Gene Expression Lab

Jaslene, Lindsay, Valeria, Viviana

Plants use chlorophyll to absorb light in the process of photosynthesis. In this lab, we will
identify how light and dark (different environments) affect the amount of chlorophyll and the
differences between both plants.
 Pre-Lab
Lab Question- What is the effect of the amount light given to seeds on the amount chlorophyll they produce?

The independent variable in this experiment is the amount of light and the dependent variable will be the amount of
chlorophyll produced.

Prediction/Hypothesis- IF we subject plants to different amounts of light, THEN we will find that more light helps plants
produce more chlorophyll BECAUSE the plants in the dark will not produce chlorophyll due to environmental conditions
which is the lack of light.

Experimental Design- We took a plastic bottle, and cut it in half. Then filled the bottom half with fertilizer. After we took a
piece of felt and folded it in half then stapled a long piece of felt to the bottom. We put the felt at the bottom-top of the bottle .
Then we planted 10 seeds and put more soil on top. Additionally, we watered the soil a bit then connected the two pieces of
the water bottle and taped it together next we each did one and after we had four in total. Two of our plants were put in a
space with light while the other two were locked in a cabinet without any light available.

Constants: 10 seeds, type of soil, type of fertilizer, type of plant, and size of water bottle
DATA AND RESULTS:
Extra data we collected:
The stem above is the stem of the plant
germinated in the light while the stem
below is the one grown in the dark.

The color on the left is the

color of the leaf of the
plant grown in the light
while the color on the right
is the color of the leaf on
the plant grown in the
dark.
CER:

Claim: Plants will express chlorophyll if they are given light.

Evidence: Out of the germinated seeds given light, 100% expressed chlorophyll (green). Out of the
germinated seeds that were not given light, 0% expressed chlorophyll and appeared yellow.

Reasoning: This is because plants use chlorophyll to absorb light in photosynthesis, and without the
presence of light, it is not necessary.

Additional claim: Once they are exposed to light, plants need a consistent source of it to remain healthy.

Evidence: When transferring the plant given light into the dark, its leaves became droopy and yellow. Once
put under light, the plant originally in the dark expressed chlorophyll and appeared healthier.

Reasoning: This is because when light is taken away, energy reserves are depleted and the plant dies.
 Discussion
Reflect- Our data backed up our hypothesis by proving that the plants in the dark did not produce any chlorophyll
due to its environmental conditions which was receiving no light.
Errors- While doing this labs some errors were committed which were burying the seeds to deep which caused some
seeds to not germinate and not giving enough fertilizer to the plants. Another possible error was opening the drawer
too much which caused light to reach the plant that was supposed to have no light.
Conclusiveness- This lab was conclusive because our results looked alike to those of the classroom. Also there were
two trials for the ones in the light and both looked very similar.
Look Ahead- As a person who likes to garden, it would be helpful to know why a plant won't germinate and why it
has no chlorophyll. This is due to multiple reasons but the most impacting reason is due to the environment(amount
of light received). This made us come up with the question of “How much light will a plant receive at different
depths?”.