizes, and feels. For example, the cauliflower felt very powdery when I touched it, and I didn't get that powdery texture when I touched the other leaves of the other Brassicas. The cauliflower's leaves were also very long compared to the other Brassicas. Then the savoy cabbage had a very different kind of leaf from the other plants. The savoy cabbage had a really crinkly feeling when I touched it. Their leaves were also really wide and long. The average length of the leaf was 6 inches long and they were 5 inches wide. The only other plant that shared the crinkly feel was the dino cabbage, but their leaves were in a weird thin shape. The plant leaf that seemed to show the greatest variation was the kohlrabi. The kohlrabi had the most different color from all the plants. They had a very matte green color, and they also had a very matte purple color in some parts of the plant. Then their plant shape was also very strange. Their leaves fanned out, and also had little ribs and folds, and grew out in all directions.

Savoy Cabbage

Kohlrabi

Dino Cabbage

Cauliflower

2.) Using the terms that follow, explain why you think there is so much variability in the domestic forms of Brassica oleracea: traits, selective breeding, artificial selection, genes, descent with modification, natural variations, mutations. I think that they're is a lot of different traits in the domestic form of the Brassica oleracea for a few reasons. One the reasons being that since when something is sexually reproduced it always gets traits of both parents, and never just one. Another of the reasons being that artificial selection has played a big part in the domestication of Brassicas. Scientists have been able to pick which genes that the plants need in order to get the most out of their plants. Selective breeding also has caused a lot of change to the Brassica because the plants can sexually reproduce with much healthier and stronger plants. This can really affect the outcome of a plant because it can make the genes of the plant much better. Natural variation also plays a huge part in the domestication of Brassicas. It does because natural variation are mutations that randomly take place during sex cell division. This can really change the plant because it can affect the genes that the plant can pass down. Descent with modification is pretty simple, but still very important. It is the passing of traits from parents to offspring.

3.) Which part (anatomy) of the Brassica oleracea plants seems to be most consistently the same in all of the examples in our garden, regardless of how extreme the differences between other parts of the same plants may be? Why do think this is so? Again, use and include data collected from multiple measurements to support your answer. The part of the Brassica oleracea that was the most consistent between all the Brassicas was that the stem of all the plants were all similar. I think that this part of the Brassica is similar because it is one of the most important parts of a plant. Without the stem the plant wouldn't be able to grow because the stem helps the plant get all the nutrients it needs. It does this by sucking up all the water through the roots and transferring it through the stem. I studied all of the different types of brassicas' in the garden, and I also took some pictures. What I noticed is that all of the brassica plants had strong and sturdy stems. They were all bulky and they all had a lot of girth to them.  I think that they are sturdy because the stem is in the ground. This means that it has to be strong, and be able to withstand things trying to pull it out. Things such as animals that might want to eat it and strong winds that might cause the plant to be pulled out.

Kohlrabi

Dino Cabbage

Savoy Cabbage

4.) What would plant breeders have to do in order to get the body part or characteristic you described above (in your response to question #3) to become much different than it is presently? I think that plant breeders would have to go through a long process to change the Brassica's unique stem. I think that they'll have to find a plant that has a very thin and small stem, and a similar reproductive system. They then can get these two plants to sexually reproduce another plant with the hopes that the plant acquired the small stem genes. They can also put some of the brassicas in an enviroment where they would need to have a small and fragile stem. This process might take a really long time though. They can also genetically engineer the plant to have these small stem genes, but this could also take awhile because no one will be sure if it'll work.