Unit 5 Portfolio (Lessons 3-5) ~ Plant Growth
This portfolio can take 3 days to complete
Which colors of the light spectrum are most important for plant growth?
WATCH THIS first for directions
Background: Photosynthesis is the process in which plants use light energy, water, and carbon dioxide to produce food. Plants use the food they make for growth and for carrying out other life processes.
Sunlight is the natural energy source for photosynthesis. White light from the Sun is a mixture of all colors of the light spectrum: red, orange, yellow, green, blue, and violet. Light can be either absorbed or reflected by substances called pigments. Most plants are green because the pigment chlorophyll reflects green and yellow light and absorbs the other colors of the spectrum.
Learn about Photosynthesis before you begin Click HERE then follow the directions below.
In this Virtual Lab, you will perform an experiment to investigate what colors of the light spectrum cause the most plant growth. You will calculate the plant growth by measuring the height of each plant under different colors of light. You will compare these measurements and interpret a graph to determine which colors of the spectrum cause the most plant growth.
Objectives:
Carry out an experiment to determine which colors of the light spectrum are used in photosynthesis as evidenced by plant growth.
Measure plant growth under lights of different colors of the spectrum.
** DO NOT write your answers on the website Plant Growth they do not save! Complete this report for a grade.
Procedure:
1. Click: LAB LINK Click the Video button. Watch the animation to learn how light is made up of many wavelengths.
2. After watching the Video in the Virtual lab ~Make a hypothesis about which part of the light spectrum causes the most plant growth and which part of the light spectrum causes the least plant growth. IF… then statement for hypothesis: CLICK HERE
If The light spectrum causes the most plant growth and what one causes the least plant growth.Then the blue light will cause the most plant growth. Because blue fire is the hottest fire.
Assume that all conditions (soil content, moisture availability, and seed viability) are the same for each seed as it grows. The only variable is the color of the light. Identify which variables are independent and which are dependent within this lab.
3. Test your hypothesis by choosing different plant seeds and observing how the plants grow under different colors of light.
4. Choose the type of seed that you want to test and click its seed packet.
5. Click the arrows on the color display to select a color light filter for each set of three plants.
6. Start the experiment by clicking the light switch to the On position.
7. Observe the plant growth.
8. Click the ruler and drag it to each plant to measure the height. Use the calculator to average the heights of the three plants under each color light filter. Record your calculations in the Table below.
9. Click the Reset button. Repeat the experiment using a different color light filter and the same type of seed.
10. After all color filters have been tested on one type of seed, conduct the experiment again with another type of seed to verify your conclusions. All Tables below should be filled out at this point.
DATA Collection Table: Complete ALL three tables.
Spinach
Plant 1
Plant 2
Plant 3
Average Height (in CM)
EXAMPLE
12
13
10
How to find the avg. 12+10+13= 35 /3=11.6cm
Red
16
22
17
18.3cm
Blue
17
22
18
19cm
Green
2
3
2
2.3cm
Violet
14
19
15
16cm
Orange
15
16
11
14cm
Radish
Plant 1
Plant 2
Plant 3
Average Height (in CM)
Red
11
16
12
13cm
Blue
15
16
11
14cm
Green
1
3
2
2cm
Violet
15
19
14
16cm
Orange
6
11
7
8cm
Lettuce
Plant 1
Plant 2
Plant 3
Average Height (in CM)
Red
8
13
12
12cm
Blue
11
15
10
12cm
Green
3
4
2
9cm
Violet
6
11
6
7.7cm
Orange
5
11
4
6.67cm
11. Graphing Site: Graph your results with this link. Follow the instructions below to start your graph. WATCH this LINK to see how to complete the graph (STOP the video at 3:10 ~ You do not need to follow the step to “share your document”)
Click here
Then click CREATE A GRAPH and
then choose LINE GRAPH (then follow the directions in the video above)
Last step is to copy and paste your graph into this lab report below
(My graph is down on the next page)
PASTE YOUR GRAPH HERE:
LAB Report/Journal Questions:
As you answer the journal questions below make sure to use complete sentences. You will lose points for grammar mistakes and misspelled words.
Restate your hypothesis HERE (just copy and paste from above):
If The light spectrum causes the most plant growth and what one causes the least plant growth.Then the blue light will cause the most plant growth. Because blue fire is the hottest fire.
1. Which variables did you control in your experiment and which variable did you change in order to compare your growth results?
Answer: the controlled variables were the pots, seeds, the 30 days. The variable I changed was the color of the light
2. Analyze the results of your experiment. Did your data support your hypothesis? Explain. If you conducted tests with more than one type of seed, explain any differences or similarities you found among the types of seeds.
The data from my experiment did not support my hypothesis. I hypothesized that blue light would cause the most plant growth, but in actuality, the red light caused the most growth for all three types of seeds tested. There were some differences among the types of seeds - for example, blue light caused the most growth for radish plants, while red light caused the most growth for spinach and lettuce plants. This shows that the effect of different colors of light on plant growth can vary depending on the type of plant.
3. Based on the data collected, which colors of the light spectrum do you think are most important for plant growth?
Answer: Based on the data collected, it appears that red light is the most important for plant growth. This was consistent across all three types of seeds tested in the experiment.
4. What are some potential sources of error in this experiment? How could you improve the experiment in the future?
Answer: Some potential sources of error in this experiment could include variations in soil quality, temperature, humidity, or the amount of light received by each plant. To improve the experiment in the future, I could ensure that all plants receive the same amount of water and are kept in the same environment to eliminate these variables. Additionally, using a larger sample size and conducting multiple trials could help improve the accuracy of the results.
Conclusion: In this experiment, I investigated the effect of different colors of light on plant growth. While my hypothesis was not supported by the data, I was able to determine that red light was the most important for plant growth across all three types of seeds tested. This experiment provided valuable insight into the role of light in photosynthesis and plant growth.