WGU C683 Natural Science Lab Comp Task BRP1 – BRP Task 1 Latest 2024 Complete Taylor Selfors
6/1/2024
BRP1 – BRP Task 1 Natural Science Lab – C683
Section I: Introduction and Literature Review
A.In the journal of the process of germination and the importance of light by Chandra, R. J., Masilamani, P., Suthakar, B., Rajkumar, P., Sivakumar, S. D., & Manonmani, V. (2024), the importance of light is highlighted. My experiment focuses on the temperature of the soil and its impact on the germination process of snap pea seeds. This journal evaluates how light is a key factor in the temperature of the soil and how light in昀氀uences enzyme activity and metabolic processes in the seed that causes germination. The soil must be at the right temperature and must receive adequate lighting in order for the right processes to occur for the plant to grow.B.The online article about the effects of temperature and water on seed germination published by Haj Sghaier, A., Tarnawa, Á., Khaeim, H., Kovács, G.P., Gyuricza, C., & Kende, Z. (2022, October 23) delves into the dependency of soil temperature and water on the germination of rapeseed. The article speci昀椀es the 3 stages of germination and how each stage affects plant growth.It explains what occurs during each phase and why the oilseed requires speci昀椀c water and temperature. My experiment is based around snap pea seeds, but the dependency of the seed on its water and soil temperature directly correlates, as each seed type has its own speci昀椀c needs and requirements for germination. No matter the certain needs of a seed type, each seed goes through the same 3 phase germination process.C.Another online article posted by Oliveira, S., & Kemble, J. (2023, March 6) about soil temperature conditions for vegetable seed germination charts optimal conditions for vegetable plant growth of many different vegetables including the snap pea bean seed. While the information is from Alabama, and I am in Utah, the data is still reliable as I will be growing my plants indoors. The chart gives me an idea of how I will set my temperature restrictions to get a good set of data from my experiment.
Section II: Hypothesis 1 / 2
A.My hypothesis is that the warmer soil, given the same amount of light and water, will germinate and grow the fastest.B.I came to this hypothesis based on the articles I listed previously in Section I.I know that I can maintain certain temperatures of the soil and provide the same water and lighting, therefore, the biggest variable in the experiment will be the soil temperatures. I know that the enzyme and metabolic reactions that need to occur in the soil and seed are sped up by warmer conditions.When the soil is warmer, the reactions happen faster allowing the plant to grow more quickly.
Section III: Method
A.Independent variable: Soil Temperature
•The soil temperature will be manipulated in 3 ways.•With the cold soil, I want to keep the soil around 45 degrees. I will cover the top layer of soil with white plastic so that it will not attract extra heat from the sunlight. The cold soil plants (2) will be kept in plastic cups that are placed into a pot of ice water to keep the soil surrounded in coldness. With the room-temperature soil, I will keep my home at 65 degrees, and the two room-temperature plants will be left in the open.•With the warm soil, the soil will be covered with black plastic to attract warmth and insulate the soil. I will also place a plant heating pad around the cup bases to keep the soil warm. The goal is to keep the warm soil around 80 degrees.•I will have to consistently measure the soil temperatures throughout the day to make sure the temperatures are in their required temperature ranges, which is about +-5 degrees of the target temperature.
B.Dependent variable: Growth of Plant in cm
•The growth and germination of the plant should be affected by the soil temperatures.•I will measure the growth of the plant out of the soil with a tape measure and I will measure in centimeters over 14 days after the initial planting of the seeds.•If a seed doesn’t grow at all, I can dig it out and see what stage of germination it is in.
C.External, confounding variables:
•Water – each plant will be watered the same amount ( 4 oz) each day. I don’t want to disrupt soil temperature so I will water the cold plants with refrigerated water, the room temperature plants with room temperature water, and the warm soil plants with warmed water (80 degrees).•Sunlight – each plant will receive the same amount of sunlight throughout the day. The plants will be placed on my dining table, which
receives direct sunlight and indirect sunlight from the window, at 7:30
am each day. At 8:30pm, all plants will be covered, the warm and room
temperature plants will be covered with a bin to prevent any indoor
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