Hypothesis:
If I add copper sulfate, a heavy metal, to four different genotypes of Arabidopsis thaliana, then the plants’ genotypes will determine whether they thrive or flounder. Santa Clara, a genotype that stores heavy metals will grow the tallest, and the Lovvik, a genotype that grows in snow-covered areas, will grow the shortest.
Procedure:
1. Label 16 pots (about 6 cm in diameter) with the genotype they will hold; four pots will have the Columbia genotype, four will have the Lovvik genotype, four will have the Wassilewskija genotype, and four will have the Santa Clara genotype.
2. Place a piece of cheesecloth (6x6 cm) on the bottom of each pot so that the soil will not leak out but water can still pass through.
3. Mix the soil, fertilizer…show more content… Place all of the pots into tray, and fill the tray with 1.5 cm of water
7. Cover the tray with a lid to maintain the water in the tray.
8. Cool the tray in a fridge for three days, synchronizing their germination periods.
9. After the three days, place the plants under an artificial light with the lid still on the container.
10. Once the seeds have germinated, take note of the five largest heights of the plants in each pot and any observations that can be found. The height will be measured from the soil to the highest point the plant reaches without grabbing a leaf or moving the plant, etc. Take notes per five days for every pot.
11. Make the mixture of water and Copper Sulfate. (There should be 2.0g of Copper Sulfate added to 1000 mL of water). Shake up the solution until the Copper sulfate dissolves completely.
12. Ten days after the plants germinate, put 25 ml of water with the copper sulfate into two of the pots for each genotype using a dropper for a total of five times while watering the other two pots with a dropper and the same amount of water but no copper sulfate. Repeat this five times.
13. Observe the plants and take notes of their height per five days for a total of 40 days.
The variable is the genotypes of the Arabidopsis thaliana