Blog Post #9 (Connor)

               The Brassica Oleracea plants are now rather huge, and have many forms of variation. One example of this is the leaves, as broccoli is 30 cm in length. This is also shown as the highpoint of the range in variation, as the collared greens, the shortest plant, has leaves a length of 21 cm. The plant with the most variation however, is Kale, as it has a reddish hue, and has the most unique leaf shape. It also has a length of 24 cm long.

                As the Brassica Oleracea family has been grown, there has been many instances of reproduction between the plants. Whether this was by human hands or nature, it demonstrates artificial breeding and natural selection. As the plants reproduce, descent with modification takes place, which inputs new genes and modifications that help a plant adapt to its current environment. Natural variations also occur, for some plants mutate on their own, while others die out due to their inability to adapt.

               All of the plants in our garden consist of long stems and rather large leaves. However, others have extreme differences, as others have flowers, or shriveled leaves. I believe this is because some may have interbred in the same environment, while others may have grown in an environment with numerous bugs. Therefore, the flowers are meant to attract bugs, while the others are trying to be inconspicuous. Also, this is shown by the fact that the kale and collared greens are similar in length, while cauliflower and kohlrabi are similar in length. This shows the relevance to each other, and also the possibility of interbreeding.
                 To obtain traits, plants would have to go through selective breeding in hope that the offspring would receive the traits desired. However, some situations may require the input of science to input traits that the plant does not have through genetic modification. Therefore, the plant would have the trait through modification of its genes.