Chapter 26, Problem 1NS.1QC

Summary Introduction

To explain:

Why Arabidopsis is better model organism than cabbage or mustard.

Introduction:

Arabidopsis thaliana belongs to mustard or cabbage family member Brassicaceae family. Arabidopsis thaliana is a small flowering plant which is used as a model organism to study about the developmental biology. Arabidopsis thaliana is the first plant whose genome is completely sequenced, so it is also used to study the molecular biology.

Explanation of Solution

The Arabidopsis thaliana is a better organism to study the developmental biology because:

(i) The life cycle of the flowering plant is short and it takes about 5-6 week from germination to mature seed.

(ii) It is small in size and easy to grow in laboratory areas.

(iii) It can be self pollinated or cross pollinated, which facilitate to produce many traits due to multiple mutations.

(iv) The genome of Arabidopsis thaliana is small and completely sequenced.

Conclusion

The Arabidopsis thaliana is better to study because it is small flowering plant which is easy to grow in small space.