A student investigated the effect of root space on plant growth. The student grew two groups of plants of the same variety. Both groups received the same amount of water and sunlight and grew in the same type of soil. The plants in Group A were grown in cube-shaped containers that were 3 centimeters deep. The plants in Group B were grown in cube-shaped containers that were 10 centimeters deep. The table shows the student's observations
Week Plant Group A (Average Height, cm) Plant Group B (Average Height, cm)
1 2 3
2 3 6
3 5 8
4 7 10
5 8 14
6 10 18
What was the effect of root space on plant growth based on the student's investigation? Use the data from the table to support your answer. Explain how you would know whether this effect was likely due to environmental or genetic factors.
The effect of root space on plant growth based on the student's investigation was that plants with more root space (Group B) grew taller than those with less root space (Group A). The data from the table shows that the average height of plants in Group B consistently increased faster than those in Group A; by week 6, plants in Group B were 8 cm taller than those in Group A.
To determine whether this effect was likely due to environmental or genetic factors, additional experiments could be conducted. One approach would be to grow the same variety of plants in multiple environments, each with different levels of root space, while keeping all other factors constant. If the growth differences observed in the original experiment persisted across various environments, it would suggest that the effect is likely due to an environmental factor, such as the amount of root space available.
Alternatively, the experiment could be replicated using different plant varieties with varying genetic traits. If the growth differences observed in the original experiment occurred regardless of the variety of plant used, it would suggest that the effect is likely due to a genetic factor, specifically an inherent predisposition for certain plant varieties to be more sensitive to root space constraints.
In summary, the original experiment suggests that root space has a significant impact on plant growth, with plants in larger containers growing faster and taller than plants in smaller containers. Further investigation is needed to determine whether this effect is due to environmental or genetic factors.