BIOLOGY
                            Science Fair Projects


Does road salt affect the growth rates and developments of plants? 
Do plants found growing near roads show different levels of salt
tolerance then plants found away from roads?

What are the effects of different nutrients, environmental conditions
(pH, wind) on plant or animal growth?

What are the efects of different nutrients and/or environmental
conditions on the growth rate of a population (e.g., duckweed,
zooplankton, algae, Paramecium, rotifers, Chamydomonas)?

Do earthworms have a positive effect on the growth of plants or the
germination rate seeds?  Does the density of earthworms make a
difference?  What effects do earthworms have on soil nutrients, soil
moisture, or soil density?

Do herbivores (e.g., slugs, snails, grasshoppers) grow faster on some
kinds of food than on others?  Do they grow better when they are fed
annual plants or perennial plants?  Why?

What are the effects of nitrogen-fixing bacteria (that live in root
nodules in plants in the bean family) on the outcome of competition
between plants with and without bacteria?  Is the effect the same on
poor vs. rich soil?  On soils that are dry vs. moist?

Are there chemicals (allelochemicals) in the bark or leaves of some
plants (e.g., tree-of-heaven, or walnuts) that inhibit the growth of
germination of other plants?  Do these chemicals also affect the
seeds and seedlings of the species that produces them?

Do fish forage optimally for their food?  What are the costs of
obtaining food?  What are the benefits?  Does the number of other
fish around affect their foraging behavior?

If several plant species are grown in a container, do they compete
for light or nutrients?  What characteristics allow one species to
win in competition over another?  Is the outcome of competition the
same on rich vs. poor soils?

Do different genotypes of Wisconsin Fast Plants do better at
competition than others?

Does road salt affect aquatic communities?  How do these effects change
with increasing concentrations of salt?

Does road salt affect the growth, reproduction, and/or survival of
zooplankton like Daphnia?  How do these effect change with increasing
concentration of salt?


Does dishwashing detergent (regular or environmentally-friendly) affect
plant growth and survival?

Do squirrels exhibit different behaviors in different habitats?  Do
they exhibit different behaviors when they live at high densities vs.
low densities?

What effects does oil have on aquatic plants?  What effects does it
have on soil bacteria?

How can a tomato plant be grafted to a potato plant?  What 
determines whether one species can be grafted onto another?

In what ways can plants move?  What kinds of stimuli do they respond
to?  What is adaptive value of such movements?

Will a pumpkin vine grow better if its leaves don't overlap than if its
leaves are allowed to overlap?  Is the answer the same under high vs.
low light?

Do plants grow better under alternating periods of light and darkness,
or under continuous daylight?

Do soil organisms improve plant growth?  What happens if plants are
grown on sterile soil vs. soil that has been innoculated with fungi and
bacteria?

Do plants grow faster under certain colors of light?  Which wavelengths
are best for growth?

Do zebra mussels grow better in brightly-lit places or shady places? 
Why?

Do anti-bacterial soaps work?  Are more bacteria removed from your
hands when you wash with water only, with regular soap or with
(different brands) of anti-bacterial soap?  How does hand-washing
technique (vigor, duration, etc.) affect the outcome?

As milk spoils, how does the bacterial community it supports change? 
Is there a change in the number, shape (rod, sphere, spirillus), or
gram-staining properties of the bacterial community?  What chemical
changes (e.g., pH) in the milk are associated with the changes in the
bacterial community?



There are also a lot of ideas and guidelines for science fair projects
on the Internet.  For example look at:

http://www.isd77.k12.mn.us/resources/cf/ideas.html
http://www.isd77.k12.mn.us/resources/cf/SciProjIntro.html
http://www.photoscience.la.asu.edu/photosyn/education/sciencefair.html

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