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Onion Lab Report

Decent Essays

Observation of an Onion Root Tip, Allium

Madison Gladden

Genetics: BIOL 3034

Dr. Yamashita

02/18/2016

Introduction Mitotic division plays a key role in the growth of the root tip of an onion, genus Allium. More specifically, mitosis is responsible for the way in which the root tip elongates. The cells spend a certain amount of time in each stage of mitosis. Assuming a 24hr cycle, the time for each mitotic stage can be calculated as the duration. In Allium, mitosis occurs at different rates in different regions of the root tip. The regions are divided into the region of cell division, elongation, and maturation. The region of cell division can be further divided into zones IA, IB, IC, II, III, and IV. …show more content…

This zone had the highest index, showing that the cells of that zone most frequently divide. The cells in zone IV are the least likely to divide, since they had the lowest mitotic index (Table 2). The class results show zone IA as having the highest mitotic index, which is the area just above the root cap. The class results still show zone IV as having the least mitotic division (Table 2). With zone IB set at 100% for the student results, the mitotic indexes increase between zones IA and IB, and the decline in the subsequent zones (Figure 1). With zone IA set at 100%, the mitotic indexes for the class are seen to steadily decrease as the zones move further up the root (Figure 1).
Conclusion:
Allium cells spend the most of their mitotic phase in prophase (class results) and anaphase (student results). Ascaris lumbricoides cells spend most of their mitotic phase in telophase. In the Allium root tip, it is seen that mitotic division decreases as the distance from the root cap increases. The areas of highest mitotic division was seen to be in zone IA (class results) and IB (student results), which are that areas closest to the root cap.

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