Who Was George-Louis Buffon?

Who Was George-Louis Buffon?

            We, Team Buffon, decided that we were going to grow and use French Vanilla Marigolds for our Biology 11 plant lab project. Although French Vanilla Marigolds and Georges-Louis Leclerc Comte de Buffon have no real connection to each other, Buffon is a major reason why we now understand where these plants came from, and also a big reason why we are able to taxonomically rank them. Buffon was born on September 7, 1707 and he was a French born genius who grew up in a wealthy and prestigious family made up of aristocrats in Montbard, France. He was very well educated in the fields of medicine, mathematics and law but he never really truly had any interest in them. He lived in a time where the world around him and why everything was the way it was was all based on ideas made by the church and people who really could not truly explain and find proper evidence for what they stated. Information was so bleak, and peoples knowledge was very small and nobody ever tried to test the "established" ideas floating around. Buffon was different, and he was continually wanting to know more. He loved and was interested in nature and so he left the fields he studied for and went on to try to answer the questions he had about why life was what it was. He loved natures diversity, and he believed that life was not created the way it was as people saw it at the time. He believed everything they saw now was all a buildup of change that came from years and years of modification, adaptation and migration. He stated many things that people at the time would have perceived as crazy, including the idea that most life forms could be traced back to a few or even a single ancestor. He never gave up though, and he created a pathway for all other naturalists in the future to follow. He was a driving force behind one of the largest quests for knowledge in the natural world, and he was able to shed light on a lot of things that have helped us in the future too.

Research Questions

Growing Conditions:

            The French Vanilla Marigold is an annual plant, that can grow in many locations if the conditions are favourable. The flower requires full sun to grow, but once those needs are met, it is capable of growing up to 24 inches in height and is able to have flowers that can grow as wide as 3 inches in diameter as well. It needs a medium amount of water to grow best, and does well when it is placed with other plants. It is best to keep the French Vanilla Marigolds away from low temperatures and frost, as they are more likely not to survive. They only grow to about half the height of a normal Marigold, but they make up for that with their amazing vanilla colour and neutral flower smell.

Uses:

            French Vanilla Marigolds are a part of the larger and more general family of Marigold flowers. It is considered a very useful herb that can help repair and treat damaged skin caused by eczema, rashes or other problems. It can also help settle inflammation anywhere on the body, no matter what it is caused by and help the body fight off viral infections. French Vanilla Marigold's also have very powerful anti- insect traits that allow them to survive compared to other species that are preyed upon by insects and other pests. French Vanilla Marigold are beautiful plants that look great in gardens and for show, but they also serve a major purpose in helping other species of plants and vegetable around them in surviving. Because of the powerful anti insecticidal traits within them, they repel many different types of moths and flying bugs that eat growing vegetable plants. They also produce chemicals in their roots which kill larvae of insects, preventing them from eating plant life around the Marigold. At the same time, the smell that French Vanilla Marigolds produce are disliked by many types of insects, while humans find it quite appealing. French Vanilla Marigolds attract specific types of beneficial insects as well which either spread pollen or feed on the harmful insects in the area. The petals of the French Vanilla Marigold's flowers are also edible, and can be used as a citrus flavoured garnish or a small part of a bigger recipe.

Taxonomy:

            French Vanilla Marigolds are a part of the massive Kingdom known as Plantae which contains organisms that all create their own food through photosynthesis. The Phylum they are a part of is named Tracheophyta, and it is a . The Class French Vanilla Marigolds belong to is Spermatopsida and their Order is Asterales. The Family these flowers hail form is known as Compositae and it is a family of flowering plants, which is why this flower is within this family. French Vanilla Marigolds genus is called Tagetes, and so their species name is Tagetes erecta.

Relationships with other forms of life:

            French Vanilla Marigolds are very powerful flowers that can protect and help many different species living around it survive just a little better. It has anti insecticidal traits within it that can repel pests, larvae and other harmful insects which means safety for many other plants. French Vanilla Marigolds are most often planted near other flowers or plants as decoration and protection. They do not compete with species around them very much and are more beneficial than harmful. Even though they are insect repelling, they are also insect attracting, and can attract organisms that are beneficial to themselves and species around them by using the scents and bright colours of their flowers.

Historical Uses:

            French Vanilla Marigolds and many of its relatives have a long history in terms of medical use. They were used very often to treat things like severe and mild headaches, tooth aches, swelling and inflammation in or on many parts of the body and also for strengthening the heart. During the U.S. Civil War and World War One, French Vanilla Marigolds and its relatives were used to calm down and treat open wounds of all types. They were also used to prevent infections caused by harmful toxins and bacteria. The flowers were turned into either a poultice or an infused oil so that they could be easily and less painfully applied onto the wounds. In the past, the bright coloured French Vanilla Marigolds were used in festivals and in peoples gardens as well as in their homes for decoration.  

 

Flower Anatomy

The Anatomy of a flower:

Hypothesis

          We believe that the French Vanilla Marigolds being grown in pairs will not survive and flourish as well as the Marigolds planted on their own. We believe this is the case because plants compete and so by having two plants growing very close to one another, as well as having them share the same resources, they will end up wasting more energy on competing rather than growing. The ones grown on their own will grow quicker because nothing will be in their way and all energy can be focused on growing themselves, because the resources are all theirs to consume and use.

Materials Used For the Experiment

- 4 sets of growing pots. Each set has 4 individual growing compartments within it

- One 150 mL beaker

- Tap Water from the classroom sink (the amount depends on the water needs of the French Vanilla Marigolds at the times they are observed)

- Unfertilized Soil (enough to fill 16 small pots)

- 2 plastic container lids (used for labelling flower pots)

- 27 French Vanilla Marigold seeds. (3 extra were added to that total to account for the 3 seeds we replanted)

Procedure

Step One:

Pull the French Vanilla Marigold plant seeds out of their packaging and choose the desired amount that you want to plant. For our experiment, we chose to plant 16 seeds.

Step Two:

Fill 16 pots with soil and make sure the soil only fills up to about three quarters of the pot.
Once that has been done, separate your pots into two groups: 8 pots with one seed and 8 pots with two seeds. (If your experiment uses a different number of seeds, simply do however many you have chosen)

- Pots with one seed only ( 8 pots in total)

Dig a 1 centimetre deep hole directly in the centre of each of the pots. Place the seed into this hole and then cover it back up with the dug up soil.

- Pots with two seeds ( 8 pots in total)

Dig two 1 centimetre deep holes, but do not create them both in the centre. Instead, plant them   near the sides of the pot, and ensure the distance between the  two holes is at least 8 centimetres.

Step Three:

Water every individual pot with your desired amount of water. Make sure that the soil is moist and slightly damp, but do not over water the soil. This will cause your French Vanilla Marigolds to drown. Continue watering the flowers every day, but make sure the soil is not moist. If the soil is already moist, do not water the soil until the next day.

Step Four:

Place all of the pots in an area where they all get equal amounts of sunlight, or if this experiment is being done in a classroom, place them all equally under high powered lights that can act as a substitute for the sun.

Step Five:

Observe the French Vanilla Marigolds daily and water them when needed. Make sure they get enough sunlight and watch for aphids or pests.

Observations

May 3, 2013:

- The French Vanilla Marigold seeds have started growing
- 1 seed has sprouted and is poking out of the soil
- 3 seeds out of the total 24 that we planted did not grow, while the other 21 have showed signs of growth (we dug into the soil a little to check whether or not any growth did occur)
- We replanted 3 seeds to make up for the three lost, and noted that they were planted 1 week late.
- We did not water the seeds, the last time we watered them was April 30, 2013, the day they were planted.

May 6, 2013:

- The French Vanilla Marigolds are growing strongly, and they have developed short stems that are different colours depending on each individual flower
- Small leaves have developed around the tips of the stem, and some have already fallen off
- 1 flower in the single seed pot section appears to be dying
- The seeds that were planted 1 week late have grown very quickly and are almost as developed as the original ones.
- We watered all flowers

May 8, 2013:

- The flowers are looking healthy. The small and round original leaves have all fallen and new leaves have appeared
- The tallest and, based on its physical appearance, strongest French Vanilla Marigold plant stands 5 cm above the soil and has leaves 6 cm across on top
- The shortest French Vanilla Marigold, which was also one of the ones grown a week later stands 2.5 cm above the ground and has leaves 3 cm across on top
- It appears that the original French Vanilla Marigolds have started to grow more efficiently now and the week late ones are slowing down
- Our hypothesis is starting to seem incorrect based on our observations, but there is still a lot of time left
- We watered all flowers

May 10, 2013:

- We moved the flowers from the small rack lights to the larger and more powerful lights next to the window     (they can mimic the sun very well and much better than the other lights)
- The weekend is approaching and we watered all of our flowers. We did add some extra water to ensure they do not dry out because we are adding more heat to them
- They seem to have grown a lot, but not many major differences can be seen when we look at them
- 2 flowers seem to be curling and facing the real sun that is only a foot away from them (they are near the window)
- The ones grown late are making good, steady progress
- The leaves have sharp points and are quite large

May 13, 2013:

- The weekend just ended and all of our flowers are still living. None dried out
- The leaves are starting to bend and new sets of leaves appear to be developing out of the stem which is in the centre of all the other leaves. This will be the third set of leaves the flowers have grown
- The French Vanilla Marigolds grown in pairs are growing much more efficiently than the ones growing on their own. We are quite astonished and are considering many possibilities as to why this is happening. Same species sharing teamwork could be a reason.
- We researched and found out that the small and round original leaves on the growing flowers where actually energy stores which were quite important
- We watered all the flowers

May 16, 2013:

- The flowers that were grown a week after the originals are growing better than the originals themselves and look healthier
- The tallest French Vanilla Marigold stands 8.7 cm high
- The shortest French Vanilla Marigold stands 5.2 cm high
- We watered all flowers thoroughly today

May 17, 2013:

- The leaves at the bottom of the flowers near the stem are starting to fall off, but we believe this is supposed to happen because they are no longer needed.
- The flowers are all healthy and there is very little difference noticed in any of them. They are virtually the same
- The Long weekend is approaching and so we are watering with more than usual amounts of water to ensure that they do not dry out. This is because this is the most likely time for them to dry out, and that would ruin the experiment
- The flowers grown in pairs are still outgrowing the individual ones

May 22, 2013:

- The flowers look very healthy and are growing amazingly
- The stems of the flowers are either green or brown, and it is unclear as to why
- The weak flower that was in our experiment is picking up the pace now and has become very healthy looking. It seems to be making a comeback
- The Tallest French Vanilla Marigold stands 11.2 cm above the soil
- The shortest French Vanilla Marigold stands 7.4 cm above the soil
- We watered all flowers today

May 28, 2013:

- The French Vanilla Marigolds where not given enough water over the weekend and dried up very quickly.
- Their leaves turned a mix of purple and brown in colour and they shrunk in height and leaf span as well. They showed signs of stress and they were dying.
- Because of that, we gave the flowers an extra amount of water, to give them something to rebuild on as well as something to sustain their slow recovery.

May 31, 2013:

- The French Vanilla Marigolds are making a strong recovery and they look healthier. The purple and brown colours were starting to disappear and a new set of leaves was growing from the stem again.
- The flowers have grown slightly taller, but it is not enough for us to say it is a large difference.
- We watered all the plants again today.

June 3, 2013:

- The French Vanilla Marigolds are recovering and doing much better than last week.
- They are starting to regain their original green colour and they are starting to look brighter. They also look much healthier and strong, as if nothing ever happened to them.
- We watered all plants today as well.
 
June 6, 2013:

  

- The tallest French Vanilla Marigold plant is 17.2 cm high.
- The shortest French Vanilla Marigold plant is 15.4 cm high.
- Surprisingly, the flowers that were planted a week later than the originals are growing better and are actually taller than most of the other original flowers.
- The stalks of the flowers are starting to get thicker and much larger than before. They have also changed to a light brown and purple colour.
- We watered all the plants today.

June 7, 2013:

- Our flowers are looking very healthy. The week before they were stressed and about to die but they are making a comeback.
- The weekend is here and so we are going to water the flowers extra in order to ensure that they do not dry out at all during the weekend.
- The French Vanilla Marigolds are all starting to grow a lot more and it is being noticed. Some of the plants in the section made up of two plants per pot are competing a lot. 

June 11, 2013: 

- Our experiment is coming to a close soon, and we have seen major results.
- The tallest of the French Vanilla Marigold flowers is approximately 19 cm high.
- The smallest of the French Vanilla Marigold flowers is approximately 16 cm high.
- The French Vanilla Marigolds grew an average height of 17.5 cm high during the whole experiment.
- We still did water all of them today.
- The roots of the flowers in the pots containing two flowers have spread out a lot and are running out of space.
- The roots are sticking out of the soil right underneath the stem and they seem to be showing us that the flower is doing fine.



Final Results: Pot containing 2 flowers                                        Final Results: Pot containing 1 flower

 

 

Conclusion

          We, Team Buffon, designed an experiment using French Vanilla Marigolds that's goal was to test and see whether two plants of the same species grew better when they were placed in pairs or as singles. We were also experimenting to see if competition would occur among the ones paired in groups of twos. We believed that the ones growing in singles on their own would survive and grow faster, as well as stronger and healthier. It was thought that the ones in pairs of twos would compete with one another and ultimately kill each other due to waste of energy and limited resources. As the experiment is now concluded, it was found that our hypothesis was incorrect and that we were had found results exactly opposite of what we ever had expected. It is now believed that our hypothesis is incorrect because the French Vanilla Marigolds planted in pairs of two actually shared nutrients and worked together symbiotically. In our final results it was noted that these flowers were stronger, healthier, taller and more dense than the ones grown on their own in the single pots but no single plant had passed their divot growth stage. Although 45 days to bloom was an average and trusted number, our experiment went past 70 days a yet no blooming occurred among any flower. It is also possible that due to the weekend that caused our flowers to dry up, some plants may have become more stressed than others and started to die quicker causing them to have to restart and rebuild their energy and nutrient levels.. This explanation is very possible because the flowers in the pairs of two could support each other and give necessary nutrients to whichever was in need, while the ones grown singularly had no help and no extra resources. We also found that in certain cases involving the flowers growing two pairs per pot, one plant was growing amazing  while the other was half the size and quite weak. In the end, it was learnt that plants of the same species share resources and work together very efficiently, similar to any other organism in the world. It was found that stress had the capability of destroying any chances of growth or maximum growth potential among the plants. We team Buffon did not expect the results that presented themselves and we definitely learned a lot about the French Vanilla Marigolds life cycle, ( before blooming), and how plants are capable of communicating chemically and how they can work together to support themselves, and their fellow plants as well.

 

References

 

1. http://myfolia.com/plants/1698-african-marigold-tagetes-erecta/varieties/70869-french-vanilla

3. http://davesgarden.com/guides/pf/go/91046/
 

4. http://zipcodezoo.com/Plants/T/Tagetes_erecta/

5. http://www.nndb.com/people/755/000091482/


6. http://www.ucmp.berkeley.edu/history/buffon2.html