Carnivorous Plants
This resource from Science & Plants for Schools (SAPS) describes the work of Charles Darwin on carnivorous plants to determine what causes the leaves to curl up when stimulated. Darwin’s experiments are very easy to repeat. These teachers' notes describe several investigations which students could carry out, such…
Investigations with Venus Fly Traps
In this activity from Science & Plants for Schools (SAPS), students investigate what causes a Venus’ Fly Trap to shut. These experiments are related to a series of investigations that Darwin carried out as part of his work on evolution and adaptation and background information on this is provided. Students use a brush to…
Plants as Chemical Factories
These teachers' notes from Science & Plants for Schools (SAPS) describe how students can investigate the trichomes on the surface of vascular plants, including hairs and glandular hairs, using a microscope. Students can use plants like thyme or sage to investigate these structures in the classroom. The activity can…
Adaptation, Natural Selection and Winged Fruits
In this activity from Science & Plants for Schools (SAPS), students investigate the role of natural selection in evolution by considering the extent to which the winged fruits from a tree are adapted for successful dispersal. This practical approach to studying natural selection and competition encourages students to formulate…
Fruit Juice Production and Enzyme Recovery
Produced by Science & Plants for Schools (SAPS), in this investigation, students look at the effectiveness of enzymes used in the commercial production of fruit juices. Fruit juice companies use enzymes to break down the cells walls within the fruits and release the liquids and the sugars which make up the fruit. Pectinases,…
What Determines the Number of Spines on a Holly Leaf?
Produced by Science & Plants for Schools (SAPS), this activity enables students to: • develop knowledge and understanding of structural defence mechanisms in plants • develop problem solving skills • demonstrate the processing of information and use of calculations The investigation looks how the number of…
Sweet or Sour?
Produced by Science & Plants for Schools (SAPS), this investigation looks at the taste of different fruits and vegetables. Domesticated fruits and vegetables have all been selectively bred so that they contain a particularly attractive taste for humans. In a ripe fruit, flavours are produced by a combination of compounds such…
Respiration Changes During Fruit Ripening and Storage
This practical activity, from Science & Plants for Schools (SAPS), investigates the process of respiration. Suggestions are given for looking at different fruits or vegetables and measuring the respiratory rate during the ripening process. Possible investigations include: • Does the rate of respiration vary during the…
Doubling and Dabbling in Duckweed
Produced by Science & Plants for Schools (SAPS), the investigations suggested in this resource use duckweeds. These seem to be simple plants - small, green, and with no flowers. However, this simplicity makes them ideal experimental organisms for investigations into a variety of environmental topics such as the effects of pollution…
Autolysis in Yeast
Produced by Science & Plants for Schools (SAPS), this investigation looks at the autolysis, or cell death, of yeast. This is important, as many food production processes require the living yeast to be killed. In the process of autolysis it is important to try to find at what point in the process the cells actually die. During…
Investigating Antimicrobials
From Science & Plants for Schools (SAPS), these materials encourage students to use disc diffusion tests to investigate antibacterial or anti-yeast properties. A wide range of products, both synthetic and natural, claim to have microbicidal properties. Students can test these claims. Experimental method and materials are given…
Inhibitory Growth Effects of Conifers
Produced by Science & Plants for Schools (SAPS), this resource looks at the compounds produced by conifers that inhibit the growth of other plant species. Conifers, such as pine trees, contain compounds which inhibit the growth of other plants. They tend not to have other species of plants growing under them and pine needles…
Antifungals: Inhibition of Fungal Growth
Produced by Science & Plants for Schools (SAPS), this resource encourages students to investigate the effects of various antifungal treatments on the growth of yeast. Antifungal treatments available from pharmacists include: • Canistan • Daktarin • Diflucan A suggested method, with appropriate technical…
Ethene: Plant Growth and Ripening
Produced by Science & Plants for Schools (SAPS), this investigation looks at the effects of ethene of fruit ripening. Ethene is a colourless gas and is produced by plants, acting as a plant growth substance. Its presence can be detected using a simple bioassay using germinating seedlings. Details of this assay are included…
Enzyme Activity in Fruits and Vegetables
Produced by Science & Plants for Schools (SAPS), these materials give a range of suggested activities that investigate enzyme activity in ripening fruit. These include: • the changes in enzyme activity during ripening and storage • the activity of the same enzyme in different species • the loss of an enzyme…
Colour Changes in Ripening Fruits and Vegetables
Produced by Science & Plants for Schools (SAPS), these investigations look at how pigments change during the fruit ripening process. The green colour of the unripe fruit is due largely to the presence of chlorophylls, and the development of different colours during ripening is due to the disappearance of these pigments and…
Catechol Oxidase Activity in Fruits and Vegetables
Produced by Science & Plants for Schools (SAPS), this investigation looks at the activity of the enzyme catechol oxidase (also called polyphenoloxidase). Found in a wide variety of plants, it is responsible for the darkening observed when many fruits or vegetables are cut or bruised. Details of the materials needed and a suitable…
Water Potential During Ripening and Storage
This investigation, produced by Science & Plants for Schools (SAPS), shows how students could investigate the changes in water potential of fruits and vegetables during ripening and storage. Simple biomechanical and biochemical tests are described which can be used to measure the effects of osmosis, when placing plant tissues…
Ideas for Extended Projects with Plants
Produced by Science & Plants for Schools (SAPS), this resource suggests a range of ideas for extended investigations into plant growth and physiology. Each suggestion is given a brief description but details of experimental methods are not provided. The investigations suggested include: • What causes dandelion leaves…
Stresses and Strains in Plants
From Science & Plants for Schools (SAPS), these practical activities allow students to investigate how woody and herbaceous plants support their shoots, branches, flowers and fruits and shed them at the appropriate time. A number of investigations are suggested that can be adapted for students over a range of age groups.…
Investigating Potato Cyst Nematodes
From Science & Plants for Schools (SAPS), this practical activity was developed for Scottish Highers specifications, but the protocol can equally well be used for other specifications. Students look at potato cyst nematodes, a serious pest of food crops. This is a good example of parasitism to study as: • it affects…
Examining Mycorrhizae
From Science & Plants for Schools (SAPS), this practical activity was developed for Scottish Highers specifications, but the protocol can equally well be used for other specifications. Students prepare and stain roots, and then examine them to establish the frequency of mycorrhizae. The practical activity helps students…
Investigating Enzymes: Microscale Investigations with Catalase
One of a series of resources from Science & Plants for Schools (SAPS) investigating key topics in plant biology. A simple yet accurate protocol looking at the results of the enzyme catalase. Catalase is a widespread enzyme, protecting the cell from toxic effects of hydrogen peroxide by catalysing its decomposition into molecular…
Measuring Photosynthesis with Cabomba
One of a series of resources from Science & Plants for Schools (SAPS) investigating key topics in plant biology. A reliable way to demonstrate photosynthesis in the classroom. When the pond-weed Cabomba is placed in a solution of sodium hydrogen carbonate in the presence of light of appropriate intensity, it will begin to produce…
Investigating Enzymes: Inhibition of Catechol Oxidase in Bananas
One of a series of resources from Science & Plants for Schools (SAPS) investigating key topics in plant biology. In this practical, student investigate how lead inhibits catechol oxidase, an enzyme which is easily extracted from a banana and which is responsible for turning fruit brown. Measuring the intensity of the brown colour…
Investigating Photosynthesis: Can Leaf Discs Make Starch in the Dark?
One of a series of resources from Science & Plants for Schools (SAPS) investigating key topics in plant biology. In this practical activity, students to investigate the role of light in starch production in leaves during the process of photosynthesis. By using leaf discs rather than whole leaves, a number of common misconceptions…
Investigating Enzymes: Phosphatase Enzymes in Plants
One of a series of resources from Science & Plants for Schools (SAPS) investigating key topics in plant biology. A standard protocol which is used to extract phosphatase enzymes from plants, including a method to calculate the rate of reaction. Investigations using this protocol can be found on the Science & Plants for Schools…
TLC for Plant Pigments Involved in Photosynthesis
One of a series of resources from Science & Plants for Schools (SAPS) investigating key topics in plant biology. This reliable and enjoyable practical gives students the opportunity to observe the different pigments involved in photosynthesis using thin layer chromatography (TLC). A low-cost method to get the most out of TLC…
Investigating Phototropism: The Response of Seedlings to Light
One of a series of resources from Science & Plants for Schools (SAPS) investigating key topics in plant biology. This activity offers a simple way to investigate phototropism: the response of seedlings to different wavelengths of light. This technique will help students investigate this tropic response, using seedlings in film…
Investigating Gravitropism Using Seedlings
One of a series of resources from Science & Plants for Schools (SAPS) investigating key topics in plant biology. An intriguing way to demonstrate gravitropism in action over the course of a lesson. Using black film canisters, a freshly cut seedling stalk (hypocotyl) is attached to the lid, the lid replaced, and the resulting…
Investigating Plant Growth Regulators
One of a series of resources from Science & Plants for Schools (SAPS) investigating key topics in plant biology. In this activity, students investigate the effects of the hormone auxin (Indole Acetic Acid or IAA) as a plant growth regulator, giving opportunities to look at auxiliary bud development, root development, and leaf…
Investigating Seed Germination
One of a series of resources from Science & Plants for Schools (SAPS) investigating key topics in plant biology. This activity allows students to investigate many factors that influence seed germination, including temperature, light, nutrient levels, pollutant effects, tropisms and so on. It provides a convenient, cheap and replicable…