IB Biology – HL Semester 1 Project

TOPIC 9 – PLANT SCIENCE

This is a long term project that you will be working on over the next 2 weeks (all class days included)
which will contribute to your EOS grade.
The project will be due in two parts
1) Information booklet - _______________ &
2) One Laboratory Experiment- _______________
You should aim to spend 4 hours (2hr 40 minutes this week in school and 1 hour 20 minutes at home
this week) plus 4 hours in the following two weeks ) to complete this task.
DO NOT LEAVE all of the work until the last week. To successfully complete this project should take
around 8 hours of work.

The objectives of the project are:

 to demonstrate research skills using various sources of information.

 to carry out experiments to learn more about: division of seed plants; life cycle of
angiosperms; features of flowers; structures of seed plants; major trends in the evolution
of land plants.
 to design an experiment to investigate transpiration using various types of biological
instrumentation and scientific methodologies,
 to demonstrate knowledge of the major principles of plant science using various formats:
information booklet; class presentation; unit exam; scientific report.

Your Task:
 Create an informative booklet that addresses two of the areas covered in Topic 9:
Plant Science (9.1, 9.2, and 9.3).
 Develop a vocabulary list of new terms that you come across.
 Write an essay on transpiration in plants (see below). Note this will cover dot points
9.2.6, 9.2.7, 9.2.8, & 9.2.10 (hence they will not need to be addressed in the
information).
 Use the information gathered (plus notes & powerpoint lectures) to prepare for a plant
science unit exam. We will allocate 2-3 lessons before the exam to go over the
 material with you.
 Complete experiments & generate a scientific report (1 of which will be used as an
internally assessed lab).

What I will be looking for:

 Adequate depth when addressing syllabus dot points eg as a guide you should have
Obj 1: 1-2 sentences, Obj 2: 3-5 sentences, Obj 3: 6 + sentences.
 Extensive use of diagrams to help explain concepts.
 Information has been put into your own words.
 Engaging information booklet.
 A thorough & informative response to the essay question.

Essay Question: The movement of water through vascular plants is important to their survival.
Note: This essay covers dot points 9.2.6, 9.2.7, 9.2.8, & 9.2.10
a) Explain the mechanism of water movement through vascular plants during transpiration.
Include a discussion of how the anatomy of vascular plants and the properties of water
contribute to this process.
b) Explain how gas exchange affects transpiration.
c) Describe four adaptations that affect the rate of transpiration in desert plants.

Resources
 Campbell Website: There are a range of online activities for Ch35, 36, & 38 that
would be very helpful. There is a BioFLIX relating to water transport in plants.
 Library has many books suitable for this project.
 I will put my summary notes onto first class (Unit 9 – Plant Science)
 Myriad of INTERNET resources – remember when using sources from the net it is
important to check the validity of information eg by checking multiple sites to verify accuracy
of information; using credible sites (edu).
 You will also receive a copy of the plant science unit from the Heineman textbook.