Based on the student's investigation, it is clear that the depth of the root space had a significant effect on plant growth. The data in the table shows that plants in Group A, which grew in 3 cm deep containers, had lower average heights compared to plants in Group B, which grew in 10 cm deep containers.
To illustrate this with the data:
- At Week 1, Group A averaged 2 cm in height, while Group B averaged 3 cm.
- By Week 5, Group A had only reached an average height of 8 cm, compared to Group B, which averaged 14 cm.
- Finally, by Week 6, Group A reached 10 cm in height, while Group B continued to grow and reached 18 cm.
This data shows that, over time, Group B (the plants with more root space) consistently grew taller than Group A. This indicates that deeper root space allows plants to grow more effectively, likely because it provides them with more room to spread their roots, access nutrients, and absorb water.
Determining Factors
To determine whether the effect of root space on plant growth was likely due to environmental factors (like soil, water, and sunlight) or genetic factors (inherent characteristics of the plants), we can consider the following:
-
Controlled Variables: Since both groups were grown in the same type of soil, received the same amount of water, and were exposed to the same sunlight, we can conclude that environmental factors were kept constant. This means any differences in growth can primarily be attributed to the depth of the root space.
-
Same Plant Variety: Both groups used the same variety of plants, meaning the genetic makeup of the plants was identical. This means genetic factors should not have influenced the growth differences observed between the two groups.
Given these points, we can confidently conclude that the differences in plant growth were likely due to the environmental factor of root space rather than genetic differences. The data strongly supports the idea that having more root space allows for better growth in plants.
4 answers