Our Broccoli is One of a Kind

 For these past 15 weeks, I have been observing a Romanesco Broccoli plant, part of the Brassica oleracea family. Our plant is about two and a half feet tall with a light green stem and large dark green leaves. At the moment, out plant's stem is thin and weak, due to the space issue our plant must adapt to. Our plant is not as big as it should be and it is gradually being eaten by pesky caterpillars. If you look at the top two images, you can see how our plant is being dominated by the kohlrabi next to it. Our broccoli is the plant with a lighter green colored leaves. In the bottom picture, our plant is in the circled area. It is clear how much smaller it is than the other plants in the garden.

Romanesco broccoli comes from the Brassica oleracea, or wild cabbage, family. There is a large variety of Brassica oleracea plants, but each have a slightly different phenotype. This means that each plant from this family has different genes that allow them to store starch in different areas of the plant. Romanesco belongs to the Brotyrtis group, along with cauliflower and broccoflower. After the two years it takes to reach its maturity, our broccoli will become light green in color and have a fractal design its buds. Natural broccoli was said to be the first of the Brassica oleracea family to evolve from wild cabbage. Romanesco broccoli has some similar physical features as its ancestor. For one thing, it contains the same little florets on the buds of the flower. I am able to predict the kinds of traits the offspring will have through its parents. The parents' genes make up a baby plant and then traits from either parent will shine through. Romanesco broccoli, it is most likely a cross between cauliflower and broccoli. An example of one of the mixed traits is color. The color of a plant will, in most cases, be a dominant trait. If  broccoli gave Romanesco a dark green allele (G), and cauliflower gave it a white allele (W), then there will be co-dominance. Since both of these traits being passed on from the parents (broccoli & cauliflower) are dominant, they will create a mixed phenotype. The dark green and the white mixed together to make a light green color. This is just one example of how the parent plants pass on their traits to their baby plant. The dominant allele will always show in the baby's phenotype. They acquire these traits through meiosis when the chromosomes one somatic cell crossover. The homologous chromosomes align and exchange genetic material. Each chromosome is now different. This is what happens when gametes form. Since gametes only have half the number of chromosomes, they will eventually pair with another gamete to form a somatic cell. In this newly formed cell, it will have chromosomes from both gamete cells (both parents). This will ensure that the baby plant gets traits from both parents. Our plant will pass on its trait the same way: gamete formation through meiosis, then two different gametes fusing together to create a diploid cell of unique genes. Our plant's offspring will not look like it because of meiosis. When the chromosomes crossover genetic material, they become unique chromosomes with different genetic material on each chromosome. This process ensures genetic diversity, and, therefore, our plant's offspring will look different. All of the plants in the garden are different, despite them all being from the Brassica oleracea family. They all have different genetic makeup, causing them to have different physical traits. These plants' genes could have evolved over time, due to adaptation, or they could have had similar, but different parents. Whatever the case, all of these plants' genes are part of the plant for a reason. Some species could have different genes to complete different functions for the plant. In conclusion, meiosis and crossing over leads to genetic diversity, which creates different plants. Many different polymorphisms came from just one ancestral species because of evolution, adaptation, and genetic variation. What started out as one broccoli plant, eventually became many broccoli plants. But, as we learned before, no two plants have the same genetic makeup. Some of the many broccoli plants, probably had to adapt to a new climate or area, giving it different traits to withstand the new ecosystem. These adaptations eventually became new species. This is how, along with genetic variations in the reproductive process, so many forms came from one ancestral species. Thank you, Broccoli, for giving us so many different variations.