study guide Flashcards
why is learning about plant growth in drought conditions relevant to our lives
Since climate change is affecting us and will continue to affect us in the future, farmers will need to know how they can be the most productive in terms of their crop-yield. By observing what conditions plants grow best in, researchers can determine how to most efficiently produce crops.
Name the process by which plants obtain energy from the sun.
Photosynthesis
- What is the function of stomata? How might the stomata behave in dry conditions?
Stomata are the small pores on the underside of the leaf that regulate the flow of water, oxygen, and carbon dioxide in and out of the leaves. When it is closed, there is no gas exchange or water loss, and when it is open, there is oxygen and water loss, but carbon dioxide can enter for photosynthesis. Thus in dry conditions, the stomata are more likely to stay closed for longer periods of time in order to prevent water loss.
What do plants do with the energy that they have absorbed from the sun?
Plants capture the energy they have absorbed from the sun and convert it into usable energy (chemical energy in the form of glucose).
Where in a plant does photosynthesis take place?
Chloroplast
What is the main light absorbing green pigment in a plant?
Chlorophyll
What is the enzyme responsible for carbon fixation in a plant?
Rubisco
What is the overall research question of study 1 (tomato experiment)?
In a drought, how do shading conditions affect a Roma tomato plant’s growth, reproduction, and photosynthesis?
Given the description of an experiment, be able to identify its independent, dependent, and controlled variables.
The independent variables were shaded vs. unshaded conditions. The dependent variables are the growth traits, reproductive traits, and photosynthesis, which were the plant heights, number of leaflets, number of flowers, number of fruits, chlorophyll content, rate of photosynthesis, and average rubisco concentration. Drought conditions were the controlled variables.
Given the mean and the standard error of a data set, be able to calculate the 95% confidence interval.
We are 95% confident that the interval between 760 mm - 840 mm captures the true sample mean.
Equation:
Upper bound = m+2(SE)
Lower bound = m-2(SE)
What is the purpose of calculating the standard error (SE)/ standard error of the mean (SEM)?
The purpose of calculating standard error is to determine how close the sample mean is to the true population mean.
What is the purpose of a t-test?
The purpose of a t-test is to statistically compare the means of two groups. It is used to determine if the experiment/treatment had any effect on the groups.
Given the results of the t-test, be able to determine and explain whether there is a significant difference between the two groups. In our class, we will use a significance cutoff of 0.05 for the p-value.
The smaller the p value is below 0.05 the bigger the significant difference is between the two groups. However, when the P value is greater than 0.05 there will be no significant difference between the two groups.
What is the purpose of generating the light response curve in our tomato study?
The purpose of generating the light response curve in our tomato study is to be able to see how well a plant’s rate of photosynthesis depends on the light intensity. A major part is being able to see a plant’s maximum photosynthetic capacity through this light response curve. The CO2 intake was the variable being measured via the IRGA machine to see the plants photosynthesis rate.
What is the purpose of a standard curve?
The standard curve quantifies the relationship between protein concentration and light absorbance, to be able to calculate protein concentration (y=mx+b).
