IB Biology IA Examples

This study aims to investigate the impact of smoke water, a mix of burnt plants and hay, on germination and growth of Eucalyptus pilularis (gumnut) seeds. 

The hypothesis is that smoke water will enhance germination and post-germination growth compared to de-ionized water due to its chemical content. Chemical compounds present in smoke remnants, absent in de-ionized water, could stimulate this seedling emergence. 

Biomass, the weight of organisms in an area, varies due to factors like sunlight, human activity, and nutrients. This study investigates how sunlight exposure influences grass's above-ground dry biomass. 

Other influencing factors include water, proximity to paths, and water mass. To control these, both grass areas were equidistant from the sidewalk, and moisture was allowed to evaporate before measuring. 

Ethene, a plant hormone, accelerates germination, fruit abscission, and ripening. 

This study simulates ripening using various conditions and measures glucose levels, which signify ethene's effect on starch metabolism, using potassium permanganate solution and sulfuric acid. Controlled conditions explore ethene's impact on glucose concentration.

Plant cells, like potato cells, lose water through osmosis, causing plasmolysis and making cells flaccid. When placed in a hypotonic solution, cells regain water and become turgid. 

This experiment aims to analyze water loss in potato cylinders over time. The hypothesis posits that older potatoes experience greater water loss, leading to increased water uptake and turgidity when immersed in water. 

Extreme pH can cause denaturation. Amylases, including alpha and beta types, break down carbohydrates into maltose. Higher pH prompts enzyme inefficiency or inactivity due to H⁺ and OH^- ion interactions. 

The aim is to explore the correlation between barley amylase primary structures and the impact of pH buffers (pH 3 - 11) on their function. This study uses UniProt and BLAST tools to analyze barley amylase structures, determining the proportions of acidic, basic, and polar amino acids.

The peppered moth's cryptic coloration grants it camouflage from bird predators. This experiment aims to simulate natural selection on peppered moths by adjusting light levels to model predation, using humans as predators.

The study explores the relationship between camouflage, predation, and light conditions, providing insights into the complex interplay of factors in the evolution of this species.

 Placing plants in a CO₂-containing solution with appropriate light intensity triggers oxygen-producing bubbles. This experiment examines oxygen evolution in aquatic plants as a measure of photosynthesis. 

The hypothesis suggests low light equals fewer bubbles due to inadequate photolysis, while higher intensity increases bubbles. 

The Bahamas relies heavily on imports but could save money by investing in farming. The experiment focuses on color's impact on photosynthesis in tomato plants. Given the sunny Bahamian climate, specific plastic colors' influence on photosynthetic rates will be investigated. 

This simulation aims to predict light quality effects on photosynthesis before real-world application. The alternative hypothesis suggests a correlation between photosynthetic rate and light quality, with blue or red filters potentially yielding the highest rates.

This experiment investigates whether the presence of lactose enhances the activity of enzyme β-galactosidase in E. coli. 

It's anticipated that enzyme activity will increase in the presence of lactose. This enzyme usually breaks down lactose, but in this experiment, ortho-nitrophenyl-β-D-galactosidase (ONPG) serves as a substrate. ONPG is broken into galactose and ortho-nitrophenyl, a yellow indicator product.