Descent From Teosinte Hypothesis
The “Descent from Teosinte” hypothesis helps define the difference between maize and teosinte. According to Iltis, corn is cultivated teosinte, they do not differ in genetic or vegetative features (Goodman, 1988). Human select qualities in corn that produce more food, larger quantity, and efficient yield. Maize and teosinte have the same amount of chromosomes and similar structure due to common descent. At the DNA level, teosinte and maize have the same number of chromosomes and almost the same arrangement of genes. George Beadle, was the first scientist to study maize-teosinte hy-birds (“Evolution of Corn”). Beadle found that maize and teosinte are different in about 5 genes, by using laws of genetic inheritance (“Evolution of Corn”). Beadles
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The genetic differences between teosinte and corn include branching, ear structure, fruitcase, and seed structure. Corn branches up as a single stem with ears while teosinte is branched and has many ears. Corn has an average of 10 rows of seeds and teosinte has two rows. The teosinte fruit produces a seed due to one of the paired seeds (spike is terminated) and in corn both spikes are fertile (“Evolution of Corn”). In seed structure, teosinte seed is covered by a hard fruitcase, and in corn the furitcase is decreased and forms into the corn cob (“Evolution of Corn”). Although maize and teosinte have some unique characteristics, it is proved that teosinte is the common ancestor or …show more content…
al (2004), studied changes in protein from artificial selection in a maize selection experiment. This experiment compared generation vs. percent of both protein and oil. The results concluded there was a “dramatic” change, more than 20 standard deviations from the original population mean the positive direction and 4 in the negative direction (Hendry, 2011). Hendry believes that it may be due to standing genetic variation. The traits may have been altered by countless alleles and loci, and selection on each allele was uncertain, and recombination allowed for new variation (Moose et. al 2004). Thus, artificial selection of high protein for example, may not represent
The genetic differences between teosinte and corn include branching, ear structure, fruitcase, and seed structure. Corn branches up as a single stem with ears while teosinte is branched and has many ears. Corn has an average of 10 rows of seeds and teosinte has two rows. The teosinte fruit produces a seed due to one of the paired seeds (spike is terminated) and in corn both spikes are fertile (“Evolution of Corn”). In seed structure, teosinte seed is covered by a hard fruitcase, and in corn the furitcase is decreased and forms into the corn cob (“Evolution of Corn”). Although maize and teosinte have some unique characteristics, it is proved that teosinte is the common ancestor or …show more content…
al (2004), studied changes in protein from artificial selection in a maize selection experiment. This experiment compared generation vs. percent of both protein and oil. The results concluded there was a “dramatic” change, more than 20 standard deviations from the original population mean the positive direction and 4 in the negative direction (Hendry, 2011). Hendry believes that it may be due to standing genetic variation. The traits may have been altered by countless alleles and loci, and selection on each allele was uncertain, and recombination allowed for new variation (Moose et. al 2004). Thus, artificial selection of high protein for example, may not represent