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The Effect of Light Intensity and Temperature on the Rate of Photosynthesis

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The Effect of Light Intensity and Temperature on the Rate of Photosynthesis

Aim

The aim of my experiment is to determine whether intensity of light and temperature would affect the rate of photosynthesis in a plant. To do this, I will place a piece of pondweed in varying light intensities and temperatures, and observe the amount of oxygen being given off. I am using pondweed because of its unusual quality of giving off bubbles of gas from a cut end, when placed in water.

Introduction Photosynthesis occurs only in the presence of light, and takes place in the chloroplasts of green plant cells. Photosynthesis can be defined as the production of simple sugars from carbon dioxide and …show more content…

Water- Water is required in the photosynthetic reaction. When plants lack water, their stomata close to prevent further water loss. At the same time, closing the stomata cells doesn't allow CO2 to diffuse into the leaf. Water is also therefore, linked to the carbon dioxide factor. Water can be kept a constant by keeping the same amount of water in the beaker.

Temperature- Enzymes are used in photosynthesis and the respiration of the plant. Therefore, increasing the temperature will increase enzyme reaction and the photosynthetic rate until a certain point is reached when the enzymes denature. The temperature can be kept somewhat a constant by performing the experiment in one session, when the air temperature shouldn't change enough to affect water temperature. A transparent glass block will also be placed in front of the lamp to retain some of the heat from the lamp.

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. The only solution to

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