Mr. Blacher Biology

Botany Lab

Comparative Germination Study

What to do:

  1. Have one member of your group obtain a clear plastic cup.
  2. Have another group member choose four different beans from the large beaker.
  3. Fill your plastic cup with soil, and label four quadrants A, B, C, and D.
  1. Record qualitative and quantitative data about the four beans you have chosen (size, shape, color, texture, mass, length, width). *ALL MEASUREMENTS MUST BE METRIC!
  2. Add 40ml of water to your “system,” and make sure that your group member’s names are on the cup. *Start with 40ml and add as needed so that soil is damp throughout…avoid puddling.
  3. Push each bean one inch into the soil (one in each quadrant). Make sure that you can see the bean through the side of the cup (I will show you if you’re unsure).
  4. Place the cup under the grow lights in the area designated for our class.
  5. Record your pre-lab information.

Complete Prior to Beginning this Lab:

  1. Problem/Question: Can qualitative and quantitative observations of plant seeds be used to predict how fast and/or large a plant will grow in a controlled environment (amount of water, type of soil, hours, angle, wavelength and intensity of light energy)? Which parameter(s) will you measure in order to make this determination?
  1. Write Your Hypothesis:What do you predict will be the outcome of your experiment based upon what you know about plants, specifically seed structure and function…*you’ll need to read about this…ch.12;sec 3 is a good place to start)?
  1. Identify your Variables: Manipulated (Independent), Responding (Dependent), and Controlled.

Every other day for the next several weeks, you will come in and observe your “system.” Make and record detailed qualitative and quantitative observations each time. It will be imperative that your keep your data organized and that you do not lose any of it. If you are absent, you will need to get data from a group member.

Prior Knowledge: Pre-lab Questions (use your book…it has an index):

  1. What survival advantages do seed-bearing plants have?
  2. What are the major parts of a seed, and what is the function of each part?
  3. How do plant roots and leaves function to enable plants to meet their metabolic requirements?
  4. What are the equations for:
  • Photosynthesis
  • Cellular Respiration
  1. What is the relationship between plants and the nitrogen cycle?
  2. What trophic level do most plants occupy? What are the exceptions?