Question

Susan then goes outside to measure the light intensity that different parts of her yard receive. She notes that part of her lawn receives sunlight at an intensity of 250 and other parts receive sunlight at an intensity of 450. She decides that she will try two different things to get the grass to grow. First, she will try watering the grass more often. If that doesn't work, she will increase the light getting to the grass by cutting down a few trees. Predict the results of each treatment and explain your answer.

a. Watering the grass more often will help it grow better because it provides essential nutrients.
b. Cutting down the trees to increase light will help the grass grow better because of increased photosynthesis.
c. Watering the grass more often will have no effect on its growth.
d. Cutting down the trees may harm the grass as it needs some shade.

Answer 1

To improve grass growth, Susan should water the grass appropriately, as both under-watering and over-watering can affect growth negatively. Additionally, while increasing light through tree removal might promote photosynthesis, it's essential to consider that excessive light may harm shade-adapted grass. Careful adjustment and monitoring of both elements are key to the grass's health.

Step-by-step explanation:

Predicting the results of Susan's attempts to improve grass growth involves understanding the biology behind plant growth. Option A, which suggests watering the grass more often will help it grow better because it provides essential nutrients, may be partially true as water is necessary for the grass to absorb nutrients from the soil. However, excessive watering can lead to anaerobic soil conditions, causing poor root growth or root death.

Option B states that cutting down the trees to increase light will help the grass grow better due to increased photosynthesis. Grass, like most plants, needs an adequate amount of light for photosynthesis, but too much sunlight can harm plants adapted to lower light levels.

Option C suggests that watering the grass more often will have no effect on growth. This is unlikely since water is essential to plant growth, but as indicated, an excess can be damaging.

Option D considering that cutting down the trees may harm the grass because it needs some shade, might apply to grass varieties that are adapted to lower light levels and could be damaged by excessive light.

Overall, both watering correctly and managing light exposure are essential for plant growth. Susan should monitor the grass's response to watering carefully and assess whether the shade provided by the trees is excessively limiting light availability for photosynthesis before opting to cut them down.