3. Luther Burbank was a plant breeder who developed a strain of potato plant that produced more tubers of larger size than other potato plants that were grown on farms at the time. This strain of potato was also resistant to the potato blight that had wiped out the potato crops in Ireland in the mid-1800s. How did Burbank's process in developing this potato compare to the process of natural selection?

A. Burbank's process was slower.
B. Burbank's process did not affect the genetic makeup of the potato.
C. Burbank's process did not place the potato plant under any type of selection.
D. Burbank's process did not involve environmental pressures to shape the outcome.***

The correct answer is D. Burbank's process did not involve environmental pressures to shape the outcome.

Explanation:

Burbank's process of developing the strain of potato was different from the process of natural selection in several ways. Natural selection, as described by Charles Darwin, works through environmental pressures and competition for resources. Individuals with advantageous traits are more likely to survive and reproduce, passing on those traits to future generations. Over time, these advantageous traits become more and more common in the population.

In contrast, Burbank's process was a form of artificial selection, where he intentionally selected and bred plants with desired traits. He identified potato plants that had larger and more numerous tubers and bred them together to create a new strain with these characteristics. This process did not involve external environmental pressures or competition. Instead, Burbank acted as the selective force, choosing which plants to breed and thereby influencing the genetic makeup of the potatoes.

It is worth noting that although Burbank's process was different from natural selection, it utilized the same principles of inheritance and variation. By selectively breeding plants with desired traits, he was essentially mimicking the natural processes that occur in nature. However, the key difference is that Burbank's process did not involve the same kind of environmental pressures that shape the outcomes of natural selection.