Biology
Plant Kingdom Solutions
A mycorrhiza is a mutualistic
relationship between fungal hyphae
and the roots of true plants. The
fungal hyphae increase the
absorptive surface area of the roots
of the plant by aiding in the
absorption of water, phosphorus, and
other mineral ions from the soil to
the roots of the plant. The plant is
photosynthetic and provides the
fungus with carbohydrates.
An experiment was conducted to
determine the effect of mycorrhizal
associations on plant growth. Two
groups of plants were grown. One
group was planted in soil that had
been sterilized. The other group was
planted in the same type of soil, but
the soil had not been sterilized. All
other factors remained the same
between the two groups. The plants
were allowed to grow for 8 weeks.
Each week, the height (in
centimeters) of each plant was
measured. The picture below shows
the plants after 8 weeks of growth.
The data table provides quantitative
data on the growth of the plants over
the 8-week period.
Plants Grown in
Sterilized Soil
Plants Grown in
Nonsterilized Soil
Week
Plants Grown in
Sterilized Soil
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
0.8 cm
1.5 cm
2.0 cm
2.3 cm
2.4 cm
3.8 cm
5.0 cm
6.0 cm
Plants Grown in
Non-sterilized Soil
2.0 cm
5.5 cm
8.7 cm
10.0 cm
12.0 cm
16.2 cm
19.1 cm
25.0 cm
Question 29
10 pts
Using the information provided in
the above scenario, make a graph
visually representing the collected
data. REMEMBER TO: Select an
appropriate graph, Title your graph,
Label the X and Y axes, Scale the
graph properly, and Provide a key if
needed.
