Greenhouse Flowers and the Environment

Question

A gardener grows two species of flowers, lavender and moss roses, in her greenhouse. A greenhouse is a glass building that helps to maintain a warm temperature inside even when it is cold outside. The gardener grows her plants from clippings. Growing plants from clippings involves removing small sections of a parent plant, allowing the cuttings to grow roots in water and then moving the little plants into pots with soil. Each year, the gardener chooses one lavender plant and one moss rose plant for the clippings. She uses the same pots and soil for all of the plants and gives them the same amount of water each day.

Over the last few years, she has noticed that the plants have started to look different. The plants grown on the right side of the greenhouse are smaller and less full than the plants grown on the left side. The picture shows her greenhouse and the flowers that she grew this year.

Classify each factor that influences the characteristic of the plants.

Genetic factor
Environmental factor
Both
The amount of water received
The height of the plants
The amount of nutrients in the soil
The shape of the leaves
The hours of sunlight received
The color of the flower petals

Answer 1

Here’s a classification of each factor that influences the characteristics of the plants:

1. The amount of water received - Environmental factor
2. The height of the plants - Both (height can be influenced by genetic potential and environmental conditions)
3. The amount of nutrients in the soil - Environmental factor
4. The shape of the leaves - Both (shape can be influenced by genetic traits and environmental factors)
5. The hours of sunlight received - Environmental factor
6. The color of the flower petals - Both (color can be influenced by genetic traits, but might also be affected by environmental factors such as soil pH)

This classification assumes that genetic factors pertain to the inherent traits of the plants, while environmental factors account for the external conditions affecting their growth and development.