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.
Based on the data from the table, it can be observed that the plants in Group B, which were grown in containers with deeper root space, consistently had a greater average height compared to the plants in Group A, which were grown in containers with shallower root space.
As the weeks progressed, the difference in average height between Group A and Group B became more significant. In Week 1, the plants in Group B had an average height of 3 cm, while the plants in Group A had an average height of 2 cm. However, by Week 6, the plants in Group B had an average height of 18 cm, while the plants in Group A had an average height of 10 cm.
This indicates that the availability of greater root space in Group B had a positive effect on plant growth, as the plants in this group were consistently taller than those in Group A.
To determine whether this effect was likely due to environmental or genetic factors, additional factors would need to be considered and controlled in the experiment. For example, factors such as temperature, humidity, and the quality of soil and water should be the same for both groups.
If all environmental factors were controlled, then any observed differences in plant growth between the two groups would be more likely to be attributed to genetic factors. This means that the plants in Group B may have had a genetic advantage in terms of their ability to utilize the available root space more efficiently, leading to greater growth.
However, without additional information and controls in the experiment, it is not possible to definitively determine whether the observed effect on plant growth was primarily due to environmental or genetic factors.