Assignment

Appendix C: Organizational Requirements for Phototropism Virtual Laboratory Paper

Introduction: Provide readers with the experiment’s background information, and present the hypothesis in approximately 175 words. The introduction must be written in the present tense. Include the following points:

·       Discuss the difference between growth and turgor movement in plants. Define phototropism andgravitropism, and explain the fundamental mechanisms of each movement. Indicate why studying tropisms are important for plant science.

·       State your hypothesis of how meristem movement occurs in plants in response to sunlight. Explain how your hypothesis will be tested. In 1 to 2 sentences, explain what you expect will happen, and include at least one alternative outcome.

Methods: In approximately 175 words, describe how the phototropism experiment was conducted. Include the following points:

·       Experimental design: Describe treatments for the test seedling and positive and negative controls. Why does the experiment include all three treatments? What does each treatment allow you to understand?

·       Data collection: How did you collect data? Over what time period was the data collected?

Results: In at least 175 words, describe the results. Include the following points:

·       Begin with a 1- to 2-sentence summary of your findings. 

·       Include the graphs generated from your spreadsheet. Your graphs must be labeled. Summarize the results discovered in each graph, and compare results.  

Discussion: In no less than 350 words, describe your findings, and consider their importance to plant science. Include the following points:

·       Summarize your findings. State whether your hypothesis was supported.

·       Explain how phototropism occurs. Include at least one explanation from the text. Do your results allow you to support the explanation with 100% certainty? Why or why not? 

Conclusion: Offer a summary of your findings in approximately 175 words. Indicate how this experiment will help scientists understand phototropism. Offer at least one example of what still must be learned about phototropism.