Biology report help!

Lab Write Up:

A. 2 – 2.5 pages plus graphs

B. Make sure you include proper information that covers all of the questions asked in the grading rubric (page 145)

C. In the Materials and Methods

1. Paragraph form NO listing

2. Do not copy the book describe it in your own words

D. In the results section only talk about your individual/table results.

1. When you write about your results please make note of the graph

i. Example: The soil type affected/not affected Aster growth over time as it was # taller/smaller/the same over the 5 week period (Figure 1).

2. Describe general trends, not specific numbers. That is what the graphs are for.

E. In the Conclusion section compare your results with the class average

1. Are the findings relevant? Why?

F. In the graph section each graph should be labeled correctly

1. You should have a total of 6 graphs if you separate individual/table results from class average or 3 graphs if you include them all

2. Each graph should have a figure number, cited in the results section.

Figure 2: Table results number of leaves comparison over time

Figure 1: Table results height comparison over time

Figure 2: Table results number of flowers comparison over time

Metro 340 Versus Earthgrow Soil (Example)

Introduction

In this plant growing experiment we are comparing Metro 340 planting mix with Wal-Mart Earthgrow soil to see the effects each have on the plants. Metro 340 is a more expensive soil costing about 27 cents more than the Wal-Mart brand soil. Over a series of weeks treating both plants with equal care we will be able to view how the soil effects each plant’s growth. Based on price and name brand quality the Metro 340 will produce a taller plant with more flowers in comparison to the plants in the Earthgrow soil.

Methods

To test plant growth we first filled 4-inch pots with the two soils, one pot had the metro 340 while the other was filled with the Wal-Mart Earthgrow. Each soil was then sprayed with water to make the soil moist. Then two holes were placed about one inch apart in each pot, and a seed was placed in each hole. In order to keep track of each pot, they are labeled according to the type of soil they hold. Then both pots are placed in a tray where they will grow under the same conditions provided with the same treatment. Over a series of weeks the plants are measured by height (cm), number of leaves, and number of flowers produced. Once a week Meredith would measure and observe the plants and record her findings on a data sheet allowing us to keep a consist series of data.

Results

It is clear that the Wal-Mart Earthgrow soil produced much taller plants, which had more leaves and more flowers in comparison with the Metro 340 soil. After the first week the plants were similar in each area, the plant in the Earthgrow was only half a centimeter taller than the other plant and contained one more leaf. By the end of the fifth week the plant in the Earthgrow soil was four inches taller with more leaves, and three more flowers than the plant in the Metro 340 soil. The class average presented equally valid data where the Earthgrow presented greater results than the Metro did as you can see below in figures 1- figures 3.

Conclusion

The results presented are a result of equal treatment to each plant, and the fact that the Earthgrow produced greater results in a four-week growing period. Our results were consistent with the class averages, however they varied slightly in height. Our Earthgrow plant was two inches shorter than average, while the Metro plant grew two inches above average. Our results were affected by a skewed average on the last week due to the issue of groups not measuring plants and therefore giving a smaller population size to average. Other errors may have been a fluctuation in light provided to the plants as well as the position they sat on the self relative to other plants. There may have also been human error in measuring. In the future it would be interesting to extend the experiment in order to see if the plants caught up in the aspects we measured, or if they leveled out at a certain point. I reject my hypothesis due to the fact that the Earthgrow cheaper soil proved to produce plants, which were taller with more flowers and leaves than the originally predicted Metro soil. I now hypothesize that when using the cheaper Walmart brand soil plants will grow faster and have more flowers and leaves than the plant grown in the competitor soil would. The cheaper soil grew a plant that was either equal to or succeeding the more expensive soil, therefore the more expensive soil should not be purchased.

Metro-340 vs Walmart Earthgrow in Height (cm)

Walmart 42395 42402 42409 42416 42423 0 2 2 3.5 4.5 Metro-340 42395 42402 42409 42416 42423 0 2.5 3.5 5 8.5

Date Measured

Height (cm)

Metro-340 vs Walmart Earthgrow in Number of Leaves

Walmart 42395 42402 42409 42416 42423 0 2 2 2 2 Metro-340 42395 42402 42409 42416 42423 0 2 3 4 5

Date Measured

Number of Leaves

Metro-340 vs Walmart Earthgrow in Number of Flowers

Walmart 42395 42402 42409 42416 42423 0 0 0 0 1 Metro-340 42395 42402 42409 42416 42423 0 0 0 0 3

Date Measured

Number of Flowers

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