Question

Biologists designed an experiment to test the effect of compost on the development of root crops. They tested several different crops, including carrots, potatoes, beets, and onions. They grew most of the plants in the greenhouse, but due to space issues, they had to grow some outdoors. They gave all the plants the same amount of compost. They obtained the compost from a local farmer and from the local hardware store. They ran out of the farmer’s compost, so some of the plants received that compost when the seeds were planted and other plants got hardware store compost after the plants had already started growing.

RESULTS: Some of the roots seemed really big. Other roots seemed normal or small.

CONCLUSION: They couldn’t tell what the effect of the compost was because the results were inconsistent.

What is the dependent variable in this experiment?
What is the independent variable in this experiment?

Answer 1

The success of an experiment depends on several factors provided while experimenting like the proper review of the literature and proper information. The given question on soil ecology studies the effect of compost on the growth of several crops. The biologist was not able to reach the best conclusions of their result as their results were inconsistent due to:

1. The experiment was not designed properly as adding nutrients at the same time.

1. Lack of knowledge about the compost they added like the composition of nutrients.

2. The compost added was of different quality.

4. The crops grown were grown in two different soil types- the indoor greenhouse and outdoor farms.

5. Little knowledge about the control and experimental setup.