Purpose
The purpose of this lab is to determine the effect of light intensity on the rate of cellular respiration in seaweed.
Introduction
The relationship between respiration and photosynthesis in plants is a constant one. During photosynthesis plants use light energy, often from the sun, combined with carbon dioxide and water to produce energy. The byproducts of this action are glucose and oxygen. Contrarily, respiration is the combination of glucose and oxygen to produce water and carbon dioxide (Lab: Understanding the scientific method, 2013). Generally speaking, the more light that is produced, the faster photosynthesis occurs. However, research has demonstrated that increased light intensity only increased the rate of photosynthesis …show more content…
Measurements will be taken in one hour intervals by counting the number of bubbles expelled from the seaweed during that time. The controls in this experiment are: the bowl in which the seaweed is contained, the amount of water in the bowl, the seaweed plant, the lamp itself, and the observer. The dependent variable in the experiment is the number of gas bubbles produced by the plant. The independent variable in this experiment comes from changing lightbulbs between four different wattages to simulate light intensity. Each trial will be run three times and the data will be used to find an average. The observer begins the first trial with 0 watts and watches the O2 bubbles expelled from the seaweed over one hour’s time. The observer will repeat the trial with 0 watts a total of three times, and then calculate an average. The observer will then follow the same steps with three more bulb types: 25, 75, and 100 watts, and record the data in a …show more content…
The data was collected in multiple trials within each variable to collect an average and prevent any anomalies. Based on the results in this experiment, it is possible to observe the relationship between photosynthesis and cellular respiration in controlled settings. Each time that the light bulb wattage was increased, the amount of O2 bubbles expelled from the seaweed also increased. This indicates that the light intensity does have an effect on the amount of respiration and photosynthesis taking place within the plant. However, the numbers between the 75 watt and 100 watt bulb were very close and it appeared that the increase in activity may be leveling off. In order to prove the theory that photosynthesis only increases to a certain point, the experiment could be expanded to include bulbs of a higher
The purpose of this lab is to determine the effect of light intensity on the rate of cellular respiration in seaweed.
Introduction
The relationship between respiration and photosynthesis in plants is a constant one. During photosynthesis plants use light energy, often from the sun, combined with carbon dioxide and water to produce energy. The byproducts of this action are glucose and oxygen. Contrarily, respiration is the combination of glucose and oxygen to produce water and carbon dioxide (Lab: Understanding the scientific method, 2013). Generally speaking, the more light that is produced, the faster photosynthesis occurs. However, research has demonstrated that increased light intensity only increased the rate of photosynthesis …show more content…
Measurements will be taken in one hour intervals by counting the number of bubbles expelled from the seaweed during that time. The controls in this experiment are: the bowl in which the seaweed is contained, the amount of water in the bowl, the seaweed plant, the lamp itself, and the observer. The dependent variable in the experiment is the number of gas bubbles produced by the plant. The independent variable in this experiment comes from changing lightbulbs between four different wattages to simulate light intensity. Each trial will be run three times and the data will be used to find an average. The observer begins the first trial with 0 watts and watches the O2 bubbles expelled from the seaweed over one hour’s time. The observer will repeat the trial with 0 watts a total of three times, and then calculate an average. The observer will then follow the same steps with three more bulb types: 25, 75, and 100 watts, and record the data in a …show more content…
The data was collected in multiple trials within each variable to collect an average and prevent any anomalies. Based on the results in this experiment, it is possible to observe the relationship between photosynthesis and cellular respiration in controlled settings. Each time that the light bulb wattage was increased, the amount of O2 bubbles expelled from the seaweed also increased. This indicates that the light intensity does have an effect on the amount of respiration and photosynthesis taking place within the plant. However, the numbers between the 75 watt and 100 watt bulb were very close and it appeared that the increase in activity may be leveling off. In order to prove the theory that photosynthesis only increases to a certain point, the experiment could be expanded to include bulbs of a higher