BIO 101 _ Fast Plants 1 – Growth and Genetics_Gizmos_2021 | Student Exploration: Fast Plants 1 – Growth and Genetics DOWNLOAD TO SCORE OUTSTANDING GRADE A

Student Exploration: Fast Plants

® 1 – Growth and Genetics

Directions: Follow the instructions to go through the simulation. Respond to the questions and

prompts in the orange boxes.

Note to teachers and students: The Fast Plants

® Gizmo was created in collaboration with the Wisconsin Fast

Plants Program of the University of Wisconsin-Madison. These lessons can be used independently or in

conjunction with classroom Fast Plants experiments.

Vocabulary: allele, dominant allele, Fast Plants, gene, genetics, genotype, heterozygous, homozygous,

offspring, phenotype, pollen, pollinate, Punnett square, recessive allele, trait

Prior Knowledge Questions (Do these BEFORE using the Gizmo.)

Gizmo Warm-up

Several common vegetables, including Bok choy, napa cabbage, and turnips,

are varieties of a plant called Brassica rapa. Fast plants are a rapid-cycling

variety of Brassica rapa that was developed at the University of Wisconsin.

These plants have short growing cycles and are ideal for classroom use. In

the Fast Plants

® 1 – Growth and Genetics Gizmo, you will learn about the life

cycle and genetic traits of Fast Plants.

In the Gizmo, drag seed packet A to container 1 and seed packet B to

container 2. Click Play ( ), and then Pause ( ) after about 10 simulated

days.

Name: Date:

1. What do plants need to survive? sun light, water, food, space

2. How do plants reproduce? Asexual reprodction pollination

1. A plant's traits are its characteristics. Drag the magnifying glass

over container 1. Describe the traits of these plants.

What do plants need to survive?

The plants seem very purpley

and unsuccessful. They need

light, water, and oxygen.

2. Drag the magnifier over container 2.

How do these plants differ from the container 1 plants?

The plant stems are far

greener and seem to be

healthier than container 1´s

plants.

Introduction: Fast Plants

® are grown in wicking systems, typically made of nested plastic containers. The

larger container is the water reservoir. Water from the reservoir travels through the wick into the soil, where

roots draw the water into stems and leaves.

Question: How do Fast Plants grow and reproduce?

1. Grow: With seeds A in container 1, click Play. Click Pause on day 17.

2. Pollinate: The bee stick should be active at the bottom of the Gizmo. A bee stick is a dead bee glued on a

toothpick. Drag the bee stick through the flowers.

A. What happens to the appearance of the bee stick as it is dragged through the flowers?

The bee’s hairy thorax (middle section) is covered in pollen. Pollen is produced by male

reproductive organs in the flower. Each grain of pollen contains a sperm cell.

B. What happens to the flowers?

The orange color represents flowers that are pollinated, or fertilized. (In reality, pollinated

flowers do not turn orange. This is done to show pollination in the Gizmo.)

3. Grow: Turn on Auto-watering. This will keep the containers full of water automatically. Click Play, and

then Pause around day 24. Use the magnifier to observe the plants.

A. What do you notice happening at the top of the plants?

Pollinated flowers develop into long, thin seedpods.

Activity A:

The Fast Plants

®

life cycle

Get the Gizmo ready:

● Click Reset ( ). Plant seeds A in container 1.

● Turn on Show hints.

A. Is the container full of water? No If not, drag the water bottle to the container.

B. Do the plants look like they

are too crowded?

yes If so, use the tweezers to pull out a few

plants and discard them in the waste hole.

It got yellower

The flowers got orange

On the top of the plants new flowers are ready to bloom and the color also looks a

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