Brassica Rapa Essay
Selection of Least Leaf Density of Brassica rapa in an Artificial Selection Experiment
Abstract:
We investigated Brassica rapa leaf density trait by conducting an negative artificial selection experiment. In our experiment, we planted two population of 98 Brassica rapa: one for negative selection treatment, and another for control treatment. After the plants grew up, we measured the leaf density of both treatments. We then randomly selected 10 parents in control treatment, and also selected 10 parents with lowest leaf density in the experiment treatment to establish the offspring generation. When the offspring population had the same growing time as the original population, we measured the leaf density of the two offspring populations and compare to the two original populations. We found that the leaf density of the plants was a variable and heritable trait because the average leaf density of the experimental offspring population was lower than the average leaf density of the experimental original offspring as our hypothesis and prediction. …show more content…
For each treatment, we obtained two planting trays with cell flats- in which one corner cell was cut out to water the plants. We filled all cell flats with the fertilized soil and used forceps to place one seed with 3-4mm deep in the middle of each cell. After all trays of cells were planted, we brought these trays in a growth room and watered the plants. In the growth room, the amount of light, the temperature, and the humidity was kept the same for both control and experiment treatments. By using a ruler, we poured water into the trays up to 3 cm through the open-corner cells. We then watered the plants up to 1cm every Monday and Wednesday and up to 3cm every Friday. We also made a log of water that recorded who watered, how much water, and observations of the
Abstract:
We investigated Brassica rapa leaf density trait by conducting an negative artificial selection experiment. In our experiment, we planted two population of 98 Brassica rapa: one for negative selection treatment, and another for control treatment. After the plants grew up, we measured the leaf density of both treatments. We then randomly selected 10 parents in control treatment, and also selected 10 parents with lowest leaf density in the experiment treatment to establish the offspring generation. When the offspring population had the same growing time as the original population, we measured the leaf density of the two offspring populations and compare to the two original populations. We found that the leaf density of the plants was a variable and heritable trait because the average leaf density of the experimental offspring population was lower than the average leaf density of the experimental original offspring as our hypothesis and prediction. …show more content…
For each treatment, we obtained two planting trays with cell flats- in which one corner cell was cut out to water the plants. We filled all cell flats with the fertilized soil and used forceps to place one seed with 3-4mm deep in the middle of each cell. After all trays of cells were planted, we brought these trays in a growth room and watered the plants. In the growth room, the amount of light, the temperature, and the humidity was kept the same for both control and experiment treatments. By using a ruler, we poured water into the trays up to 3 cm through the open-corner cells. We then watered the plants up to 1cm every Monday and Wednesday and up to 3cm every Friday. We also made a log of water that recorded who watered, how much water, and observations of the