Final answer:
Alicia's experiment aims to explore asexual reproduction in cabbages by observing the potential for stem pieces to grow into new plants. Asexual reproduction in plants includes methods such as the development of corms, bulbs, tubers, stolons, and rhizomes.
Step-by-step explanation:
The student's question relates to asexual reproduction in plants, specifically regarding the experiment with cabbage stems. Asexual reproduction is a mode of reproduction whereby offspring arise from a single organism, and inherit the genes of that parent only. It does not involve the fusion of gametes, and almost never changes the number of chromosomes. Asexual reproduction is the primary form of reproduction for single-celled organisms such as the archaea, bacteria, and protists. Many plants and fungi reproduce asexually as well.
Several plant structures support asexual reproduction. For instance, corms are enlarged stems that store nutrients, and new plants can grow from these. Bulbs are another form, essentially a short stem with fleshy leaves or leaf bases containing nutrients. An example of a bulb is a tulip. Similarly, a tuber is an enlarged part of a rhizome or stolon that contains stored starch, with the potato being the most common example.
Moreover, some plants, such as strawberries, reproduce using stolons (or runners), which are stems that grow at the soil surface or just below it and can form new plants at the nodes. Rhizomes are also stem structures that grow horizontally underground and can produce new shoots and roots from its nodes. Ginger is an example of a plant with rhizomes.
From the information provided, Alicia may be investigating whether cabbages can reproduce through similar asexual methods by observing whether the stem pieces can develop into new plants. However, as the information does not detail the specific type of asexual reproduction in cabbages, one can infer that Alicia's experiment could help determine if cabbage stems can regenerate into new plants, which would suggest an asexual form of reproduction, likely akin to cuttings where plant parts grow into whole plants under favorable conditions.