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Variation in a Population
How can you measure variation in plant and animal populations?

Background
Take a look at your classmates. How are you all alike? How are you different from one another?
Some variations in the human population involve physical traits, such as height, hair color, and
shapes of eyes and ears. Others involve skills and abilities, such as the ability to ride a bicycle or
to speak a language. In this investigation, you will observe variations in two types of plants and in
your class population. You also will construct and use mathematical representations of variations.

Materials (per group/pair)

• large lima beans • graph paper or graphing software
• leaves of the same species • colored pencils
• metric ruler

Safety
Be sure to follow all safety procedures provided by your teacher. Find more information
about the safety icons in the Safety Section.

Pre-Lab Questions
1. Ask Questions Think about variations in the population of a familiar type of plant or
animal, either wild or domestic. Write a question about these variations and their effects.

2. Make Observations What variations can you identify among members of your class?

Procedure
Part A: Variation in Plant Species
 1. Obtain 10 large lima beans and 10 leaves of the same species of tree. Caution:
Handle plants only as directed by your teacher. If you are allergic to certain
plants, tell your teacher; do not do an activity involving those plants.

 2. As a class, decide on the type of measurements of the lima beans and leaves that would
provide the most useful data to show variations. For the lima beans, you could measure
length or mass. For the leaves, you could measure the width of the leaf, length of the

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blade, or length of the petiole. See Figure 1 below.

 3. Construct one set of data tables in your lab journal or science notebook to record your
own measurements and a second set on the board for the class to share data. See Data
Tables 1 and 2 on the next page for examples. Record all measurements of length to the
nearest millimeter.

 4. Construct Graphs Review the class data for both the lima beans and the leaves. Decide
on the best type of graph, such as a line graph or bar graph, for displaying the data and
evaluating variations. Then construct the graphs. Use separate pieces of graph paper.

 5. Wash your hands thoroughly when finished with this part of the activity. Use
soap and warm water. Rinse well.

Part B: Variation in Hand Spans

 1. Measure your hand span. The measurement should be made from the top of the thumb
to the tip of the little finger, as shown in Figure 2. Round off the measurement to the
nearest centimeter. Record your hand span in a class chart on the board.

 2. After all your classmates have recorded their hand spans in the class chart, order the
hand spans from least to greatest.

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 3. Construct Graphs Decide on a type of graph for presenting the class data on hand
spans. For example, you could choose a dot plot or bar graph that shows the number of
students for each hand span rounded to the nearest centimeter. Then construct the
graph. Use a separate sheet of graph paper.

Examples of Data Tables

Data Table 1
Length (mm) (Group Data)
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
Lima Beans
Leaf Blades
Petioles

Data Table 2
Class Data for Lima Bean Lengths
Length of
lima bean
(mm)
Total number
of beans of
this size

Data Table 3
Class Data for Leaf Blade Lengths
Length of leaf
84 85 86 87 88 89 90 91 92 93 94
blade (mm)
Total number of
leaf blades of this 2 1 4 4 8 5 4 3 1 1 1
size

Data Table 4
Class Data for Petiole Lengths
Length of petiole
64 66 68 71 74 78 80 85 89 92 95
(mm)
Total number of
petioles of this 1 2 1 4 6 7 6 3 2 1 1
size

Data Table 5
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Class Data for Hand Span Lengths

Length of hand span (cm) 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28

Total number of hand

1 0 1 1 2 4 8 6 5 3 2 1 0 0
spans of this size

Analyze and Interpret Data

1. Summarize Summarize your numerical data sets. What measurements describe most of
the lima beans? What measurements describe most of the leaf blades? What
measurements describe most of the petioles? (Hint: First, look at your data tables and your
graphs to decide which form of your data is easier to use when answering these questions.)

2. Describe Distributions In what measurement ranges are the fewest beans? The fewest
blades? The fewest petioles?

3. Calculate Examine the data in your data tables. Calculate the mean and median for the
lima bean measurements. Do the same for the leaf blades and petioles.

4. Interpret Graphs What are the general shapes of the graphs of the measurements of the
lima beans, leaf blades, and petioles? What do the shapes of the graphs indicate about
these measurements? In your answers, explain how the shapes relate to the mean and
median you calculated in Question 3.

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5. Analyze Data Which hand span length occurs most often with your classmates? Least
often?

6. Interpret Graphs What are the general shapes of the graphs of hand spans? What do the
shapes of the graphs indicate about the hand spans of students in your class?

7. Apply Concepts What may cause the variation seen in human hand spans? Why might
some individuals in a population have larger hand spans than others?

8. Apply Concepts Do you think having many seeds in a pod would be a more useful
adaptation for a bean plant than having only a few seeds? Give a reason for your answer.

9. Use Mathematics What do all of the graphs of the lima bean lengths, leaf blades, petioles,
and hand spans have in common? Use the information from the graphs to describe and
explain how the variations are distributed within the populations.

10. Construct an Explanation Do you think that all organisms of the same species show
variation in all of their traits? Give a reason for your answer.

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Extend Your Inquiry

Investigate variations that occur in other plant products, such as peapods, the flowers of roses
or tulips, or tree bark. Decide on a measurement that will show the variations. Then make the
measurements and graph the results. Follow a procedure similar to the one you used in the
previous part of this lab. CAUTION: Do not eat peapods or other foods in the laboratory.

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