1. Life in Bloom Day 1
Experiment set up

2. Life in Bloom Activity Part 1
We are going to be doing an experiment using plants in lecture.
This project is divided into 2 parts
Total of 20 points
You will first need to find a partner.

3. Life in Bloom Activity Part 1
Each pair will need the following materials:
2 petri dishes
4 pieces of filter paper
1 set of seeds (3 strains)
6 toothpicks
2 pieces of parafilm
1 piece of aluminum foil
6 pieces of wax paper

4. Life in Bloom Activity Part 1
Each pair should have 3 tubes with seeds from Arabidopsis thaliana. This is a small, flowering plant native to Europe and Asia.
1 strain is WT (Ler-0)
1 strain is a mutant (ga1-2)
1 strain is an unknown

5. Life in Bloom Activity Part 1
The mutant strain contains a mutation that prevents plants from synthesizing gibberellic acid (GA), a hormone critical for plant growth and development.
We will be talking more about the mutant strain later in the semester but we will set up the entire experiment today.

6. Life in Bloom Activity Part 1 Protocol
Label 2 pieces of filter paper with the following information:

7. Life in Bloom Activity Part 1 Protocol
Place the one of the labeled filter papers on top of an unlabeled piece of filter paper (with the label facing up) and place both into the bottom of a petri dish.
Make sure the paper is snug at the bottom. You can run the back of a pen around the edges to help.
Repeat this step for the second piece of labeled filter paper.

8. Life in Bloom Activity Part 1 Protocol
Wet the filter paper with either water (in water bottle) or GA (use a pipette down in the front of the room).
DO NOT USE TOO MUCH LIQUID! You want the paper wet but you do not want any standing liquid.
Do not use too little liquid either.

9. Life in Bloom Activity Part 1 Protocol
Sprinkle ½ the seeds from one tube onto a piece of wax paper for the water treatment, and the other ½ on a separate piece of wax paper for the GA treatment.
Wet the tip of a toothpick by gently rolling it on the wet filter paper.
Using the toothpick, pick up a seed from the wax paper and place it gently on the filter paper in its corresponding section.

10. Life in Bloom Activity Part 1 Protocol
Do this for all 3 strains (1 person can do this on the water plate, the other with the GA plate).
Use a new piece of wax paper and a new toothpick for each treatment and strain.

11. Life in Bloom Activity Part 1 Protocol
Wrap the edges of your plates in parafilm to prevent them from drying out.
On your homework assignment answer question 1: Which seeds do you predict will germinate in the water and the GA treatments?

12. Life in Bloom Activity Part 1 Protocol
Stack the plates and wrap the stack in aluminum foil, label the top with your names using a sharpie, and place them in the tub at the front of the room.
Turn in the answer to the question with your plates.
These plates will be placed in the refrigerator, in the dark until next week. This is a process called stratification that helps the seeds germinate.