Growth, Development And Reproduction Booklet

Growth, Developmentand ReproductionBooklet

Table of ContentsIntroduction. 4Germination. 6Growth and Development. 10Flowering. 14Pollination. 18Fertilization and Seed Development. 24For additional activities,student pages and relatedresources, please visitthe Wisconsin FastPlants’ website atwww.fastplants.org

Growth, Developmentand ReproductionActivity MaterialsWisconsin Fast Plants Growth andDevelopment Kit Components 1 pack of 200 Standard Wisconsin Fast Plants Seeds 1oz pelleted fertilizer 2 watering trays 2 watering mats wicks (package of 70) 1 packet anti-algal square (2 squares per packet) 8 watering pipettes 1 L potting soil 1 package of dried bees our 4-cell quads 16 support stakes 16 support rings Growing instructionsGermination Activity MaterialsEach student will need: 1 Petri dish 1 Transparency-plastic Ruler Disk, cut out (seeBlack-line Master) 5 Wisconsin Fast Plants seeds paper towels eye dropper hand lens shallow tray or bottom from a 2-liter soda bottle 1 copy of the Black-line Master GerminationObservationGrowth and Development Activity MaterialsEach student will need: 1 copy of the Black-line Master TrackingGrowth and Development metric ruler 10x hand lens at least 1 Wisconsin Fast Plant growingthrough approximately days 3 – 12.Flower Dissection Activity MaterialsEach student will need: Wisconsin Fast Plants flowers 1 copy of the Black-line Master: Parts of theFlower (optional: answer key) 1 copy of the Black-line Master: The BrassicaFlower tweezers or round toothpicks hand lenses Scotch tapePollination Activity MaterialsEach student will need: 1 dried bee 1 Wisconsin Fast Plants flower round toothpicks glue hand lens forceps 2 flowering Wisconsin Fast Plants (Day 14 to16) 1 copy of the Black-line Master: PollinationObservational Exercise 1 copy of the Black-line Master: The Honeybee(optional: answer key)Fertilization and Seed DevelopmentMaterialsEach student will need: Wisconsin Fast Plants with developing pods strong straight-pins hand lenses 1 copy of Black-line Master: Seed Dissection 1 copy of Black-line Master: Pistil Length ClassData Sheet 1 copy of Black-line Master: Pistil Length Summary of Class Data

Growth, Developmentand ReproductionBookletWelcome to the amazing world of growing andexploring Wisconsin Fast Plants ! Throughactivities spanning the life cycle of WisconsinFast Plants , you and your students canexplore many aspects of plant growth anddevelopment and reproduction. In its 35 – 45day life cycle, the Wisconsin Fast Plant rapidly passes through all the life stages of aflowering plant.Each section in this booklet focuses on asingle stage of the Wisconsin Fast Plants lifecycle. For each stage, there are growing tips,background information, one or two activities, and black-line masters. These materials areprovided to be used and modified to suit yourneeds as you join the many teachers aroundthe world in using Wisconsin Fast Plants tobring science to life in the classroom.Your students can take a plant through itsentire life cycle following all the activities in thebooklet or focus on a single section or evenon a single activity. While each activity standson its own and can be taught in isolation, theinvestigation of more activities will lead to adeeper understanding of how the stages of thelife cycle interact and interrelate.

Days 0 – 2 Germinationstarts with the structure ofa seed and goes throughthe first days of the life of a new plant.Germination is the beginning of growth ofa plant from the seed, which contains theembryo. The seed swells, a root and shootemerge, and cotyledons (first leaves) begin tophotosynthesize.Days 3 – 12 Growth and Developmentfollows Wisconsin Fast Plants from theseedling stage through to flowering. As plantsincrease in size (up to 20 cm) and developinto mature plants, individual differencescan be observed. The plant height, numberof leaves, number of hairs on leaf margins,and number of flower buds are all examplesof measurable traits that can be observed,recorded, and analyzed to learn aboutindividual plant development and diversityamong individuals in a population.Days 15 – 17 Pollination is thestage when reproduction takesplace. Pollination activitiesengage students actively inspreading pollen amongplants so that theysuccessfully reproduceand develop seedin the next stage.In addition, thisstage opens up theopportunity for linkingstudents’ use of beesticks with explorationsinto the interactions ofplants and insects.Days 18 – 35Fertilization andSeed Developmentbrings theWisconsin FastPlants backto the beginningof the life cycle.After pollination,fertilization yields anew and geneticallyunique single cell.Embryogenesistakes this single celland sees it throughto a seed.Days 13 – 15Flowering is thetime when the flowerstructures can beobserved directlyand their functionsare introduced.Learning about floweranatomy and eachstructure’s purposeis important forpreparing studentsto understand andconduct pollination.

germinationDays 0 – 4QuestionsGrowing Tips How does a seed become a plant? Would the seeds germinate if you changed theenvironment?(See Growing Instructions forcomplete guide) Do all seeds germinate as fast as Wisconsin FastPlants ? Key Concepts Germination is the stage in the plant life cycle whengrowth of a new plant begins from a seed. Germination begins when the seed takes up water(imbibition) and the seed coat cracks. A seed is a dry, inactive, embryonic plant complete witha reserve of stored energy to keep it alive and sustaingermination. Germination commonly involves emer gence of anembryonic root followed by an embryonic stem that,in the case of Wisconsin Fast Plants , pushes thecotyledons and shoot meristem through the soil. o Day 1: one 50-minute class period on first dayto set up germination plates and record initialdata.o Days 2–4: 10–20 minutes on each day toobserve and record data. If planting in soil, use plantingmix NOT potting soiloStudents will germinate Wisconsin Fast Plants Seedson moist paper towel in a Petri dish so the process ofgermination can be observed, measured, and recordedeffectively. By placing a Transparency-plastic RulerDisk (see page 9 Blackline Master) in the cover of thegermination Petri dish, students can make quantitativeobservations as the embryonic root and stem emerge andgrow.If possible, arrange for students to makeobservations twice on the first day of the activity asthere will be significant changes to observe afterseveral hours, and after 24 hours there will be aremarkable difference. If started on Monday, theinvestigation can be completed by FridayWhen planted in a Petridish, after germination, theseedlings can be carefullyremoved with tweezers andplaced in soil to grow withgood successoActivity Overview Seeds planted or placed inthe germination Petri dishon a Monday will completegermination during the firstweek.ooo plant on a Monday sothat seeds germinateduring the school weekplant seeds in soilshallowly—use onlyenough planting mixor vermiculite to justcover the seedfill containers looselywith soil, do not pressor packremember fertilizerwet soil and wickthoroughly beforeplantingKeep room temperature above60 F (15.5 C)

GerminationBackground InformationA seed contains a tiny, new plant (embryo).The outside of the seed is called the seedcoat. During germination, the radicle(embryonic root) and hypocotyl (embryonicstem) emerge from the seed. Two seedleaves, called cotyledons, unfold. Thecotyledons look different than the trueleaves that will develop as the plant grows.Germinationis the awakeningof a seed from a resting state. Thisresting state represents a pause in growthof the embryo. The resumption of growth, orgermination, involves the harnessing of energystored within the seed. Germination requires atleast water, oxygen, and a suitable temperature.For many seeds, water is the “on” switchthat initiates germination. As the dry seed imbibesor takes up water, the seed’s cells enlarge and theseed coat cracks. A radicle emerges and rapid development of thefine root hair cells vastly increases the surface area of the root,facilitating the uptake of more water. In Wisconsin Fast Plants and many other dicots (plant with two cotyledons), this uptake ofwater drives the elongation of the hypocotyl, which pushes thecotyledons upward through the soil.Not all plants germinate in such a fashion. Cotyledons frompea plants remain below the ground. The shoot tip is lifted outof the soil by the elongation of the epicotyl (the embryonicstem above the cotyledons). Monocots (plants with a singlecotyledon), such as grasses, push the coleoptile (a protectivesheath) from the seed upward through the soil. The shoot tipthen extends through the coleoptile and out of the soil.In Wisconsin Fast Plants germination, cotyledonsemerge from the soil, expand, cast off the protective seedcoat, turn green, and become photosynthetically active. Atthis point the plant becomes independent of its stored reservesand dependent on the energy of light. Launch has beensuccessful! All of these events happen on Days 1, 2, and 3 ofthe Wisconsin Fast Plants life cycle.We still do not completely under stand seed germinationand scientists are very interested in learning more about it.Because germination holds so many unanswered questions, itcan be an excellent topic for investigation.MaterialsEach student will need: 1 Petri dish 1 Transparency-plastic RulerDisk, cut out (see Black-lineMaster) 5 Wisconsin Fast Plants seeds paper towels eye dropper hand lens shallow tray or bottom from a2-liter soda bottle 1 copy of the Black-lineMaster GerminationObservationGermination ActivityWhen placed under favorableconditions, Wisconsin FastPlants seeds will germinatequickly. Germination involvesthe expanding and propelling oftwo growing points of the seedoutward (upward and downwardif guided properly). The followingactivity provides an easy way toobserve and carefully record theevents of germination.Variations in the physicalenvironment such astemperature and light willalter the rate of germinationand appearance of WisconsinFast Plants seedlings. Usethis activity to investigatethe interactions between theenvironment and germination.