Investigation of phenotype: help with control group needed!! (1 Viewer)

[ScienceGuy99]

I am doing an investigation on the effects of the environment on the phenotype of an organism (wheatgrass). I'm going to look at how different colours of light (red, blue, and white) affect its phenotype.

I'm required to do a control group for this assignment, but I have no idea what it would be!!
Can someone please tell me what the control group would/could be for this experiment, if its possible to even have one at all?

My plan is to have 3 boxes (one with a red light, one with blue, and one with white) and have three pots of soil with wheatgrass seeds inside each box (3 pots = greater reliability) for each colour of light. So I can't see where a control group could come into this.



Thankyou very much!

 

[pikachu975]

A control group would be to have a pot of soil with wheatgrass seeds but have NO light. This would confirm that the colour of light actually has an effect on the phenotype (physical appearance).

Edit: Actually yeah do one in natural sunlight.

 

[chairs]

shouldnt the control be a sample of plant with ALL colours of light from the spectrum i.e. natural sunlight - with no light, the plant wont grow, therefore you are not actually testing if different colours have an effect

havent done this stuff for a long time , i could be wrong, but just a thought that popped in my head.

 

[SuperAltastic]

I am doing an investigation on the effects of the environment on the phenotype of an organism (wheatgrass). I'm going to look at how different colours of light (red, blue, and white) affect its phenotype.

I'm required to do a control group for this assignment, but I have no idea what it would be!!
Can someone please tell me what the control group would/could be for this experiment, if its possible to even have one at all?

My plan is to have 3 boxes (one with a red light, one with blue, and one with white) and have three pots of soil with wheatgrass seeds inside each box (3 pots = greater reliability) for each colour of light. So I can't see where a control group could come into this.



Thankyou very much!

These would be your variables:

Dependent : Change in phenotype
Independent : Type of light
Controlled: Location of plants, amount of; soil, water etc (things that stay the same)
Control: This is a comparison an should have no variable being tested, so yes it should just be in natural light as that has all the colours of the spectrum and hence no one colour is a variable being tested.

 

[ScienceGuy99]

Thankyou very much!!!

I have another question: is the rate of growth of the wheatgrass considered phenotype?

 

[SuperAltastic]

Thankyou very much!!!

I have another question: is the rate of growth of the wheatgrass considered phenotype?

No a phenotype is a physical appliance i.e. it may be the colour of the wheat grass or its height.