Activity 4: The Mystery Plants Mystery
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Introduction: The Discovery
You have done a great job learning about Mystery Plants and how they grow under different amounts of light. You learned that plants with big leaves grow well in just a little light and plants with small leaves grow well with lots of light.

Scientists just made a new discovery! New Mystery Plants with the same size leaves have been found BUT these plants can grow in different places. How can that be? Head to the Virtual Greenhouse and the Virtual Field to solve the mystery of these new Mystery Plants.



The Virtual Greenhouse: Experiment
It's time to experiment with the new types of Mystery Plants in the Virtual Greenhouse. The flower boxes below all have different amounts of water in their soil. The box on the left has the least amount of water in the soil and the box on the right has the most water. There are three different types of Mystery Plants. Remember, a healthy plant grows a flower.

Instructions

1. Plant the seeds by clicking on a plant button and then clicking inside the flower boxes. The seed will be the same type of plant as the button. You can plant the seeds wherever you want.

2. Click the Play button to start growing the plants. If the plants do not grow, click the Reset button and try again.

3. The Information button allows you to see each plant type made larger, like a magnifying glass. Click the Information button, then click on a plant to try it. Use the Carry button to move the plants to different flower boxes.

When you have at least three flowering plants of each type, take a picture of your flower boxes.






Plants size of roots
The Virtual Greenhouse: A closer look

These new Mystery Plants have the same size leaves, but if you looked closely, you might have noticed other parts of the plants weren't all the same.



Plants X, Y and Z each grew best in different flower boxes.

1. What differences did you notice between Mystery Plants X, Y and Z? Different size and shape roots. 2. Where did Mystery Plant X grow best? Flower Box 1 Flower Box 2 Flower Box 3 Flower Box 4 Flower Box 5 3. Where did Mystery Plant Z grow best? Flower Box 1 Flower Box 2 Flower Box 3 Flower Box 4 Flower Box 5
Adaptations: Roots
Different roots, just like leaves, can help a plant live in different environments. Mystery Plants have roots that are adapted to live in different types of soil. Plants that live in the desert often have deep roots that reach down far beneath the soil for water. In wet environments, like swamps, plants have shallow roots that are spread out.
X
Y
Z








Go on to the Virtual Field to see what happens to Mystery Plants after many, many generations.
4. Which plant grows well in soil that is very dry? X Y Z 5. Do you think Mystery Plant babies can have variations in their roots? Yes No 6. Before planting in the Virtual Field, make a prediction. If you plant Mystery Plant Z in the field, what will happen over a very long time? Plant Z and its offspring will only live in the driest part of the field. Plant Z's offspring will adapt to living in other parts of the field. I am not sure what will happen.
The Virtual Field: Research challenge

Scientific research can be expensive. The new Mystery Plant seeds are rare and cost $1 each. Your challenge is to plant Mystery Plants in the Virtual Field and see if they evolve BUT you must spend the least amount of money possible!


Instructions

1. Plant seeds by clicking on the plant button and then clicking inside the field. Take a picture of where you planted the seeds. Click the Play button to start growing the plants. Healthy plants will grow a flower, produce seeds, and then new baby plants!

2. Watch how the plants in the field change as many seasons go by. You can use the slider to speed up time.

Take a picture when your field is full of plants. Take notes in your Lab Book about what you observe.

Money remaining:




Plants fall size of roots
Conclusion


As a scientist, sometimes you study what you can see, like the leaves of a plant. At other times, you study things you can't see directly, like the roots, which grow underground. Great job solving the Mystery Plants Mystery.




You have completed the final activity in the Plants Unit. Congratulations! Click the X at the top of this window to close the activity and save your work.
6. Lots of different plants grew in the Virtual Field, even though you planted only one type. How did that happen? The plant offspring had variation in their roots. Slowly, after many generations, the plants were able to grow throughout the field.