continue this report.
I need the result section and discussion section for the same experiment.
1
Does the result of intraspecific competition between soybeans differ in various
environmental conditions?
Biol206 Foundations of Ecology and Evolution Lab
Michil Zahir
2
Introduction
Soybeans are one of the most vital species in agriculture due to the high protein demand
amongst cattle, soybean protein allows farmers to extract high amounts of protein in order to
supply the high demand using animal feed (Klimek-Kopyra, et al., 2021). Continents such as
Europe have recently started importing soybeans, and one of the concerns with this is sowing
density (Klimek-Kopyra, et al., 2021). Sowing density is used to determine optimum
environmental conditions, such as light, for soybean growth. With the universal climate and
drought issues, legumes or species that exhibit drought tolerances pose a great benefit to the
agriculture economy (Zhou, et al., 2020).
In this experimental report, the aim was to investigate the intraspecific competition between
the soybean species under environmental stresses such as drought. The hypothesis stated was
that environmental conditions will affect intraspecific competition between the soybeans. In
this experiment, the independent variable was water and light (fluorescent light), and the
dependent variable was the dried biomass of the soybeans. Propagation soil in 12 2-inch pots
was used and placed into the 2-inch pots to the brim. Super phosphate 0-16-0 fertilizer (1:10
ratio fertilizer to soil), and the soybeans were placed an inch deep into 12 different pots
(using 4 as controls). The control treatment used was a 12/12 fluorescent light exposure and
constant water supply. The standard conditions for the experiment were the soil type
(propagation), water type (distilled), fertilizer type, temperature of 68-74°F with one seed per
pot and respective lids on to maintain humid conditions. 4 pots were sprayed with distilled
water Monday to Friday and exposed to constant grow light. 4 pots did not have water but
were still exposed to grow light. 4 pots were sprayed with distilled water Monday to Friday
but were in a shaded area (no light). Following the experiment, the plants were then harvested
and left to dry to weigh their respective biomasses.
References
Klimek-Kopyra A, Bacior M, Lorenc-Kozik A, Neugshwandtner R W, & Zajac, T. 2021. Intraspecific
competition as a driver for true production potential of soybean. Italian Journal of Agronomy
16:1709.
Zhou Y, Chen M, Guo J, Wang Y, Min D, Jiang Q, Ma Y. 2020. Overexpression of soybean DREB1
enhances drought stress tolerance of transgenic wheat in the field. Journal of Experimental
Botany 71:1847-1852.
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Writing the Discussion Section
What is the Purpose of the
Discussion Section?
In the Discussion section, you interpret
your results in the context of your research
question and any relevant broader issues.
What Goes into the Discussion Section?
• Start by reminding the reader of your research
question and hypothesis. What did you expect to
find and why?
• How did your actual results compare with the
results you expected?
• How might you explain any unexpected results?
• How might you test potential explanations of your
results?
• Based on your results, what questions might you
ask next and how could you test these new
questions?
Expect the Unexpected
If your results exactly match what you
expected based on your prior knowledge,
your discussion section will be rather short.
But that rarely happens…..
Expect the Unexpected
Even simple questions are often
not easily answered…..
…but every experiment properly carried out
tells you something, even if that something was
not what you specifically intended to find out.
Hints for Writing the
Discussion Section
Hints for Writing the Discussion Section
Start with your Research Question and Hypothesis
Scientific hypotheses are not random guesses.
Your expectations must be based on facts, not opinions.
State your expectations explicitly and
back up your statements with a reference.
Hints for Writing the Discussion Section
Explain Unexpected Results
Base your discussion on the data you obtained.
Don’t be too hard on yourself if your results
don’t match your expectations.
Hints for Writing the Discussion Section
Explain Unexpected Results
• If your results are unexpected, examine the list of
factors you wrote for the Materials and Methods
section to see if any of these factors could be
responsible for the result.
• Describe each factor you think might be responsible
for the unexpected result.
• One by one, evaluate all reasonable, testable
possibilities you can think of.
Hints for Writing the Discussion Section
End the Discussion Section
End the Discussion section with a description of
what should come next in researching your topic.
• What new questions has your research brought up?
• What type of experiments could be done to address
these questions?
Organizing your Ideas
for the Discussion Section
Organize your Ideas
Make an idea map.
• Write your ideas on individual index cards or
pieces of paper – or write them across a
single piece of paper.
Organize your Ideas
An Idea Map
Organize your Ideas
Add arrows to put the ideas into a
logical order.
Add new ideas to link topics.
This turns your idea map into a flow chart.
Organize your Ideas
This is a flow chart.
Write
One by one, write the main ideas about
each topic on the flow chart.
Revise
When you finish writing the main ideas
about each topic,
read the section out loud.
This lets you hear if the grammar is correct.
Revise
Let the section sit.
Come back each day to read it again.
You will catch more errors and do a better job revising
if you look at your writing with fresh eyes.
Revise
• Read a few times focusing on whether the
Discussion is thorough enough. Does it contain all
the information it needs?
• Read the section again focusing on clarity. Is each
idea explained clearly?
• Read the section again focusing on conciseness.
Does it explain ideas in as few words as possible?
Take out extra words.
• Finally, check spelling and grammar. Does the
paper make a good first impression?
Writing the Results Section
Today’s Questions
• Why is the Results section important?
• What goes into a Results section –
and what doesn’t?
• How do you write the Results section?
• Summarizing your Data
• Sentences, Graphs, and Tables
• The Results Section Text
The Results Section is the
Heart of your Paper
Why?
The Results Section is the
Heart of your Paper
The results of any study are real.
The interpretation of results may change,
but the results will always be valid.
What is in the Results Section?
What is in the Results Section?
In the results section you…
• present the results, drawing the reader’s
attention to the major observations and
key trends in the data.
What Isn’t in
the Results Section?
What Isn’t in
the Results Section?
In the results section you do NOT discuss:
• Why the experiment was performed
• How the experiment was performed
• Whether the results were expected,
unexpected, disappointing, or interesting
How Do You Write
the Results Section?
How Do You Write
the Results Section?
The first step is to arrange your data in
tables and graphs in a way that reveals
trends and makes the most important
points stand out.
How Do You Write
the Results Section?
Decide How to Show your Data
Do not automatically assume that your
data must be graphed.
Never present the same data in both a
graph and a table.
Ways to Present Your Data
• In a sentence – for simple observations.
• In a table – for more complex data when
you do not need to show trends.
• In a graph – when you must show trends.
Sharing Results in a Sentence
Just share simple results in a clear sentence.
“No animals ate at temperatures below 15° C.”
“Control containers exhibited less than a 3% weight
loss (N=3 containers) during the 24-h period. In
contrast, food in containers with caterpillars lost at
least 23% of initial weight.”
Sharing Results in a Table
If the results are more complex than can be
explained in a sentence, but do not require
the reader to visualize a trend, use a table.
Preparing Tables
A table should be self-sufficient.
The reader should be able to:
• Determine the research question
• Understand, in general, how the study was done
• Interpret the main findings
Use the table to answer these questions.
• What was the research question?
• How the study was done?
• What were the main findings?
Preparing Tables
Present the independent variable vertically in the
first column.
Write the table legend above the table.
Pack useful information into legend and column
headings.
Always indicate the kind of species that was
studied, the sample size, and the number of
replicates.
•
•
•
•
Present the independent variable vertically in the first column.
Write the table legend above the table.
Pack useful information into legend and column headings.
Always indicate the kind of species that was studied, the
sample size, and the number of replicates.
Sharing Results in a Graph
If you need to show a trend in the data,
use a graph.
What Belongs on a Graph?
• Each axis is clearly labeled and includes units of
measurement.
• A detailed figure legend is below the graph.
• Tick marks on both axes are at intervals frequent
enough to allow readers to estimate the value of
each data point.
• The meaning of each symbol is clearly indicated.
• The symbols are large and easy to tell apart.
• Each axis is clearly labeled & includes units of measurement.
• A detailed figure legend is below the figure.
• Tick marks on both axes are at intervals frequent enough to
allow readers to estimate the value of each data point.
• The meaning of each symbol is clearly indicated.
• The symbols are large and easy to tell apart.
What Belongs on a Graph?
A good graph is self-contained.
From the graph alone, the reader should be able to:
• Determine the research question.
• Understand, in general, how the study was done.
• Interpret the results.
Use the graph to answer these questions.
• What was the research question?
• How was the study done?
• What were the results?
What Type of Graph Do you Need?
• Scatter Plot –
• Bar Graph –
What Type of Graph Do you Need?
• Scatter Plot – Use when the independent
variable is numerical and continuous.
• Bar Graph – Use when the independent
variable is non-numerical or discontinuous, or
when the independent variable represents a
range of measurements rather than a single
measurement.
Preparing Scatter Plots
Preparing Scatter Plots
• You cannot move, add, or delete data points to
improve or create trends in your data!
• Plot the independent variable on the x-axis and the
dependent variable on the y-axis.
• Use a smooth curve when there is great variation in
the data points.
• When plotting arithmetic means always show the
spread of variation. In the legend, be sure to
indicate whether you are showing standard
deviations or standard errors and the number of
measurements for each mean.
Preparing Scatter Plots
Preparing Bar Graphs
Preparing Bar Graphs
• The independent variable goes on the x-axis and
the dependent variable goes on the y-axis.
• Use a single color or fill pattern for all bars,
unless there is some logical reason not to.
• The independent variable goes on the x-axis and
the dependent variable goes on the y-axis.
• Use a single color or fill pattern for all bars, unless
there is some logical reason not to.
Putting Together Multiple Figures
Arrange your figures logically, in the order that
you will discuss them.
Always use the same system of symbols
throughout your paper.
Number each figure in the order that it
appears: Fig. 1, Fig. 2, Fig. 3…
Number each table in the order that it appears:
Table 1, Table, 2, Table 3….
How Do You Write
the Results Section?
Write the Results Section Text
Writing the Results Section Text
What NOT to Do:
“The results are shown in the following
tables and graphs.”
Writing the Results Section Text
What to Do:
Use words to draw the reader’s attention to the
key patterns in your data, but do not redraw
the graph in words. Summarize the most
important findings displayed in each figure.
Writing the Results Section Text
Sample Results Text
“Temperature had a pronounced effect on
seedling growth rates (Fig. 19). In particular,
seedlings at 25°C consistently grew more
rapidly than those at 20°C.”
Writing the Results Section Text
Always refer to the figure you are discussing.
“Caterpillars generally fed more slowly on the diet of
sinigrin than on the wheatgerm controls (Fig. 13).”
Writing the Results Section Text
Which sentence is better written?
“Caterpillars generally fed at faster rates on diet A.”
“Caterpillars feed at faster rates on diet A.”
Writing the Results Section Text
Which sentence is better written?
“Caterpillars generally fed at faster rates on diet A.”
“Caterpillars feed at faster rates on diet A.”
Use past tense.
Writing the Results Section Text
Use the word significant only when it is upheld
by statistical analysis.
Otherwise, say:
“Temperature had a pronounced effect on seedling
growth rates.”
“Seedlings treated with nutrients appeared to grow at
slightly faster rates than those treated with distilled
water.”
Tips for Writing the Discussion Section of a Research Paper
•
In the first paragraph, briefly describe the research question and how this question was addressed.
Restate your hypothesis here as well. No results in this paragraph!
•
What did your results tell you? Did they support your hypothesis? Answer these questions in the
following paragraphs of the Discussion. Remember, the purpose of the Discussion section is to
interpret the results. You must provide a thorough, logical explanation for any trend you reported in
your Results section. Draw any conclusions you can, but only based on the evidence provided by your
figures. Refer to figures by number when addressing specific results.
•
If possible, use external references to support any conclusions you draw. *Be sure to cite at least
one primary source in this discussion section of this lab report!
•
Were the results obtained for this study what you expected? Discuss why or why not.
•
Consider the relevance of the results and how they fit into the big picture.
•
If something did not work as expected, give a possible explanation and what could be done in the future
to fix or avoid the issue.
•
Address potential directions for future work, including ways in which the current study could be
improved or expanded.
•
In the final separate paragraph/sentences, summarize the study and its major conclusions.
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