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Seed Germination Experiment

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Seed Germination Experiment

Read the investigation and use the results to answer the questions. Germination begins when a viable seed takes up water and the embryo starts growing. Seeds also need oxygen and a suitable temperature. Light requirements vary between species. In this investigation, all seeds are the same species and are kept at the same temperature with access to oxygen.

Plan a fair test

A student team investigates whether the amount of water supplied affects the germination of radish seeds. They place 20 seeds in each of three identical dishes lined with cotton wool. All dishes are kept at 20°C, exposed to the same light, and supplied with the same access to air. Each dish receives a different daily volume of water: 0 mL, 2 mL or 5 mL. After seven days, the team counts how many seeds have germinated. A seed is counted as germinated when its radicle is visible.

1.Which is the independent variable in this investigation?

The number of seeds that germinate
The daily volume of water
The temperature of the dishes
The number of days in the investigation

2.Identify the dependent variable and state how it is measured.

3.Give two variables the team should keep constant to make this a fair test.

4.The 0 mL dish is intended as a comparison. What does it test, and why is it useful?

5.Make a prediction: which water treatment do you expect to produce the most germinated seeds, and why? Assume the cotton wool stays moist but is not flooded at 2 mL per day.

Analyse the results

After seven days, the team recorded these results. Each treatment began with 20 seeds.

Water each day

Seeds germinated

Germination percentage

0 mL

1 out of 20

2 mL

16 out of 20

80%

5 mL

8 out of 20

40%

6.Which treatment had the highest germination percentage, and what was that percentage?

7.Calculate the difference in germination percentage between the 2 mL and 5 mL treatments. Show your calculation.

8.Use the results to describe the relationship between water supplied and germination. Include evidence from at least two treatments.

9.The team used only one dish for each water treatment. Explain one reason why this limits how confidently they can draw a conclusion.

10.During germination, the radicle is the first structure to emerge from the seed. It grows downwards. Explain why this direction of growth is useful to the seedling.