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An experiment was set up to investigate the growth of two varieties of pea plants, Palma and Vaspa - VCE - SSCE Biology - Question 3 - 2009 - Paper 1
Question 3
An experiment was set up to investigate the growth of two varieties of pea plants, Palma and Vaspa. Two hundred plants of each variety were grown from seed for 10 we... show full transcript
Worked Solution & Example Answer:An experiment was set up to investigate the growth of two varieties of pea plants, Palma and Vaspa - VCE - SSCE Biology - Question 3 - 2009 - Paper 1
Step 1
a. i. Name the independent variable (also known as the experimental variable) in this experiment.
Answer
The independent variable in this experiment is the type of pea plant being grown, which is either Palma or Vaspa. This variable is manipulated to observe its effect on the growth of the plants.
Step 2
a. ii. State one environmental variable that should be controlled in this experiment.
Answer
One environmental variable that should be controlled is the amount of sunlight each plant receives. This ensures that any differences in growth can be attributed to the type of pea plant rather than variations in sunlight exposure.
Step 3
b. What difference in height exists between the tallest Palma and tallest Vaspa plants?
Answer
To determine the difference in height, we first identify the tallest plants from both histograms. Assuming the tallest Palma plant is 31 cm and the tallest Vaspa plant is 22 cm, the difference would be:
Step 4
c. Is height in pea plants controlled by one or many genes? Circle your answer and justify your choice.
Answer
Many genes. Height in pea plants is usually a polygenic trait, meaning it is influenced by multiple genes. This results in a range of heights rather than a single fixed height, as various genetic combinations contribute to the overall growth.