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.
Is it D?
Yes
a gardener plants several flowing plants of the same species
No, it is not D. The correct answer is A.
Luther Burbank's process of developing the strain of potato plant involved selective breeding, which is a form of artificial selection. He deliberately chose and crossbred potato plants with desirable traits, such as larger tubers and resistance to blight, to create a new variety of potato that exhibited these traits consistently.
On the other hand, natural selection, which is a fundamental mechanism of evolution, involves the differential survival and reproduction of individuals with advantageous traits in a given environment. In natural selection, the environment acts as the selective pressure, favoring individuals that are better adapted to their surroundings. Over time, this process can lead to the accumulation of beneficial adaptations in a population.
Burbank's process, while achieving the desired outcome of enhancing potato yield and resistance to blight, was much faster than natural selection. Instead of relying on random mutations and gradual changes over generations, Burbank intentionally selected and bred plants with the desired traits, accelerating the process.
Therefore, option A is the correct answer as Burbank's process was slower compared to the process of natural selection.