Domain: Natural Science — Ecology & Evolutionary Biology
Target concept: Time-lapse images of the same plant leafing out earlier at higher temperatures

Video generation prompt: Time-lapse photography of two identical seedlings of a deciduous tree placed side by side: the left seedling under a heating lamp and the right seedling at ambient temperature, continuously recorded by a fixed camera for several days.

Evaluation guide:
(i) Target concept: Temperature-dependent phenological advancement in woody perennials.
Minimum mechanism: Dormant buds require chilling fulfillment followed by sufficient heat accumulation to break dormancy; elevated temperature increases enzymatic reaction rates and hormone mobilization (e.g., gibberellin), triggering meristematic activity and leaf primordia expansion.
(ii)Storyline: Frame 1: Two identical dormant seedlings side-by-side, both with tight brown buds, no leaves. → Frame 2–3: Left seedling buds visibly swell, scales separate; right seedling buds unchanged. → Frame 4–6: Left seedling unfolds first true leaves (green, thin, veined); right seedling buds remain closed or show only pale primordia. → Frame 7–9: Left leaves increase in size and number; right seedling begins slight scale separation but no green tissue exposed. → Frame 10: Left seedling displays multiple expanded leaves; right seedling shows only partially opened buds with no chlorophyll expression. All transitions occur within fixed frontal view; no camera motion; lighting consistent with stationary lamp over left; no occlusion of critical structures (buds, apical meristems, leaf margins).

Manual:
Experimental Procedure
1. Place two genetically identical dormant deciduous tree seedlings in identical pots side-by-side on a neutral background.
2. Position a heating lamp exclusively over the left seedling; leave right seedling at ambient room temperature.
3. Mount a fixed camera facing frontally; record time-lapse for 10 seconds representing multi-day progression.
Observation of Experimental Phenomena
Left seedling shows earlier bud swelling, green leaf emergence, and larger leaf area; right seedling shows only closed dormant buds or minimal leaf primordia.
Summary of Experimental Principles
Warmer temperatures accelerate bud break and leaf expansion in deciduous trees — a phenological response governed by accumulated thermal time (growing degree days), demonstrating climate-driven shifts in plant developmental timing.

Prompt Grounding rubric:
level_1: No two seedlings are shown; no heating lamp appears above either seedling; the seedlings are not shown side by side; there is no visible temperature-differentiating setup between the two plants.
level_2: Two plant-like objects appear but are not clearly matched dormant deciduous seedlings (e.g., mismatched species, different bud stages, or non-woody plants); a heating lamp is missing or is replaced by an unrelated fixture; the two plants are not arranged side by side in the same shot.
level_3: Two visually matched dormant deciduous seedlings, both with tight brown buds and no leaves, sit side by side in a single fixed shot; a heating lamp is positioned above or beside the left seedling only; the right seedling has no lamp or other heat source nearby; seedlings, lamp, and background are all clearly visible and correctly placed.
level_4: All elements from 3-score are present, and the lamp is clearly aimed only at the left seedling with no equivalent heat source anywhere near the right seedling; both seedlings sit at the same height and distance from the camera; nothing blocks the view of either seedling or the lamp for the full clip.
level_5: All elements from 4-score are present, and the lamp is recognizable as a directional heat source (e.g., a bulb with a visible glow or warm-colored light) aimed exclusively at the left seedling; both seedlings are planted in matching pots with the same soil and starting stem shape; the camera holds a single frontal framing without panning, zooming, or cutting for the entire clip.

Scientific and Causal Correctness rubric:
level_1: Neither seedling shows any bud swelling or leaf emergence; both remain fully dormant, or both leaf out together with no timing difference, so no chilling/heat-accumulation contrast is visible.
level_2: Only one seedling changes but the side relationship is wrong (e.g., only the unheated right seedling leafs out), or both seedlings leaf out at visibly the same pace, or a change appears that isn't plant-like (e.g., a fully formed leaf appearing suddenly with no bud-opening stage).
level_3: The left (heated) seedling shows bud swelling, scale separation, or green leaf emergence clearly earlier than the right (ambient) seedling, which stays closed or shows at most a pale swelling; the leafing-out progresses forward only, with no seedling reverting to a more dormant-looking state.
level_4: All elements from 3-score are present, and by mid-to-late clip the left seedling's leaves are visibly larger, greener, and more numerous than anything on the right, whose buds remain closed or only slightly parted with no green tissue showing; no seedling shows contradictory states (e.g., the left seedling wilting while still leafing out).
level_5: All elements from 4-score are present, and the left seedling's new leaves show the thin, veined look of young foliage while the right seedling's buds stay tight and brownish with no green showing at all; leaf emergence follows a plausible order (buds swell, scales part, leaf tips emerge, leaves expand), with no discoloration or texture that looks inconsistent with real early-spring growth.

Spatiotemporal Consistency rubric:
level_1: A seedling or the lamp vanishes or jumps to a new position between frames; the clip cuts abruptly or goes black for a visible gap; a stem appears to break apart and reassemble; the direction of the lighting flips as if a second light source appeared.
level_2: One seedling is intermittently blocked from view by something moving through frame (e.g., a hand or a passing shadow) for several seconds; the lamp's glow visibly jumps from one side of the frame to another; the camera visibly jerks or zooms; part of a seedling disappears from view for more than a couple of seconds and then returns.
level_3: Both seedlings and the lamp stay in their expected positions with no jumps, disappearances, or structural breaks; any flicker in the lamp's glow is brief and does not repeat; the background does not shift or drift noticeably over the clip.
level_4: All elements from 3-score are present, and the lamp's glow stays visible over the left seedling without dropping out or going dark at any point; both seedlings keep a consistent height relationship and apparent size across the clip; the background stays put with no visible sliding or drifting.
level_5: All elements from 4-score are present, and both seedlings' stems remain a single unbroken, visible line from soil to bud/leaf tip in every frame; the lamp's brightness fades outward smoothly from directly under the lamp with no sudden flashes or drops; the pace of bud swelling and leaf growth reads as a smooth time-lapse progression rather than a jumpy slideshow.