Plant Allocation handout

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School

University of Houston, Downtown *

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3130

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Biology

Date

Dec 6, 2023

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docx

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BIOL 3130: Plant Biology Laboratory Spring 2023 Laboratory 7: Plant Allocation Laboratory Objective: The goal of this laboratory is for students understand changes in plant allocation to growth in response to differences in resource availability. Learning Outcomes: At the end of this lab students will be able to 1. describe the relevance of root: shoot ratio for plants. 2. develop hypotheses and predictions for how differences in nutrient availability affects root: shoot ratio in crop plants. 3. predict how allocation patterns change among plant species growing in differing environmental conditions. Class discussion As a class, we will develop hypotheses and predictions for plant allocation of carbon to growth of roots and shoots in high and low nutrient availability treatments. Experimental procedure: In this lab, we will make two distinct comparisons of plant allocation to growth of roots and shoots (root: shoot ratio). We will compare root: shoot ratio (1) among different crop species, and (2) within a species between individuals in high and low nutrient availability treatments. Each group will be assigned a crop species on which to make measurements for both high and low nutrient treatments. Groups will make 5 replicate measurements of length and mass root: shoot ratio for each treatment. Root: Shoot ratio determination 1. Set up a table to record your data. Your table should include plant species, nutrient treatment, replicate number, root mass (g), shoot mass (g). 2. Gently extract the plants from the perlite/vermiculite without breaking off any of the roots . Damage to other plants may occur and these plants should be avoided during further sampling. 3. Carefully rinse the plants in a large beaker of water to remove the vermiculite and extraneous roots. Pat the plants dry with paper towels. 4. Cut the roots from the shoots at the root-shoot boundary. 5. Measure the maximum shoot length and root length to the millimeter. Measurements begin at the root-shoot boundary that often can be identified by a color change. Calculate a mean maximum length. 6. Weigh the root(s) and shoot(s). Weigh all roots together and all shoots together. By weighing multiple plant roots or shoots together at once for smaller plants, an accurate mass can be determined with balances that have limited resolution (0.01 g).

7. Enter your results into the class spreadsheet. Answer these questions. 1. How was the root: shoot ratio affected by the nutrient treatment? 2. Were there species for which mass or length root: shoot ratio changed between the nutrient treatments but the other did not change? How would you interpret such differences between length ratio and mass ratio? 3. How did the root: shoot ratio differ among species? Was there a consistent trend among species in root: shoot ratio related to other plant characteristics? 4. Large differences in root:shoot ratio between the nutrient treatments indicates a high level of phenotypic plasticity. What other types of environmental conditions would likely favor plants with high phenotypic plasticity? With low plasticity? 5. What factors other than nutrient availability could affect root: shoot ratio? Root anatomy and morphology Anatomy of roots B3/1 Allium – root tip (Draw and label for notebook entry) Identify all the root tip zones and tissue types of the apical meristem. Eudicot and Monocot root structure B48/1 Ranunculus – herbaceous eudicot root (Draw and label for notebook entry) B60/3 Zea mays – herbaceous monocot root (Draw and label for notebook entry) Identify the epidermis, cortex, vascular cylinder, endodermis, pericycle, xylem and phloem. 1. What is the function of the Casparian strip? Where is it located? What is it composed of? 2. What are the anatomical differences between the transverse cross sections of the monocot and eudicot roots? 3. What are the structural differences between monocot and eudicot roots? Root origins B22/1 Lateral root origins B22/2 Lateral root origins

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