Fast Plant Lab Report Instructions
This is the culminating result of 5 months of research and effort. It should show this hard work. This is not
going to be a short little lab report.
Introduction
Include a full background on fast plants/artificial selection /etc…
Hypothesis
You should have a hypothesis that predicts the change in our DEPENDENT variable over each generation. Be
sure to write it now if you haven’t already before you begin analyzing data. Your hypothesis should be backed
up by research which should be included in the introduction.
Procedure
When you write your procedure, separate it into P Generation, F1 Generation, and F2 Generation and separate
them by “days” not by date. Be sure to write in paragraph, in past tense, and in passive voice. Example:
P Generation
Day 1
Fast plant growth chambers were prepared by cutting a two liter bottle in half one centimeter below the
neck…
Day 3
Fast plants were observed. Germination was noted…
Day 4
Fast plants were observed and color, size, (whatever you really did) were recorded…
F1 Generation
Day 1
Fast plant growth chambers were reassembled by…
Data
You should NOT record all of your many observations about the plants. The only things you should record are
observations that are RELEVANT to forming your conclusion or other relevant things you noticed and can
include in your discussion.
You should include the class data charts. Your individual data does not mean anything alone, so there is no
reason to include it. Under each chart, be sure to describe what you can learn about artificial selection from
each set of results.
For each generation, calculate the average number
of trichomes per plant. You can compare these to
see changes over the generations.
Create BAR GRAPHS to illustrate each
generation’s data. Make a separate graph for each
generation. Group the plants based on the number
of trichomes they have. Do not have a single bar for
each individual number (except 0). Groups of 5
trichomes are easy to work with (like the sample).
It is wise to have the x axis scaled the same for all graphs so that you can easily compare them. If you’d like to
include one that has all 3 generations on it, you may.
Do a chi-square analysis for the class data for F1 and F2 generations. Each group of plants (based on number of
trichomes) will be a category used for calculating the degrees of freedom. The “expected” numbers will be
those from P generation. The purpose of our chi square will be to see if there is a significant difference between
the P generation and the F1 and F2 generations. Basically, to see if evolution happened.
SHOW YOUR WORK for your chi squares and be sure to include a caption that explains the relevance your
work.
Discussion/Conclusion
Discuss the data and process involved in analyzing your data and drawing a conclusion. Discuss the process of
DOING the lab and any hardships you encountered or changes you would make. Mention any relevant
observations. Include errors, effects on society, uses of research, and further studies. This will be very long.
Mention DATA when stating the conclusion. Ex: The Chi square value calculated to determine the difference
between the P generation number of trichomes and the F1 generation was 2.34 which indicates that…