Rita planted hydrangeas in her and her grandmother’s home. The same batch of seeds produced blue flowers in her home and pink flowers in her grandmother’s home. This made her conclude that the soil in her grandmother’s garden is alkaline while that in her garden is acidic. This is an example of which type of variation? Explain.
The variation described in this scenario is an example of environmental variation.
Environmental variation refers to differences in traits or characteristics that arise due to environmental factors. In this case, the different soil conditions in Rita's garden and her grandmother's garden are the environmental factor that influenced the color of the hydrangea flowers.
The color of hydrangea flowers is influenced by the pH level of the soil. Hydrangeas grown in acidic soil tend to produce blue flowers, while those grown in alkaline soil produce pink flowers. Therefore, the color variation of the flowers is a result of the differing soil conditions in the two gardens.
To determine the type of variation, Rita made an observation and inferred a conclusion about the soil conditions based on the observed differences in flower color. By noting that the same batch of seeds produced different flower colors in the two gardens, she concluded that the soil in her grandmother's garden is alkaline, while the soil in her garden is acidic.
In summary, this scenario demonstrates environmental variation as the differing soil conditions in different gardens influenced the color of the flowers.