Foundations In Biology: Ecology & Evolution LAB

Biology 206

PLANT EXPERIMENT

PLANT EXPERIMENT
This semester, youll be planning an experiment on plant growth which you will monitor for
several weeks. Eventually, you will write up this experiment and its results in the format of a
scientific journal article as your final lab report. Plan your experiment carefully! The more
thought you put into it now, the easier it will be to write your lab report later.
You will do your experiment in groups of 2-3 students from your lab section. You will all be
responsible for designing your experiment, and one of you will need to bring home and care for
the plants throughout the duration of your experiment.
Your goal is to experimentally test whether some treatment (of your choice) has an effect on
growth of either wheatgrass (Triticum aestivum) or mung bean (Vigna radiata) plants. Choose a
treatment that is interesting to you and that you think might have some effect on plant growth.
You can decide to alter light or water schedules, or you could add something to the soil or
manipulate the plants in some way. Some options available in lab are: fertilizer, insecticide, salt
(add to soil), and sand (add to soil), but feel free to get creative! Let your TA know if you have
another idea and well try to get you the materials you need. Half of your plants will receive the
treatment; the other half will be your control group.
You will eventually be using a t-test to statistically analyze your results. Remember that a t-test
compares the mean values of whatever you measure between two groups. Keep this in mind
when designing your test; in other words, keep it simple! Comparing a gradation of treatment or
multiple treatments would also be interesting, but cannot be analyzed using a t-test.
You will begin the experiment by planting your pots in lab during the week of October 19, but
start planning now with your group and your TA:

Who will bring the plants home?

What species of plant do you want to use?

What is your protocol for caring for the plants? (light/watering schedules, location, etc.)

Experimental treatment: How are you manipulating plants? Do you need any special
materials? How often will treatment be applied?

Control group: What steps will you take to ensure that you control factors other than your
treatment which could affect plant growth?

How you will you measure growth, for example: height, number of leaves, or biomass? If
biomass, do you want to measure mass of fresh or dried plants?

Foundations In Biology: Ecology & Evolution LAB

Biology 206

PLANT EXPERIMENT

Important Dates:
Week of October 19: Begin plant experiments in lab.
Week of November 9: End plant experiments (record final measurements) in lab.
Note that someone in your group must bring the plants home to grow in between those
dates! They should be regularly cared for during that time. Keep in mind that you will
need to plan to transport plants to and from campus.
Begin Plant Experiments Week of October 19 Procedure:
1. Acquire 2 large pots, one for your treatment plants and one for your control plants. Clearly
label the pots!
2. Plant your plants, following the experimental design youve decided upon. The suggested
number of plants per pot is 20 for wheatgrass or 10 for mung beans. Remember to take careful
notes about your decisions regarding soil, water, and general treatment of the plants. You will
later need to describe your methods in your lab report!
3. The assigned student should carefully bring plants home. Over the next few weeks, care for
plants according to the experimental design decided upon by your group.
End Plant Experiments week of November 9 Procedure:
1. Bring your plants to lab this week. Take measurements of growth of each individual plant for
both your treatment and control plants. (Its fine if you do not end up with an equal number of
plants in each group.) Alternatively, you can measure the plants at home and bring the data to
lab. * If you want to measure biomass of dried plants, you will need to bring in your plants one
week earlier so they can air-dry for a week in the lab before you weigh them. Make sure you
bring back your pots (you can empty them of soil first if you recorded measurements at home)!
2. Enter your data into an Excel spreadsheet and use the data analysis package t-test or the t-test
function on Excel to analyze your data. Instructions for performing a t-test using Excel are in
Lab 1. Make sure you complete your analysis before leaving lab so your TA is available to help
you.
Remember that you are biologists investigating a scientific question that will be the subject of
your lab report. Conduct your experiment with care! However, dont be alarmed if your
experiment doesnt proceed as you expect this is the nature of science. Please discuss any
concerns you have during your experiment with your TA or the lab coordinator.
Further details about how to write your lab report will be given in Lab 7.