Science Buddies: "Ask an Expert"

Can you recommend an experiment where students can investigate the effects of environmental factors on a plant's phenotype? The materials should be relatively low cost. It should also take fewer than two weeks to complete.

Hi,

This is a very interesting idea for a science project. The Science Buddies website includes several projects that can be adapted for this idea. You could use light, fertilizer, water, gravity, temperature, or a chemical such as hydrogen peroxide for your independent variable.

https://www.sciencebuddies.org/science- ... ntBio&dl=9

This website includes some interesting references that should be helpful for this project.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Phenotypic_plasticity

This website includes a detailed experimental set up for investigating plant phenotypic plasticity based on light with a complete list of materials, notes for the instructor, and the student outline. Maybe just what you are looking for.

http://www.ableweb.org/volumes/vol-15/14-ryerson.pdf

And, this reference includes some additional background information that should be helpful.

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/17997761

I hope this is helpful. Please let us know if you have any questions.


Donna Hardy