wrong

10

11

12

13

14

15

16

17

right

70

69

68

67

66

65

64

63

62

61

60

59

58

57

56

55

54

53

score

Group Name

100 98.6 97.1 95.7 94.3 92.9 91.4 90.0 88.6 87.1 85.7 84.3 82.9 81.4 80.0 78.6 77.1 75.7

SeedGermination

Name________________________________

Inthisexerciseyouwilllearnaboutpropagatingplantssexually(fromseeds).

Theeffectofplantingdepthonseedgermination.
Observation.Seedcompaniesrecommenddifferentplantingdepthsforseeds.Lettuceseedsare
smallandneedlighttogerminate.Peaseedsarequiteabitlarger.
Question.Canlettuceseedsorpeaseedsgerminatebetterifplanteddeeplyinsoil?
Hypothesis.Lettuceseedsgerminatepoorlywhenplanteddeeplycomparedtopeas.
Prediction.Ifthehypothesisistrue,thenpeaseedsplanteddeeplywillgerminatemuchbetter
thanlettuceseedsplantedatthesamedepth.Moreover,peaseedsmaybelightinhibited
andgerminatepoorlywhenplantedshallowly.
Experiment.Earlierinthesemester,youplantedfourpotswithlettuceandpeaseedsatvarious
depthsinthesoil.Youshouldlocateyourpotsandmakeyourobservations.Recordthe
numberofseedlingsappearingabovethesoilandcalculatethepercentgermination:
LettuceSeeds
PeaSeeds
Planting
Number
Germination
Germination
Total
Depth Germinating
(%of20)
(%of10)
Germinated
0cm

1.5cm

3cm

6cm

Otherobservations:Peassproutingat0cmwereunusually:___________________
Analysis.Theoptimumdepthforlettuceseedsis:
Theoptimumplantingdepthforpeaseedsis:
Theplantsgrowingtallerwhenplantedat6cmthanat0cm:

cm
cm

Decision. Thehypothesis:Lettuceseedsgerminatepoorlywhenplanteddeeplycomparedto
peas.
is:

DocumentRossE.Koning1994.Permissiongrantedfornoncommercialinstruction.
Koning,Ross.E.1994.SeedGermination.PlantPhysiologyInformationWebsite.
http://plantphys.info/plants_human/labdoc/seedgerm.doc

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Page2
Theeffectoffruitsonseedgermination.
Observation.Seedsdonotgerminateinsidetheirfruitseventhoughitismoistandwarminside
thefruit.
Question.Dothejuicessurroundingseedsinhibittheirgermination?
Hypothesis.Thejuicessurroundingseedsinhibittheirgermination.
Prediction.Ifthehypothesisistrue,thenseedsplacedinfruitjuicewillnotgerminateaswellas
seedsplacedinwater.
Experiment. ObtainthreePetriDishesfromthesupplyandputonediscoffilterpaperinthe
bottomofeachdish.Thebottomisthesmallerofthetwodishesandfitsinsidethecover.
Labelthedishcovers(andbottoms!)withthemarkingpen.Thelabelsshouldbe:
WaterinlightTomatoJuiceinlightAbscisicAcidinlight
Put5mLofdistilledwaterinthefirstdish,5mLoftomatojuiceintheseconddish,
and5mLof1mMAbscisicAcidinthethirddish.
Withyourpartner,carefullycountoutthreegroupsof50SaladBowllettuceseeds.
Ofcoursethecountsmustbeaccurate,butWORKQUICKLY!Placeonegroupof50
seedsintoeachdishontopofthemoistpaper.
Place the three dishes under the white fluorescent lights to allow the seeds to
germinate.
After four days and eight days, count out the number of seeds germinating and
expressaspercentgermination.
After______Days
AfterEightDays
Total
Germinated

Treatment

Germination
(%of50)

Newly
Germinated

Total
Germinated

Germination
(%of50)

Water+light

TomatoJuice+light

AbscisicAcid+

light

Otherobservations:_________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________
Analysis.Moreseedsgerminatedin:
Istheregoodevidencethattheactivehormoneintomatojuiceisabscisicacid?
Decision.Thehypothesis:Thejuicessurroundingseedsinhibittheirgermination
is:

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Page3

Theeffectoflightonseedgermination.
Observation.Seedsofsomespeciesgerminateinthelightbutdonotdosowellinthedark.The
pigmentphytochromehastwoforms,PrandPfr,whichabsorbredandfarredlight,
respectively.Perhapsthispigmenthelpsseedsdetectthelight.
Question.Dospeciesrequiringlighttogerminateusethephytochromepigmenttodetermineif
theyareinthelightordarkness?
Hypothesis.Lightsensitiveseedsdousethephytochromepigment.
Prediction.Ifthehypothesisistrue,thenlettuceseedsplacedinredlightwillgerminatemuch
betterthanseedsplacedindarknessorfarredlight.Moreover,seedsinfarredlight
shouldbeparticularlyinhibited.
Experiment. ObtainthreePetriDishesfromthesupplyandputonediscoffilterpaperinthe
bottomofeachdish.Labelthedishcovers(andbottoms!)withthemarkingpen.The
labelsshouldbe:
WaterinredlightWaterinfarredlightWaterindark
Put5mLofdistilledwaterineachdish,andobtainasquareofaluminumfoilso
thatyouarereadytowrapthedarkdishimmediately.BEREADY!
Withyourpartner,carefullycountoutthreegroupsof50lettuceseeds.Ofcourse
thecountsmustbeaccurate,butWORKQUICKLY!Placeonegroupof50seedsinto
eachdishontopofthemoistpaper.
IMMEDIATELYwrapthe"dark"dishinaluminumfoilsothatitiscompletely
enshrouded. Place the "red light" dishunder red plexiglass with fluorescent lighting.
Place the "farred light" and the dark dishes under red and blue plexiglass with
incandescentlighting.
Afterafewdaysandeightdays,countoutthenumberofseedsgerminatingand
expressaspercentgermination.Afterthefirstcount,movealltheseedsintowhitelight.
AfterEightDays
After______Days
(~4daysinwhitelight)
Treatment

Total
Germinated

Germination
(%of50)

Newly
Germinated

Total
Germinated

Germination
(%of50)

Waterinredlight

Waterinfarredlight

Waterindarkness

Analysis.Themostseedsgerminatedin______daysof:
Thefewestseedsgerminatedin______daysof:
Thegerminationsimulatingformofphytochromeis:
Decision.Thehypothesis:Lightsensitiveseedsdousethephytochromepigment

is:

Page4

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Page5

QuestionstoAnsweratHome
Defendthestatement:"Lettuceseedsneedlighttogerminate"usingthedatayouobtainedin
laboratory.
Lettuceseedsdoneedlighttogerminate,becausegerminationofseedswasinthedark
thaninwhitelight.Moreover,after___daysofdarkness,theungerminatedseedswere
exposedtowhitelightandgerminated.
Condemnthestatement:"Lettuceseedsneedlighttogerminate"usingthedatayouobtainedin
laboratory.
Lettuce seeds do not need light to germinate, because germination of seeds in the
darknesswasmorethan.

Explainhowyoucantellwhetherfarredlighthadanyeffect.
Seedgerminationafter___daysinfarredlightwas
thanseedgerminationinthecontrolseedswhichwerein___________________________.

Thefailureofaseedtosproutcouldbeduetothefactthatitsgerminationisindeedinhibited.
But there is also a second possibility: perhaps the treatment does not inhibit seed
germinationdirectly,butsimplykillstheembryo.Suchasituationwouldcertainlynot
produceagerminatingseed.Inthisexerciseyouexposedtheseedstreatedwithfarred
light to white light for an additional time and observed germination again. Present
argumentsforbothpossibilities!
Farredlightinhibitsgermination.
Myevidenceisthatgerminationafterthewhitelightexposurewas...
_____________________________________________________________
Farredlightkillstheembryo.
Myevidenceisthatgerminationafterthewhitelightexposurewas...
_____________________________________________________________

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