Biology Assessment

Mitosis in Onion Root Tip

Introduction

The objective of this investigation is to prepare slides of onion root tips and observe the stages of
mitosis.

Mitosis is the process where a eukaryotic cell separates the chromosome in its cell nucleus into two
identical sets in two separate nuclei which is known as two identical daughter cells.

The stages of mitosis are as follows:

An onion root tip will be specifically used for this investigation as it is easy to acquire and grow in large
numbers. It will also have many cells in the process of mitosis as the root is always growing.

The roots are usually dipped in HCL as this breaks down the pectin bonds between the cells and allow
the cells to be arranged in a single layer and make them easier to see.

Method

Safety

-Wear gloves

-Wear long sleeves

-Wear safety glasses

-Handle all equipment with care

-Avoid Spills

Steps/Preparation

The apparatus needed will be:

Watch glasses, glass slide, micrometer slide, beakers, coverslips, forceps, microscope, stopwatch, safety
goggles, dropper, acetocarmine stain, onion root tips, and HCL acid.

1. Prepare two watch glasses, one with HCL (after boiling it) and one with the stain.
2. Cut a small fragment of the root tip and place it in the watch glass with HCL for 5-7 minutes.
3. Take the root tip out of the HCL carefully with forceps.
4. Place the root in the watch glass containing the stain. Leave it there for 4 minutes
5. Take the stained root tip with forceps and place it on the slide carefully.
6. Cover the root with a cover slip and press firmly to spread the cells so that they are easier to
see.
7. The lens was adjusted so that a clear picture of the cells can be seen.
8. Count the number of cells and record it.
9. Repeat the test at least three times and choose the test with the best results.
10. The mitotic index should be calculated as follows:

Draw tables to present and summarize data.

A sample
result table is
shown here:
Draw a pie chart to represent the data better.

Evaluation

Limitations

The onion root tips are very fragile and must be handled with care or cells would get damaged and it
would ruin the validity of the investigation.

Validity and Reliability

The test was very valid and reliable because extra care was taken to ensure that the tips weren’t
damaged and no bubbles were formed when lowering the cover slip.

The investigation was repeated many times to ensure that there was no error while doing the test.
Conclusion and Assessment

From the results shown it is apparent that interphase is the most common phase that can be seen in the
cells. This is because interphase takes a longer time to complete leading to the assumption that more
cells would be in interphase.