Ace Your Plant Science Project: Great Science Fair Ideas

by Robert Gardner, Phyllis J. Perry

Overview

How do different types of soil affect germination? How do light and dark affect leaves? Can you tell how old a tree is? Young scientists will explore structures, development, and life cycles of plants and interactions of plants with their environment? Readers will learn the answers to these questions and more with the fun life science experiments in this book. Following the scientific method, readers will be able to use many of the science fair project ideas for their own science fair project.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780766032217
Publisher:	Enslow Publishing, LLC
Publication date:	08/16/2009
Series:	Ace Your Biology Science Project Series
Pages:	104
Product dimensions:	6.50(w) x 9.25(h) x 0.40(d)
Age Range:	10 - 17 Years

Table of Contents

Introduction 5

The Scientific Method 6

Science Fairs 8

Safety First 9

Chapter 1 Seeds and Germination 11

1.1 Watching Seeds Germinate 14

1.2 What Factors Affect Germination? 16

1.3 Are Cotyledons Needed for Plant Growth? 18

1.4 How Does Soil Affect Germination? 22

1.5 How Does a Turntable Affect Growing Grass? 23

1.6 Growing a Dandelion Plant From Seed 25

Chapter 2 Leaves 29

2.1 How Does Light Affect Leaves? 30

2.2 Leaves and Veins 31

2.3 Testing Leaves for Starch 34

2.4 Do Plants Produce Carbon Dioxide? 37

2.5 How Does Darkness Affect Plants? 40

2.6 Using Chromatography to Test for Plant Pigments 41

2.7 What Is Transpiration? 43

2.8 What Conditions Affect Transpiration? 46

Chapter 3 Stems, Roots, and Buds 51

3.1 Stems, Gravity, and Light 52

3.2 How Do Stems Transport Substances? 56

3.3 Where Does Growth Occur on a Stem? 59

3.4 Where Does Growth Occur on a Root? 61

3.5 How Does Removing the Tip Affect the Root? 64

3.6 Twigs and Buds 66

Chapter 4 Plant Reproduction 70

4.1 Flower Dissection 74

4.2 Pollen Grains 78

4.3 Seeds of Flowering Plants and Cone-Bearing Plants 80

Chapter 5 Trees? 83

5.1 How Big Is That Tree? 90

5.2 How Old Was That Tree? 95

5.3 How Many Leaves Are on a Tree? 98

5.4 How Much Surface Area Does a Leaf Have? 99

5.5 Trees and Their Locations 100

Further Reading and Internet Addresses 101

Index 102

Editorial Reviews

These three series offer a wealth of information and differ only in the topics they include. All begin with an introduction that discusses science-fair projects and the scientific method and lists safety tips. The texts consist of five chapters of themed experiments—for example, some of those in Animal Science Project are "Clever Lab and Field Studies" and "Studying Human Behavior." The chapters introduce the concepts and the experiments that follow demonstrate them. Many entries conclude with ideas for science-fair projects; as in the publisher's "Score! Sports Science Projects" series, they are indicated by a trophy symbol.

From the Publisher