Genetics Unit Test
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Question
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 is clear that the plants in Group B, which had more root space (10 cm deep containers), grew taller than the plants in Group A, which had less root space (3 cm deep containers). This indicates that root space has a positive effect on plant growth.
To determine whether this effect was likely due to environmental or genetic factors, further experiments should be conducted. One way to do this would be to repeat the experiment with different varieties of plants to see if the results are consistent across different genetic backgrounds. Additionally, the experiment could be repeated with the same variety of plants, but varying other environmental factors such as sunlight or soil nutrients to see if these factors have a greater impact on plant growth than root space. By conducting these additional experiments, it would be possible to determine whether the effect of root space on plant growth is primarily due to genetic or environmental factors.