Using Dandelions in the Lab

Popping up in every school carpark and playing field, the adaptations that make dandelions ubiquitous also make them a valuable resource for the science lab.

Practicals

• Tropisms - Use the stalks (scapes) to demonstrate gravitropism. Resource: Investigating gravitropism with dandelions
• Ecology - Measure its distribution using transect and quadrats. Resource: Measuring abundance and random sampling. 
• Ecology - Resource: Questions about Quadrats.
  

Teaching Topics

• Plant Responses
• Gravitropism
• Measuring distribution
• Sampling
• Abundance

Description

Dandelion, Taraxacum officinale, also known as the ‘clock plant’ due to the arrangement of coma hairs at the top of each seed - an adaptation for wind-dispersal

Dandelion has a complex, yellow flower and is widely distributed. It belongs to one of the largest families of flowering plants – Asteraceae.

Growing and sourcing

Obtaining: Common in school grounds and playing fields. No cost, but you will need to advise school ground staff not to cut when the flower heads are produced. Check no weed-killers are being applied. A useful resource for the distribution activity is the FSC foldout guide Playing Field Plants

Note: Warning: sap can irritate skin.

Curriculum Links   

GCSE

• AQA GCSE Science B 3.3.21 (9) gravitropism
• Edexcel GCSE Science B1 2.16 tropic responses investigation
• AQA GCSE Biology B2.4.1 distribution of daisy and dandelion
• OCR GCSE Biology B3.5 Module B2 (d) Survey of habitat-why are weeds successful?
• OCR GCSE Science A Module B3 Fieldwork

CfE

• Scottish Highers Biology Unit 3 sustainability and interdependence fieldwork

A-level

• OCR AS/A2 Biology HSW 7a,7b,7c habitat sampling
  
• AQA AS/A2 Biology 3.4 unit 4 3.4. 1 fieldwork
• Edexcel AS/A2 Biology  3.1. 11. fieldwork

Images