Graphing and Data Analysis Worksheet Introduction: Amycorrhiza is a mutualistic relationship between fungal hyphae and the roots of true plants.
The fungal hyphae increase the absorptive surface area of the roots of the plant by aiding in the absorption of
water, phosphorus, and other mineral ions from the soil
to the roots of the plant. The plant is photosynthetic and
provides the fungus with carbohydrates.
An experiment was conducted to determine the effect of mycorrhizal associations on plant growth. Two groups of
plants were grown. One group was planted in soil that had been sterilized. The other group was planted in the
same type of soil, but the soil had not been sterilized. All other factors remained the same between the two
groups. The plants were allowed to grow for 8 weeks. Each week, the height (in centimeters) of each plant was
measured. The picture below shows the plants
after 8 weeks of growth. The data table provides quantitative data
on the growth of the plants over the 8-week period. Plot the data from the experiment on the graph below.
Week Plants Grown in Plants Grown in
Sterilized Soil Nonsterilized Soil
1
0.8 cm
2.0 cm
2
1.5 cm
5.5 cm
3
2.0 cm
8.7 cm
4
2.3 cm
10.0 cm
5
2.4 cm
12.0 cm
6
3.8 cm
16.2 cm
5.0 cm
19.1 cm
7
8
6.0 cm
25.0 cm
Plants Grown in
Sterilized Soul
Plants Grown in
Nonsterilized Soil
1
14
IS
12
12
10
7
5
4
3
2.
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8