Background Information:
The leaves of a plant are the main photosynthetic organs and are involved in gas exchange and water transportation throughout a plant (Evans et al, 17). A leaf typically consists of an upper and lower epidermis, the mesophyll cells, veins, guard cells and stomata. The mesophyll cells contains spongey cells which have large gaps between each cell to allow oxygen and carbon dioxide circulation. The mesophyll cells contain palisade cells, which are located beneath the upper epidermis. The palisade cells contain many chloroplasts, which are green organelles. Located in the internal layers of chloroplasts is the pigment chlorophyll which is involved in trapping the light energy in photosynthesis (Evans et al, 17).
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Short wavelengths = high frequency = more energy
Long wavelength = low frequency = less energy
Plants can absorb a number of different length light waves, although not all of them are equal in power or energy which influences a plants growth. Approximately 80% of light that reaches a leaf is absorbed and depending on its wavelength, may excite chlorophyll pigments (reference text book). Plants absorb both red and purple light waves, however because purple wavelengths are shorter, they contain more energy. The green pigment involved in photosynthesis is chlorophyll. Chlorophyll is green in appearance because it absorbs red and blue light, making these colours unable to be seen. It is the reflection of the green light that reaches out eyes, giving chlorophyll a green colour. This green light that can be seen cannot be used by the plant for photosynthesis. Therefore, theoretically growth should be inhibited in the plants only exposed to green light.
There are two main types of chlorophyll, chlorophyll a which absorbs wavelengths of 430nm (blue) and 662 (red) and is the main photosynthetic pigment, and chlorophyll b, which doesn’t directly participate in the photosynthetic process, but is capable of donating its energy to chlorophyll a
The diagram above shows the two stages of photosynthesis. As you can see, light is a key component as it start the light-dependent reactions which produces ATP and NADPH, which is needed in the light-independent reactions to make glucose. So without light, there is no ATP and NADPH produced and thus no glucose produced, therefore the food chain cannot be started. Glucose is also needed to make DNA and hormones for plant growth, it is also require during plant respiration. So it can be established the light is vital for plant growth and it affects the height of plants indefinitely.
Photosynthesis occurs each time the sun’s light reaches the lives of a plant. The chemical ingrediants for photosynthesis are carbon dioxide (CO2), a gas that passes from the air into a plant via tiny pores, and water (H20), which absorbed from the soil by the plant’s roots. Inside leaf cells, tiny structures called chloroplasts use light energy to rearrange the atoms of the ingrediants to produce sugars, most importantly glucose (C6H12O6) and other organic molecules. Chlorophyll gives the plant its green color (Simon, 02/2012, pp. 92-93). Chemical reactions transfers the sun’s light energy into the chemical bonds that hold energy-carrying molecules. The most common are
Photosynthesis is the conversion of light energy to chemical energy into sugars. It is the process in plants that uses carbon dioxide, water, and sunlight from its surroundings and releases oxygen as a byproduct (6H2O+6CO2+light energy -> C6H12O6+6O2). Photosynthesis is required for plants because they are autotrophs, organisms that make their own food. Plants require a specific environment that is ideal to them to be able to carry out the process. Environmental conditions can either increase or decrease the rate of photosynthesis. Things like colors of light, pH, and temperature can all affect the rate of photosynthesis in plants.
Introduction: Photosynthesis can be defined as a solar powered process that removes atmospheric carbon dioxide and transforms it into oxygen and carbohydrates (Harris-Haller 2014). Photosynthesis can be considered to be the most important biochemical process on Earth because it helps plants to grow its roots, leaves, and fruits, and plants serve as autotrophs which are crucial to the food chain on earth. Several factors determine the process of photosynthesis. Light is one these factors and is the main subject of this experiment. The intensity of light is a property of light that is important for photosynthesis to occur. Brighter light causes more light to touch the surface of the plant which increases the rate of photosynthesis (Speer 1997). This is why there is a tendency of higher rates of photosynthesis in climates with a lot of sunlight than areas that primarily do not get as much sunlight. Light wavelength is also a property of
An important part of photosynthesis is the intake of carbon; thus, it can be presumed that increasing the amount of available carbon will increase photosynthetic activity. In most plants there is an increased rate of photosynthetic rate, but it is limited by other factors and reaches a plateau (Lei H, Zhishan Z.
In my research paper, I will attempt to determine how the perception of light in phytochromes plays a role in the development of plants. Specifically, I will look at how phytochromes play a role in the growth and development of Arabidopsis thaliana. The paper will also look at how light perception plays a role in phototropism and the immune systems of a plant. Finally, my paper will explore how changing light conditions impact perception in phytochromes.
Chlorophyll- a green pigment, present in all green plants responsible for the absorption of light to provide energy for photosynthesis.
In this experiment, I tested the theory of how light would affect the growth of a bean plant. According to gardenguides.com, lack of light is detrimental to plant growth.”Plants that don't get enough light don't have the resources they require, and fail to bloom or fruit.” It is also stated that every plant will need a different strength of sunlight such as full sun, partial sun, or indirect sunlight (also known as full shade). Plants that receive inadequate amounts of sunlight will not thrive.The reasoning behind this is due to a process called Photosynthesis, stated in gardeningknowhow.com. Photosynthesis is a chemical process which converts energy in the form of light into a chemical energy which is a vital food source for plants to thrive.
However, the photosynthetic process can be affected by different environmental factors. In the following experiment, we tested the effects that the light intensity, light wavelength and pigment had on photosynthesis. The action spectrum of photosynthesis shows which wavelength of light is the most effective using only one line. The absorption spectrum plots how much light is absorbed at different wavelengths by one or more different pigment types. Organisms have different optimal functional ranges, so it is for our benefit to discover the conditions that this process works best. If the environmental conditions of light intensity, light wavelength and pigment type are changed, then the rate of photosynthesis will increase with average light intensity and under the wavelengths of white light which will correspond to the absorption spectrum of the pigments. The null hypothesis to this would be; if the environmental conditions light intensity, light wavelength and pigment type are changed, then the rate of photosynthesis will decrease with average light intensity and under the white light which will correspond to the absorption spectrum of the pigments.
Because chlorophyll-a takes in violet-blue, and orange-red lights to use in photosynthesis, it reflects green, and that is the color we see. This study investigates the relationship between the wavelength of light and the total respiration of the plant Elodea. The purpose is to see the effect of the presence or absence of certain wavelengths can have on the process of photosynthesis. Because Elodea is a plant that reflects green light, it can be assumed that red lights, the complimentary color to green will be absorbed the most contributing to the process of photosynthesis and respiration making the most oxygen.
Without photosynthesis we would not be able to receive energy. We should be more appreciate of plants, without them we would not survive. This paper will explain the basic components require for photosynthesis, the role of chlorophyll, how energy is transferred, and photosystems I and II and the most precious product results of photosynthesis.
Plant- Different species plants have different photosynthetic rates due to the different leaf structures of the plants. Even plants of the same species may have slightly different rates of photosynthesis since there may be more or less chlorophyll in the leaves to absorb light. The size of the plant is also important since this would affect the amount of surface area for gas exchange.
A plant is any of the boundless number of living beings within the biological kingdom Plantae, these species are considered of low motility since this species generally generate their own food by sunlight. They incorporate a large group of commonplace life forms including trees, forbs, bushes, grasses, vines, plants, and greeneries. In this task we are experimenting the relationship between light and plant growth by growing plants in three different lights which are red light, blue light and white light. As I stated above that plants generate their own food by sunlight. Sunlight can be broken up by a prism into respective colors of red, blue, orange, yellow, green, indigo, violet and white. All this lights have specific
Photosynthesis is a very complicated process. It is not as simple as plants need a little sunlight, water, and carbon dioxide, and viola oxygen is produced. There are many steps and processes that occur during photosynthesis which make it very complicated. Now the actual word photosynthesis in Greek means photo- “light”, and –synthesis “putting together”. This is the overall basic foundation that photosynthesis stands behind. Photosynthesis can only happen in plants and some algae, due to them having an organelle called chloroplast. Chloroplast has a pigment, which is called chlorophyll. Chlorophyll is a light absorbing pigment, which allows the plant to control solar energy and use it to distribute energy and food for the plant itself. Chloroplasts are usually located in the green tissue in the interior of the leaf called the mesophyll. A usual cell has around thirty to forty chloroplast. In the inner compartment there is a thick fluid called the stroma, with a system of interconnected membranous
The process of photosynthesis takes place on organelles (substructures inside eukaryotic cells) called chloroplasts, more specifically, on the membrane of the thylakoids inside the chloroplasts,