#8 A Matter of Selection, Lauren Anderson

1. For the Story of the seed project our group we have grown cauliflower. Cauliflower is apart of the Brassica oleracea family. Brassica oleracea is a plant species that includes cabbage, broccoli, cauliflower, kale, brussels sprouts, and more. As I studied the plants one day, I noticed how different these plants seemed to appear. The phenotypes of many of these plants were completely unlike one another! Some plants had spindly, purple spikes with a semblance of petals, while others were much more similar to their ancestors with large, thick leaves with a rounded physique. It was clear that the reproductive system, or the anatomical reproductive parts of each plant, seemed to differ the most. None of the different types of brassica displayed the same phenotype when it came to the reproductive system. 

2. There are many different traits and plant types of brassica oleracea because of many reasons all resulting in natural variation, the first being descent with modification. When you start off with one plant, it can start to grow in various habitats and climates, causing adaptations. The adapted plants can then go on to have offspring of themselves causing another type of plant to form, and is a descendant of the original starting plant. Another way the plant can change could be from mutations. These happen randomly when the genes are shuffled resulting in a missing base, or incorrect pairing. Selective breeding is when humans get involved. Humans can purposely breed certain plants together to get better results of likable traits, also the same as artificial selection only that is not just caused by humans, it can also be done by animals themselves.

On top you can see what a healthy plant looks like with its bright color and bushy leafs 

Now you can see the difference on what it would look like.