Blog Post 8

Blog Post 8: A Matter of Selection by Gabriella Lasserre 

We analyzed many different brassica oleracea in the garden when we were doing the story of the seed projects. I noticed that the anatomy of the plants that had the most variation was probably the leaves. They diversitized in the shape of the leaves. Some were shorter and fatter, while others were long, slim, and lanky. Some of the leaves even measured a few inches longer than others. Most of the leaves didn't have a very smooth and clean-cut look to them. They seemed quite jagged and bumpy to the touch.

I think the cause of all the genetic variability in the plants happens for a few reasons. the gene pool is randomly sorted to give genes just out of chance to the plants. There is also the allele frequency. which is also by chance. You really don't know where or when a gene will show up in a certain plant, and whether or not it could possibly result as a genetic mutation.

After taking measurements of the plants in our garden, we discovered that the brussell sprouts were 3 feet tall, the kohlrabi was 1 ft. 2 in. tall, the cauliflower was 11 in. tall, the kale was 2 ft. 7 in. tall, the cabbage was 10 in. tall, and our brassica oleracea, the tallest in the planter box at 3 ft. 1 in. I think some of the reason why some plants grew taller and bigger than others was the fact that they were engaging in competition, competing for things like nutrients, food, water, sunlight, ect. Some of the plants just naturally had larger buds on them and were predicted to take up a larger space as the normally do.

I think the leaves were very consistent in staying the same for all of the plants in the garden. When we analyzed them, a lot of them stayed really healthy and hydrated throughout the year, and the plants that didn't survive just had their leaves all died out and brown in the end.

I think plant breeders would ave to mix very vast leaves of different plants together because they are all very similar in the sense of how they look and feel, and even taste. Breeders would definitely have to experiment with different types of plants and analyze the gene pools to see which plants had what alleles so they could randomize to result in a different looking plant, or possibly even a new species.

Being able to see our plants mature throughout the seasons and see their growth was a really cool experience. I think students will really like the idea of being able to care for and study these interesting plants in the years to come. We got to understand the environment they lived in more and factors that helped out the plants and ones that didn't so much.