Blue Hawk Science Investigators
- Project reviewer
Joined 02 Sep 2023
Project by group tfhsthilmonyposfall2023
Info
| Explore | * The basis Photosynthesis * How plants make food * How to take care of plants * certain plant require certain environment * How they exactly get their energy from the sun. * What plants are best for what area. * What is the purpose of the veins on plants. * Why do different plants... |
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| Research Question | How does dust affect the rate of gas exchange in photosynthesis? This is relevant because plants near dirt roads are exposed to high concentrations of dust then those away from them. High concentrations of dust can inhibit necessary energy needed for photosynthesis. |
| Predictions | If plants are exposed to high concentrations of dust then the rate of photosynthesis will decrease due to the limited amount of sunlight able to reach the plant. Dust particles on the surface of the plant will reflect the light lowering the amount of sunlight able to reach chloroplasts in the... |
| Experimental Design | Create 3 closed systems with no dust in one (control) light dust in one and heavy in the last one. Add soil if needed to keep plants in place. O2 and CO2 percentages will be the variables monitored within each closed system. Keep all systems near each other to avoid temperature and light... |
| Conclusion | If plants are exposed to high levels of dust then it will negatively affect gas exchange and the health of the plant. A possible explanation for this is the dust decreased stomatal conductance and lowered the amount of light the plant was able to absorb which reduced the rate of photosynthesis.... |
| About this Project | Carter and Bryson worked diligently on their project involving dust and it's effects on photosynthesis gas exchange of oxygen and carbon dioxide. The project was relative to our area with their research question asking if dust affects the rate of photosynthesis when ATV's and other off road... |
Updates
Hello,
This is the last week of communication. I would like to say thank you for all the work you put in and the helpful guidance. Thank you for also making the more complicated things easier to understand and having interest in our project. Have a good holiday season and thank you again for all the help.
I am so glad I could help clarify things for you, have a great school year and I wish you all the best in the holiday season!
Hello Team,
This may be the last time I get to say that but not everything is bad when saying goodbye. I just want to say thank you for all of the help and answers to all of the questions we had. We appreciate all you do and the leadership you have shown through this semester. We now have a better understanding on how sensitive plants are and how they respond to certain stresses. We also have a new understanding of what a scientist does and how different each one can be. I wish you the best with future education and wish you a successful career.
Thank you!
I really loved seeing your guys' project and I am so glad I could help with your questions and teach about the process of science! Have a great rest of the school year!!
Hello
we have posted our final presentation in the files.
Great poster!! Excellent work, team!
Hi, this looks better. Are you able to explain what this graph illustrates? It may be a good idea to try a bunch of different graphs to see what gives you results that are easy to interpret and explain to other people. Maybe something like a bar graph as well just to compare and see which one you like the best!
hello,
Thank you for the suggestion, we finished the new graph and have posted it. We were wondering if this one works?
Hi Carter! After looking at these results, I realize that I made a mistake in the type of statistical test that would be best for you to use. An R2 test looks at the correlation between two continuous quantitative variables (or normal words, both your independent and dependent variables should be numerical and and should be able fall anywhere within a plot on a graph).
Instead, because you have three categorical values (these being your three treatment groups), I think the best test to use would be an ANOVA (ANalysis Of VAriance) test. This test looks at the difference between the medians of your treatments, and determines if they are statistically different from one another. A great way to visualize this test is to create a boxplot where the X axis is your three treatments and the Y axis is the O2 concentration values.
If you would like me to explain what the results of your ANOVA means, I can definitely do that. Let me know when you make the boxplot and we can then make a really good analysis of your results that would be super fun to share with your friends and family (if you're a nerd like me)!
Hello,
We have posted a screenshot of our correlation calculations in files and we were wondering if it looks correct?
We were wondering your opinion on this idea, would doing a correlation with CO2 levels being the dependent variables and the scale of dust levels being the independent variable be okay? Or would there be a better way to go about doing a statistical test?
Yes, doing a correlation coefficient between those two variables would be a good test to see if there is a strong relationship between the variables. You would be looking at the R2 value, which tells you how much of your data (dependent variable) is explained by the treatment (independent variable). Great idea!
When we applied the dust it only hit the top side of the leaves and did not affect the underside where the stomata are located and the dust had the same effect on both plants no matter the amount. Our other thought was that dust only has an effect on gas exchange to a certain point and then past that point has no further effect on it.
Good hypotheses, because you see such close results between the medium dust and no dust, it might be a good idea to just combine those results together and compare them to the control group. I'm not completely sure, but it might make your results more significant. Will you be doing any statistical tests on this data to see if the differences in O2 output between the control and treatment groups are statistically significant?
We have finished our conclusion with claim-evidence-reasoning criteria and posted it above.
Very nice! I also noticed that there was not much of a difference between the medium and heavy dust groups. Any idea why that might be? Any hypotheses?
Hello,
One of the things we noticed was that the container with no dust seemed to have more drastic fluctuations in gas levels compared to the heavy dust container. We also posted our finished table in the files section.
Hello,
We have just finished collecting the data on the plants, hopefully we will have the table finished by today or tomorrow. Here are some pictures of plant health after the experiment.
Wow this setup looks very cool! I know you haven't analyzed your data or completed the graphs yet, but have you noticed any trends so far just by looking at it?
We have attached the data from the first 18 hours of the experiment in the files and it shows how we will be collecting the data. We are taking 1 sample every 6 hours for five days.
Hello everyone,
We added a couple pictures of our experiment setup. We have started to collect data and hopefully by today we should have some of the table filled out.
Hi team,
We have posted our experimental design and are setting up the experiment now. Hopefully start collecting data tomorrow and it will go for 5 days.
Sounds great! I am excited to see how it turns out!
Hello,
We have decided to choose the dust experiment. A question we have for the set up of the experience is since we are measuring gas exchange rates would it be better to do a closed or open system for our experiments? We have also decided to use basil as our plant and we were wondering if this is an okay choice?
For a small plant such as basil (which is an good choice--maybe you can eat it after the experiment if it doesn't get too dusty haha) it would be good to use a closed system since the change in exchange rates will probably also be very small. This way, you can more easily attribute the changes in gas exchange rate to the manipulation of the experiment, rather than just random chance.
Josh, do you have an suggestions here?
Thank you for the response!
Thankfully we do have access to a wide range of sensors, so we will be able to get more precise data. A question that we have is if you have any plant recommendations for an experiment like this?
In terms of plants to do experiments on, it is best to choose one that you already know a lot about and know will be easy to grow, so that way you don't struggle with both trying to get the plant to grow and doing your experiment on it. I would recommend looking up either plants that are native to where you live, or good indoor plants that would be easy to gain access to.
If you want a plant that has real-world applications with the dust project, agricultural plants are a good way to relate the study to implications of dust on crops. For the light project, good plants to choose would be indoor plants, with the real-world applications relating to what types of light might be best to keep in your house to maintain house plants.
One of the other experiments we are thinking of doing is the effect that dust has on vegetation. We are wondering which experiment would you guys think would have more real world applications? We thought of this experiment due to the large number of dirt roads and trails near us.
Hey Blue Hawk scientists,
These are both really good testable questions!
Both experiments are cool and significant in real world applications, with the first potentially offering more localized and targeted applications to help plants in dusty areas, while the second might have broader implications in controlled environments or non-traditional growing spaces where there's not much sunlight.
When planning these experiments, it's a good idea to think about how you'd set up a test that you could repeat to see how dust affects the rate of photosynthesis in plants. This might be a bit tricky without special sensors, but I suggest you all put your heads together and discuss whether it's something you can do or not. Collaboration and brainstorming could help figure out if it's feasible.
Hello,
We were thinking of doing violet, green, red and then a normal yellow light. We thought this would be a fun experiment to find ways that you could grow plant starters without natural light efficiently, especially during the cold winter months.
We think the color of light will affect the rate of photosynthesis because the plant absorbs different wavelengths of light better than others.
Yep! Plants tend to absorb wavelengths of light closer to red and blue. That's why we see leaves as green! From this information, what colors of light would you test?
Hi team,
We were coming up with our question for our experiment and was wondering how changing the color of light affects the rate of gas exchange?
Great question! To start developing it into an experiment more, let's think about some other questions. What changes to the plant do you think changing the color of the light will cause? Why might those changes occur? Maybe do a little bit of background research (if you haven't already) on plant response to light color and see what you come up with so we can think of a good hypothesis.
Hello,
Thank you for bringing the statistical test, sadly we do not have time to repeat the experiment but if we were able to take the data for longer it would most likely be more drastic.
That is okay! Preliminary results are always useful, and you can always address repeating the experiment when you talk about the future directions of your experimentation!
Hello Evelyn and Josh,
We just finished collecting data with the vernier probes we put in yesterday. The data collected from the probes fit with predictions that were made yesterday. Below we attached the findings on a data table. Sadly due to time constraints we were only able to record with the probes for 10 minutes.
Hello! I see your table of data for the amount of CO2 and O2 in the flasks. Although the numbers look slightly different for the Light and Dark treatments just by looking, will you be running any statistical tests to see if the difference in these numbers is significantly different?
Hi team,
Today we checked back on the plants in the phenol red solution but to our disappointment nothing happened. I don't know if it was because moneywort instead of the original plant elodea. Our predictions were that the one with the plant in the light was going to turn a dark red color creating a basic solution and the one with the plant in the dark would turn a more yellow color. So with nothing changing in the experiment we decided to put oxygen probes in them to monitor the percentage of oxygen in all of the flasks. The other team is monitoring the carbon dioxide in the flasks to gather more diverse and precise data. We will keep you posted of the probe data when we receive it.
Why did the original experiment not work? Was it because of the plant being used?
We will attach some photos of the original experiment in the files section.
Hi! I'm not sure exactly what happened with your phenol solution, it could be that the solution you used is not sensitive enough to detect slight changes in the pH level of the water that the plant may have caused. It also could be that the pH of the solution did not change at all. I think it was a great idea to use a more precise test such as oxygen probes to see more slight changes in the flasks, as plants can be highly sensitive to small changes and therefore these changes require precise tests to detect.
Hi Josh,
Sounds like you know your way around the plant world and enjoy being around them while learning what factors influence the growth of them. I have not persued playing guitar as a hobby but love to hear a good country song here and there.
We had just got done with the lesson 3 influencing light and dark in photosynthesis. We have uploaded a file with the graph of our data from the experiment.
I also enjoy a good country song every now and then. Thanks for sharing the results of your experiment with both me and Evelyn.
With the data you've collected, I'm confident that you'll be able to address your previous question about whether light and CO2 concentration have the same impact on the rate of photosynthesis...
Very cool! This graph really shows a big difference in the oxygen production of plants that are photosynthesizing in the light!
Hello, budding plant biologists!
I'm Josh F., and I'm absolutely thrilled to be your liaison and mentor as we dive headfirst into the fascinating world of plants.
A little about me: I'm utterly obsessed with plants! Whether I've been in Minnesota, Colorado, or now upstate New York, my passion for plants has been a constant. I've been fortunate to explore this passion as an undergraduate and, currently, as a Ph.D. student at Cornell University.
What really gets me excited is the astounding diversity of plant life, from the majestic cottonwoods to the tiniest understory plants that hide in the most unexpected places. My research focuses on the evolution of floral traits, like flower size, within the pineapple family. Pretty cool, huh?
When I'm not immersed in the plant world, you can find me strumming a guitar, playing ultimate frisbee, or cruising on my bike. I've attached a photo of me jamming on the guitar. I absolutely love playing jazz and blues music.
I'm committed to making this experience inclusive and engaging for all of you, so please never hesitate to reach out to Evelyn or myself with questions, ideas, or any concerns, especially as you dive into your projects.
I can't wait to embark on this Planting Science journey with each one of you and witness the wonders of how plants perform photosynthesis. I'm truly excited to continue exploring alongside all of you, making this a remarkable adventure!
We finished up the leaf disc experiment today and discovered that the rate of photosynthesis is greater when more CO2 is present. Baking soda provided the most CO2 in the experiment and had the fastest rate of photosynthesis.
One question is does the amount of light a plant has affect the rate of photosynthesis the same as CO2?
Hi Bryson,
Good question-- to answer it, it may be easier to think about it in an 'extreme' way. Think about what happens to a plant at night. Is it photosynthesizing then?
Light is more limiting to a plant's production of energy because CO2 is available almost all of the time, while light may only be available during the day or if the plant is not in the shade. In this way, the rate of photosynthesis is affected more by light availability than CO2.
Hello Evelyn and Josh. Thank you for bringing up that question Josh, It definitely helped us view it in a way we wouldn't have thought of. It does make the question easier when put into those terms.
Today we discussed how a small seed can become a large tree. A question we had was what factors affect the growth rate of the plants.
Hi Carter! Great question, but I am going to flip your question and ask it back to you and your team -- What factors affect the growth rate of humans?
You might be able to dive deeper into your question if you think of the similarities between humans and plants with growth! Let me or Evelyn know if you have further questions.
Hello Evelyn and Josh,
My name is Carter and I would have to say that my favorite subject in school would have to be either shop class or science. My hobbies include working on old cars and helping lead the Thompson Falls robotics team. Gardening is also something I enjoy. My favorite type of music is country. My favorite plant is the ponderosa pine, because of how colorful and tall they can get. I believe I have a decent understanding of photosynthesis, but there is always room for improvement.
Hi Carter,
I am excited to hear that you enjoy gardening! I love gardening as well, digging and planting things in the dirt always makes me feel grounded (lol). I am here to talk to you about questions regarding photosynthesis and science projects, so feel free to ask questions!
Hello Evelyn and josh,
I am just going to share a few things about myself. My name is Brooke and my favorite subject would probably be science projects because we get to learn a lot of stuff and I get to do something fun which is to communicate with you guys. My favorite hobbies are probably hanging out with friends, swimming, watching television, and sports. My favorite sports team is probably the cowboys in football. I'm not sure what music videos and stuff I like it just depends. My favorite plant is probably a cactus. The stuff I know about plants is probably cellular respiration, but I really want to learn about the veins in plants. What is your favorite plant?
Hey Brooke!
Cacti are really awesome plants! They are super interesting to study because they are so uniquely adapted to the climate.
My favorite plant is a skunk cabbage (Symplocarpus foetidus). This plant is very unique because it produces its own heat. In fact, it is known to be found in the wintertime with a patch of melted snow around it. Also, the plant looks super cool, almost like a tiny pineapple sitting inside a red house.