Task: At this station, you will be interpreting seasonal data concerning the blossoming pattern of certain plants.

Directions

1. Read the information below which describes data collected for a scientific experiment.
2. When you are finished, answer questions 1 through 3 on your answer sheet.

THE EXPERIMENT

Each year, students in the biology classes at a local high school are required to keep wildlife journals. One of the necessary observations is a record of how seasonal changes in the area influence plant and animal populations. Information about three different plant species will be taken from the last four years of journals, pooled and recorded in chart form. It seems that each spring, students recorded when dandelions, Trout lily, and violets blossomed in the nature area adjacent to the school.

Flower Key

Symbol	Flower Name
{	Dandelion
J	Trout Lily
L	Violet

The chart below shows when students recorded the appearance of flowers for the absolve species over a three year period. Dandelion formation for year four has been omitted.

Years	Early March	Late March	Early April	Late April	Early May	Late May	Early June	Late June
Year 1		L J	{L J	{L J	{L J	{L	{L	{
Year 2				L J	{L J	{L J	{L J	{L
Year 3				L J	{L J	{L J	{L	{L
Year 4			L J	L J	L J	L J	L	L

Answer Sheet

1. Study the flowering times for the Trout Lily and Violet on the chart. Using complete sentences, decribe four patternsyou detect.

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2. In year four, the dandelion bloom was not recorded. On the chart, draw in what you predict the data would have been had it been recorded. Use the dandelion symbol. Explain your reasoning for the dandelion data you predicted, using complete sentences.

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   Answer Sheet

3. Using complete sentences, describe two (2) factors that may have caused the differences in time of flowering from one year to the next?

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