Claim: Adding lectin to onion root tip cells influences their mitotic rate.
Evidence: In the onion root tip lab, we observed that adding lectin to the root tip cells resulted in a decrease in the number of cells undergoing mitosis. We counted the number of cells in different stages of the cell cycle, including prophase, metaphase, anaphase, and telophase, and found that there were fewer cells in the later stages of mitosis in the samples treated with lectin compared to the control samples.
Reasoning: Lectin is a protein that binds to specific sugars on the surface of cells, and it has been shown to have various effects on cell proliferation and differentiation. It is possible that the lectin binding to cells in the root tip samples caused a disruption in the normal cell cycle process, leading to a decrease in the number of cells undergoing mitosis.
Conclusion: Based on our observations, it is reasonable to conclude that adding lectin to onion root tip cells influences their mitotic rate. Further research could be conducted to confirm and further explore this effect of lectin on mitotic rate.