Final answer:
Gravitropism is a plant's growth response to gravity. In a laboratory experiment to study plant growth, one would arrange steps according to the scientific method, starting with an observation, formulating a question and hypothesis, conducting experiments, analyzing results, and drawing a conclusion.
Step-by-step explanation:
Plants exhibit responses to environmental stimuli such as gravity, light, and moisture. One such response is gravitropism, which is a growth response towards (positive gravitropism) or away from (negative gravitropism) gravity. When designing a laboratory experiment to study plant growth in relation to gravity, the following steps can be arranged according to the scientific method:
- Begin with an observation that plants generally grow upward, against gravity.
- Formulate a question, such as "How do plants sense and react to gravity?"
- Conduct research about gravitropism and plant growth.
- Develop a hypothesis, perhaps stating that "plants use gravity sensors to direct their growth."
- Design and perform experiments, for example, by growing plants in different orientations and observing the direction of their growth.
- Analyze the results to determine if plants consistently grow upward regardless of their initial orientation.
- Draw a conclusion that supports or refutes the hypothesis based on the analyzed data.
These steps highlight the plants' remarkable ability to grow in an upward direction, which is a critical aspect of their survival mechanism essential for optimizing light exposure and supporting structural stability.