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A student investigated the effect of nitrate ion concentration on plant growth - Edexcel - GCSE Biology Combined Science - Question 4 - 2018 - Paper 1

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A student investigated the effect of nitrate ion concentration on plant growth. She placed barley seedlings in three test tubes containing different concentrations o... show full transcript

Worked Solution & Example Answer:A student investigated the effect of nitrate ion concentration on plant growth - Edexcel - GCSE Biology Combined Science - Question 4 - 2018 - Paper 1

Step 1

Describe a control for this investigation.

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Answer

A control could involve setting up the apparatus as shown in Figure 6 with a barley seedling and using distilled water only without adding any nitrate fertiliser pellets. This will ensure that any difference in growth can be attributed to the presence of the nitrate fertiliser rather than other factors.

Step 2

Which hazard does this symbol represent?

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Answer

The hazard symbol shown in Figure 7 represents option B: oxidising. This indicates that the chemical can cause or enhance the combustion of other materials.

Step 3

Give a method, other than measuring the change in length, that would show the growth of the seedlings.

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Answer

One method to show the growth of the seedlings could be by observing and recording the number of new leaf formations or the overall health and vigor of the plants over the period.

Step 4

Explain why there are differences in the change in the lengths of the seedlings.

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Answer

The differences in the change in lengths of the seedlings can be attributed to the varying concentrations of nitrate fertiliser provided in each test tube. Seedlings in test tube 3, which received the highest concentration of nitrates, are likely to show greater growth due to increased nutrient availability, promoting cell division and elongation. Meanwhile, those in test tube 1 had the least nutrients and thus exhibited minimal growth.

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