Name: _Emeka Okoroafor

______________________________

Principles of Biology Laboratory - Online

Sunflower Germination Lab Report

This exercise will allow you to demonstrate your understanding of the scientific method
by applying investigative principles in designing an experiment comparing the
germination success of sunflower seeds. Your analysis should include a stated
hypothesis to be tested, a methods description, data, and concluding remarks. This
activity serves as an ePortfolio artifact and will be evaluated based on the Intellectually
Alert Rubric: Critical Thinking (2A) (see attached or online).

Background:

Many individuals enjoy growing sunflowers each year for both their beauty and their
product. Seeds for planting are available from a variety of sources, including most
nurseries. Sunflower seeds are also a popular component of bird food packages.
Sunflower seeds from a nursery cost $1.05 per 6.5 grams while sunflower seeds sold as
bird food sale for $3.53 per 10 pounds. The question therefore arises if there is a
difference in the quality of seed from the two sources as measured by germination
success.

Methods:

Obtain a package of sunflower seeds sold for gardening and obtain a second set of
sunflower seeds from a birdfood bag. Plant ten seeds of each type in separate cups (5
seeds per cup, four cups total), water them as needed to keep the soil moist, and watch
them for two weeks for signs of germination. Record your data and then submit it by
email by the deadline so that the course professor can accumulate the class data to
send back to you. Graph both your individual and class data on the provided form.
Then write a lab report for submission, using complete sentences and correct grammar.
Be sure to include any sources of error in your personal data – such as forgetting to
water, etc. Also include within the discussion section the calculation results for the cost
of one ounce of seed from the two sources. (If after two weeks, none of the seeds have
germinated, either begin again or extend the germination period. You must have some
personal germination from at least one of the two sources to submit the lab report for
credit.)

Note: To write the report, you may want to generate the graph in a program like Excel
and paste it in place of the table provided or you may simply type the rest of the report,
print it, draw the graph neatly by hand, and then scan the finished report to submit
online.

The finished report must be submitted both through ePortfolio and the D2L class
dropbox.

1
 Intellectually Alert Rubric: Critical Thinking (2A)
The ability to integrate knowledge in order to identify and weigh possible responses to
different situations, and to process information—both analytically and critically—so as to
determine the validity of different, competing claims

Artifact: Sunflower Germination Lab Report

Criteria Exemplary Competent Acceptable Unacceptable Not
Purpose or Identifies clearly and Identifies clearly a Identifies a Identifies an Attempted
Does not
goal addresses realistic and reasonable unclear and/or identify a
consistently a realistic significant purpose purpose or goal unrealistic purpose or goal
and significant or goal purpose or goal
purpose or goal
Hypothesis Identifies and Identifies an Identifies a Identifies an Does not
addresses important hypothesis insignificant identify a
consistently an hypothesis hypothesis hypothesis
important hypothesis
Evidence Presents clearly and Presents clearly Presents Presents Does not
accurately all of the and accurately accurately some of inaccurately some present data
necessary data most of the the necessary data data or irrelevant
necessary data data
Conceptual Responds clearly and Responds clearly Responds using Responds using Does not
understanding effectively using using appropriate appropriate and insufficient and/or respond using
appropriate and and sufficient sufficient course inappropriate course content
sufficient course course content content course content
content and outside
sources
Inferences Draws clear and valid Draws valid Draws valid Draws inaccurate Does not draw
conclusions or conclusions or conclusions or conclusions or conclusions or
inferences supported inferences inferences inferences inferences
by content supported by
content
 Experiment Title: ___Rise of the Sunflower.
______________________________________________

Introduction: (State in your own words the purpose for the experiment ending with a
hypothesis for the experiment.)

This is an experiment to determine which of the two selected seeds is the better seed. This is to
find out why one of the seeds would be more expensive than the other and why one would be
geared towards planting.

Procedure: (Material and methods – In sentence, paragraph form of writing, briefly state how
you conducted the experiment.)

Two separate cups were selected and were filled halfway with soil. Then the seeds were placed
in the cups. (4 of each). Then another half inch of soil was put over the seeds. After that they
were left exposed to sunlight for a week. Then two teaspoons of water was put in each cup then
they were exposed to sunlight for another week.
Results:

Table 1: (Title) ____________________________________________________

Individual Class
Seed Type: (Garden or Bird Food) Garden Bird Garden Bird
Number of Seeds Planted: 4 4 429 430
Number of Seeds Germinated: 1 2 246 275
Percentage Germinated: 25% 50% 57.3% 63.95%

Figure 1: (Title) ___________________________________________________

(Make a bar graph of the individual and course percentage results from Table 1.)

100

70

60

50

40
Garden
3-D Column 2
30
Bird

20

10

0
Individual Class
 Name: _______________________________
Date: ________________________________

Discussion: (Explain the results and whether the data supported your hypothesis. Include the
calculation results for the cost of one ounce of seed from the two sources. Be sure to include
any sources of error in your personal data – such as forgetting to water, etc. In addition,
critique the weakness of the experiment design used in class in introducing experimental
variability and suggest alternative, improved designs.)

Conclusion: (Answer the question of which seed you should plant. Justify your answer.)

In the end I conclude that the seed that should be planted should be the sunflower food for the
bird food. This is because in an individual and group situation that was the seed that had the
most positive results and therefore it is the most superior seed.