Biology

Appendix C: Organizational Requirements for Phototropism Virtual Laboratory Paper

Introduction: Provide readers with the experiment's background information, and present the hypothesis in approximately 175 words. The introduction must be written in the present tense. Include the following points:

· Discuss the difference between growth and turgor movement in plants. Define phototropism and gravitropism, and explain the fundamental mechanisms of each movement. Indicate why studying tropisms are important for plant science.

· State your hypothesis of how meristem movement occurs in plants in response to sunlight. Explain how your hypothesis will be tested. In 1 to 2 sentences, explain what you expect will happen, and include at least one alternative outcome.

Methods: In approximately 175 words, describe how the phototropism experiment was conducted. Include the following points:

· Experimental design: Describe treatments for the test seedling and positive and negative controls. Why does the experiment include all three treatments? What does each treatment allow you to understand?

· Data collection: How did you collect data? Over what time period was the data collected?

Results: In at least 175 words, describe the results. Include the following points:

· Begin with a 1- to 2-sentence summary of your findings.

· Include the graphs generated from your spreadsheet. Your graphs must be labeled. Summarize the results discovered in each graph, and compare results.

Discussion: In no less than 350 words, describe your findings, and consider their importance to plant science. Include the following points:

· Summarize your findings. State whether your hypothesis was supported.

· Explain how phototropism occurs. Include at least one explanation from the text. Do your results allow you to support the explanation with 100% certainty? Why or why not?

Conclusion: Offer a summary of your findings in approximately 175 words. Indicate how this experiment will help scientists understand phototropism. Offer at least one example of what still must be learned about phototropism.