Maize vs. Teosinte

 

Part I – Maize vs. TeosinteThanksgiving is Emily’s favorite holiday. After a few months of cafeteria food at college, she was very thankful for the sumptuous meal set out in front of her. Everything was perfect, if only her big brother would stop teasing her. “Hey, you’re a biology major, so you must know where this is from, right?” Ted winked at her from across the table while picking up a corn on the cob from his plate. Emily hated to admit that she didn’t know. Clearing her throat, she said, “Well, we haven’t covered this in class, but I will tell you all about it next time.” Once back on campus, the first thing Emily did was to find her biology professor. “Professor, could you tell me where our food comes from? Like, the corn. Does it grow on trees?” Emily asked eagerly. “Hmm, I know just the right video for you to watch,” Professor Griffin said slowly while pushing his purple-rimmed glasses up along his nose. Watch this video with Emily and help her answer the following questions. If you are short on time, you can watch this video from the 0:00 to 4:35 minute mark, and then from the 12:20 to 13:24 minute mark.Popped Secret: The Mysterious Origin of Corn. HHMI BioInteractive Video.http://www.hhmi.org/biointeractive/popped-secret-m…

Questions1.Corn (maize) was domesticated around 9,000 years ago through artificial selection. Ancient farmers selectively planted kernels from plants with desirable traits, such as bigger kernels, ease of harvest, and better taste. During this time, the wild ancestor of maize, teosinte, has been under natural selection that favors those traits that improve the chance of survival and reproduction in the wild.Maize and teosinte look different in many ways. Assign the following pairs of traits to their respective species by circling the correct response, then provide a hypothesis to explain why these traits were favored during natural or artificial selection in the space allotted.

Trait #1:In (maize or teosinte), the seed is encased in a hard fruit case. This trait may be favored during (artificial or natural) selection because __________________________________.In (maize or teosinte), the seed is exposed. This trait may be favored during (artificial or natural) selection because _________________________________________________.

Trait #2:In (maize or teosinte), the plant has one main stalk. This trait may be favored during (artificial or natural) selection because ___________________________________.In (maize or teosinte), the plant has many branches. This trait may be favored during (artificial or natural) selection because ____________________________________.

Trait #3:In (maize or teosinte), the ear breaks apart to release individual kernels at maturity. This trait may be favored during (artificial or natural) selection because ___________________________________________.In (maize or teosinte), the ear remains intact at maturity. This trait may be favored during (artificial or natural)selection because __________________________________.

2.If both maize and teosinte are grown in the wild, which species is more likely to proliferate? Why?

 

 

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