Name: ____________________________ Date: _______________
Mitosis in Plants
48 Hour Cell Reproduction
As we have learned cells reproduce through the process of mitosis. In the following activity,
you will analyze data about the average growth of plant roots. Just like humans increasing
the number of cells we have from birth to adulthood, roots grow longer and increase in the
number of cells they have.
Seedling
1
2
3
4
5
Data and Observations of Corn Seedling Growth
Original length Final Length Growth of root
Average
(mm)
(mm)
(mm)
growth of ALL
roots (mm)
10
17
10
15
10
17
10
18
10
13
Fill in the last two columns of the chart. The growth of the root can be calculated by
subtracting the final length from the original length of the root.
Final length – Original Length = Growth of Root
The Average growth can be calculated by adding all the answers you got for the Growth of
root and diving by 5 to account for all 5 seedlings.
Analyze the Experiment! Answer the following questions.
1. What process is happening to the roots so that they grow deeper into the ground?
_______________________________________________________
2. What evidence do you have that mitosis occurred in the roots?
________________________________________________________
3. Predict the amount of growth that would occur in a corn seedling over a period of
ONE WEEK: ___________________________________________________
4. Suppose you found that the length of the seedling had not changed during the 48hour period. Hypothesize about some possible explanations for this lack of growth
(Hint: think about what plants would need in order to grow.)
___________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________.
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5. To increase the number of cells in an organism, what must happen to a single cell?
______________________________________
MITOSIS IN PLANTS
The diagram below represents plant cells under the microscope.
3
2
1
5
11
10
14
15
8
7
6
9
4
12
17
16
13
18
Using the table, identify each cell’s phase. The first one has been done for you.
1. Telophase
10.
2.
11.
3.
12.
4.
13.
5.
14.
6.
15.
7.
16.
8.
17.
9.
18.
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Count how many cells are in each of the 5 possible phases. Then, calculate the
percentage by dividing the number of cells in a specific phase by the total number of
cells. Multiply by 100% to get the final answer:
Number of plant
cells in the sample
Percentage of plant cells in the sample
INTERPHASE
PROPHASE
METAPHASE
ANAPHASE
TELOPHASE
1. Which cell phase is the plant in most of the time? _____________________
2. According to this sample of plant cells, what percentage of plant cells is undergoing
mitosis at any given time? _____________________
3. What percentage of plant cells is NOT undergoing mitosis at any given time, according to
this sample? ________________
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