LEARN NC

K–12 teaching and learning · from the UNC School of Education

Nectarines

http://www.sciencenetlinks.com/sci_update.cfm?DocID=177

Provider: American Association for the Advancement of Science

About this resource

Appropriate grades
7
Subjects
science (biology and life science), thinking skills (information literacy)
Provider
American Association for the Advancement of Science

Legal

Creative Commons License

This catalog record is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 2.5 License. This license applies to the content of this page only and does not apply to the referenced website.

In this Science Update, students explore how the nectarine came from the peach. According to Wayne Sherman, a horticulturalist at the University of Florida, the mutation theory explains the birth of the citrus fruit. A nectarine is a mutation of peach from fuzzy skinned to no fuzzy skinned, or glaucoused from pubescence, which means peaches and nectarines essentially have the same genes. There are a number of factors that go along with the glaucous skin of the nectarine. Nectarines generally have more red color in the skin, rounder shape, smaller size, more sugars, more acids, and higher density. In this activity, students learn about Mendelian genetics and how some genes are dominant, while others are recessive. Science NetLinks provides links to the audio file, a written transcript, and questions that engage students in discussion about nectarines, “simple dominance,” and the science behind genetics. This activity also contains links to two related lesson plans from Science NetLinks and the MendelWeb, an educational resource for teachers and students.

North Carolina Curriculum Alignment

Science (2005)

Grade 7

  • Goal 1: The learner will design and conduct investigations to demonstrate an understanding of scientific inquiry.
    • Objective 1.01: Identify and create questions and hypotheses that can be answered through scientific investigations.
    • Objective 1.05: Analyze evidence to:
      • Explain observations.
      • Make inferences and predictions.
      • Develop the relationship between evidence and explanation.
    • Objective 1.08: Use oral and written language to:
      • Communicate findings.
      • Defend conclusions of scientific investigations.
    • Objective 1.09: Use technologies and information systems to:
      • Research.
      • Gather and analyze data.
      • Visualize data.
      • Disseminate findings to others.
    • Objective 1.10: Analyze and evaluate information from a scientifically literate viewpoint by reading, hearing, and/or viewing:
      • Scientific text.
      • Articles.
      • Events in the popular press.
  • Goal 5: The learner will conduct investigations and utilize appropriate technologies and information systems to build an understanding of heredity and genetics.
    • Objective 5.01: Explain the significance of genes to inherited characteristics:
      • Genes are the units of information.
      • Parents transmit genes to their offspring.
      • Some medical conditions and diseases are genetic.
    • Objective 5.03: Identify examples and patterns of human genetic traits:
      • Dominant and recessive.
      • Incomplete dominance.
    • Objective 5.04: Analyze the role of probability in the study of heredity:
      • Role of each parent in transfer of genetic traits.
      • Analysis of pedigrees.