Effect of temperature on the germination and growth rate of Thale Cress (Arabidopsis thaliana)

Abstract

Knowledge about the impact of temperature change on plant germination and growth is of growing importance in our current era of global warming and climate change. This knowledge is important because climate change has the potential to both disrupt ecosystem stability and to diminish global food production. This experiment sought to add to this knowledge about the impact of temperature on plants by investigating the germination and growth rates of the model organism Arabidopsis thaliana, under conditions of 12°C, 20°C, and 29°C. The results showed a statistically significant decrease in the germination and growth rates of the 12°C and 29°C plants when compared to those of the 20°C plants. The impact of temperature on gene expression, hormone levels, and chemical kinetics are discussed as potential causes for the decreased germination and growth rates. The experimental data lead us to provide support for the alternative hypothesis that temperature variation from the optimal have a negative influence on the germination and growth rates of A. thaliana. A variation of growth chamber light intensity is discussed as a potentially substantial source of error for the experiment.