The Effects of Differing Light Intensities on Plant Size

10442 Words42 Pages
What is the effect on leaf length of Urtica dioica when under the shadow of a Quercus robur? Abstract Figure 1. Nettles growing under an Oak tree Figure 1. Nettles growing under an Oak tree The effect of differing light intensities on the common nettle, Urtica diocia, and its leaf length was researched and investigated over a 5-day residential trip to Sayers Croft. The investigation took place at 3 specifically chosen sites where Oak trees, Quercus robur, acted as barriers to sunlight. This meant that nettles growing under branches weren’t exposed to sufficient sunlight in contrast to nettles growing outside the reach of branches. All other factors were controlled. Due to a restricted amount of time, it was assumed that the light intensities measured represented the average conditions at the site. Using systematic sampling to identify and measure the nettle leaves, a strong correlation between light intensity and nettle leaf length was found where nettles that were exposed to lower amounts of sunlight had greater lengths. 1. Research and Rationale Being a very common plant, nettles tend to grow all around the planet and are vital for our ecosystem. Furthermore, nettles are also beneficial to us as they can offer countless medical aids for instance, they can encourage bleeding to cease after dental surgery, they can help with infection and inflammation within the urinary tract and stop hair loss. Aside from the medical uses, nettles can be used to make hot beverages such as tea and delicious nettle soup [1]. Due to these countless benefits of the nettle plant, this investigation is highly significant as it would be beneficial to producers, as they will know how to produce plants with bigger leaves and therefore acquire a bigger crop yield. This will ensure the production of a much larger number of products containing nettle leaf for the same cost. My theory

More about The Effects of Differing Light Intensities on Plant Size

Open Document