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
Based on the data from the table, it can be observed that the plants in Group B, which were grown in containers with a greater depth of 10 centimeters, exhibited greater average height compared to the plants in Group A, which were grown in containers with a depth of 3 centimeters.
In Week 1, both groups had similar average heights of 2 centimeters. However, as the weeks progressed, the plants in Group B consistently showed higher average heights compared to Group A. For example, in Week 6, the plants in Group B had an average height of 18 centimeters, while Group A had an average height of 10 centimeters. This clear trend suggests that the increased root space in Group B resulted in better plant growth.
In order to determine whether this effect was likely due to environmental or genetic factors, further analysis would be required. One way to test this would be to repeat the experiment, but this time changing the environmental conditions while keeping the root space consistent. By manipulating factors such as water availability, sunlight intensity, or soil composition, it would be possible to determine if these environmental factors have an impact on plant growth.
If changing the environmental conditions while maintaining the same root space leads to different results, it would suggest that the effect observed in the original experiment was due to environmental factors. On the other hand, if the plants still showed the same pattern of higher average heights in Group B, it would suggest that the effect is likely due to genetic factors, indicating that root space plays a significant role in plant growth.
In summary, based on the data from the table, the effect of root space on plant growth appears to be positive, with plants in Group B (with deeper containers) exhibiting greater average heights compared to Group A. Further investigations would be necessary to determine whether this effect is primarily due to environmental or genetic factors.