Mean Weight of Tomatoes (pounds) Year Mary's Tomatoes Hector's Tomatoes 1 0.7 0.8 0.9 0.9 3 1.1 1.2 4 1.2 1.3 5 1.3 1.3 1.4 1.4 7 1.4 1.5 8. 1.5 1.5 1.5 1.5 10 1.5 1.5 11 1.5 1.5 12 1.5 1.5 A. Explain these results. Mean Weight of Tomatoes (pounds) Year Martin's Tomatoes 1 1.7 1.8 1.9 4 2.0 5 2.0 2. 3.
A large, genetically heterogeneous group of tomato plants was used
as the original breeding stock by two different breeders, named
Mary and Hector. Each breeder was given 50 seeds and began a
selective breeding strategy, much like that described in Figure
24.11. The seeds were planted, and the breeders selected the 10
plants with the highest mean tomato weights as the breeding stock
for the next generation. This process was repeated over the course
of 12 growing seasons, and the following data were obtained:
A. Explain these results.
B. Another tomato breeder, named Martin, got some seeds from
Mary’s and Hector’s tomato strains (after 12 generations),
grew the plants, and then crossed them to each other. The mean weight of the tomatoes in these hybrids was about 1.7 pounds.
For a period of 5 years, Martin subjected these hybrids to the
same selective breeding strategy that Mary and Hector had followed,
and he obtained the following results:
Explain Martin’s data. Why was Martin able to obtain tomatoes
heavier than 1.5 pounds, whereas Mary’s and Hector’s strains
appeared to plateau at this weight?
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