Lab Sci Method Data and Quest

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Northwest Vista College *

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1402

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Chemistry

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Feb 20, 2024

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Lab: Scientific Method Data and Questions Name : Maranda Maldonado Scientific Question: Do plants from different climates show differences in chemical diversity as a result of herbivory defense? What is the hypothesis? Find the hypothesis in the Research Background and write it below. A hypothesis is a proposed explanation for an observation, which can then be tested with experimentation or other types of studies. Carina predicted that the tropical plants would have the highest chemical diversity. She also predicted that the subtropical plants would have higher chemical diversity than the temperate plants. Use the data below to answer the scientific question: Seed collection location Climate Sample size (n) Chemical diversity index SD * SE* Michigan temperate 15 3.30 0.2 4 0.0 6 Florida subtropical 16 3.52 0.2 2 0.0 5 Costa-Rica tropical 17 3.63 0.1 7 0.0 4 *Standard deviation (SD) tells us about the amount of variation in the data. A large SD means there is a lot of variation around the mean, while a small SD means the data points all fall very close to the mean. Standard error (SE) tells us how confident we are in our estimate of the mean, and depends on the number of replicates in an experiment and the SD. A large SE means we are not very confident, while a small SE means we are more confident. What data will you graph to answer the question? Independent variable: Location of the plants Dependent variable: The chemical diversity index

Draw your graph below: Identify any changes, trends, or differences you see in your graph. Draw arrows pointing out what you see and write one sentence describing what you see next to each arrow. Include error bars in your graph. Error bars show our uncertainty about the data. You can calculate the upper value to use by adding the SE to the chemical diversity index. The lower value is calculated by subtracting the SE from the chemical diversity index. Interpret the data: Make a claim that answers the scientific question. Chemical diversity in plants is influenced by the need to deter herbivores, and differences in climatic conditions result in varying defensive strategies, including the development of unique chemical compounds. What evidence was used to write your claim? Reference specific parts of the table or graph. Using both the graph and the data table that was given to me, I concluded that by using the SD and SE, there was conclusive evidence to indeed suggest that plants in different environments showcase a diversity of chemical adaptations to keep herbivores away.

Explain your reasoning and why the evidence supports your claim. Connect the data back to what you learned about why a plant would have high chemical diversity. Tropical plants were greater in their chemical diversity, while temperate plants were on the lesser side, and s ome plants with high chemical diversity are especially difficult for herbivores to eat. Since tropical plants were subjected to stronger insect attacks, it would lead tropical plants to evolve higher chemical diversity than temperate plants to protect them from herbivory better. Did the data support Carina’s hypothesis? Use evidence to explain why or why not. If you feel the data are inconclusive, explain why. The data that was presented did indeed support Carina’s hypothesis, as tropical plants were shown to have higher instances of chemical diversity and temperate plants were on the lower scale of chemical diversity. This is due to tropical plants often being the base food for many herbivores, whereas temperate plants often deal with harsh winters thus leading to a less likely spike in chemical diversity. Your next steps as a scientist: Science is an ongoing process. What new question do you think should be investigated? What future data should be collected to answer your question? A new question that should be investigated more thoroughly and seriously is how we can reverse the serious damage of climate change. Data that should be collected will have to be surrounding the effects of climate change on average temperatures during the seasons, how climate change affects animals and plants, how climate change will take a toll of produce and water supplies, etc.

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