Life Cycle - Plants (6B)
Post Lab 

   
OBJECTIVES:
  • Developing a mutation theory.
  • Exploring factors that may influence plant mutations.

VOCABULARY:

  • hybrid
  • mutation
MATERIALS:
  • plant identifiers
     

Students find plants that were genetically engineered.

wpeD.jpg (21290 bytes)
click to enlarge

BACKGROUND:

Most genes in a uniform population tend to be similar, however there always seems to be a rare individual that differs from his neighbors. The cause of this different individual in a natural population is due to a change in one of the unit genes and is called a mutation.

Some mutations may be economically desirable or advantageous to individuals, but most mutations result in phenotypes less adapted for survival than the parent phenotype. Natural mutations are random. Radiation from some sources like alpha and beta particles, gamma rays, mustard gas, and x-rays are known to cause mutations but the exact reasons are very complicated. Some mutations in plants are desirable commercially, even through they may have no survival value to a plant. For instance, seedless grapes are missing their reproductive seeds. If humans don't vegetatively propagate the grape plant it will not survive. Other desirable mutations occur in nectarines, many ornamental flowers, peanuts and other cash crops.

Plant breeders deliberately increase hereditary variation by hybridization and stimulate mutations by radiation treatments and other techniques. Breeders will then select the most desirable phenotypes and genotypes for propagation. In general, the traits that plant breeders are looking for are: vigorous plant types, high yields, quality, and disease resistance.

Genetic engineering is a field that works with controlling "mutations," and genetic combinations resulting in superior or helpful organisms. Genetic engineering is different from the hybridization principles that were studied in this lab. Genetic engineers "design" genetic combinations that will result in specific and directed genetic combinations. Hybridization relies on random combinations that are driven by probability. Hybridization is more of a "trial and error" type of situation. Breeders try to combine different genetic combinations with hopes of producing a better phenotype and genotype and unlike genetic engineers, they do not "design" the genetic combinations themselves.

PROCEDURE:
  1. Collect a few plant identifiers and seeds that state they are "hybrids." Write down all the "hybrid" plants that they see. Make sure that students can recognize when a plant is labeled as a hybrid.
      
  2. You may ask students to look around their house or go to a local nursery or even grocery store, that sells plants and look at the information about the plant. Have them either bring the identifier into class or write down the information. You may want students to go to a local plant nursery as a field trip.
      
  3. If students have seeds at home, have them look at the package it comes in. See if they are hybrids.

    They will be amazed that most of the plants on the market are products of genetic manipulation.

[Dictionary]  
  [Back to Life Cycle Grid]  [Back to Plants (6)]