BIOL 114: The Effect of clay on Arabidopsis thaliana growth and development

Soil content and conditions play a large role in the growth and development of Arabidopsis thaliana plants. Arabidopsis thaliana is known to commonly grow in sandy soil conditions. This experiment determined if Arabidopsis plants can successfully grow in high-clay-content soil under controlled conditions. To determine the growth we mixed 50% clay and 50% potting soil for the wild type experimental group, while the wild type control group used only potting soil. We then measured the bolt height, leaf count, and rosette diameter for both plants. In our experiment we tested the effects of clay granules on the Arabidopsis due its similarity to its natural rocky environment, it was found that the wild type performed better in all areas within the clay soil mixture than it did in the soil only mixture, higher leaf count, wider rosette, taller bolt. These findings lead us to presume that the clay does not have an adverse effect on the species, but rather allows it to grow at a greater rate.