Photosynthesis Laboratory Questions Biological Sciences Lab Report

This lab will focus on photosynthesis. You will need flash installed in order to open the websites. First, open/upload all of the websites listed and then follow the directions on the answer sheet and answer the questions. Finally, turn in your answer sheet by uploading it to Canvas. Next, there is a short quiz to take to practice what you have learned. http://www(dot)phschool(dot)com/science/biology_place/biocoach/photosynth/overview.html
http://www(dot)harcourtschool(dot)com/activity/science_up_close/512/deploy/interface.html

There are three websites to use for this lab.  The last one is a virtual lab.

Watch and listen to the tutorial found in Science Up Close Photosynthesis.

Fill in the following answers as you watch. Stop and replay anything you don’t understand – this is a complicated topic!

1. Plants use photosynthesis to make __________________ for the plant.

2. What do plants need in order to perform photosynthesis?

3. How is the plant able to obtain each “ingredient?”

4. Identify the plant cell organelle in which photosynthesis takes place.

5. Summarize the process of photosynthesis.

Water and carbon enter the chloroplast…..

6. What happens to the oxygen that is produced as a result of photosynthesis?

7. Why is photosynthesis also important for people and animals?

Use this site to answer questions about the Overview of Photosynthesis .

13. In the blank portion of this paper (below), draw the picture which shows the overall process of photosynthesis.

14. Write the chemical equation for photosynthesis.

15. Photosynthesis converts _________________ energy into the ____________________ energy of sugars and other organic compounds.

Photosynthesis Illustration

Rate of Photosynthesis Lab

In this lab, you will be experimenting with how different variables affect the rate of photosynthesis.  Click on the link and follow these instructions.

Bubbles are given off by the plant through photosynthesis. By measuring the rate at which the bubbles are produced it is possible to tell how fast the plant is photosynthesizing.

Experiment 1:

Set the thermometer to 25°C (Room Temperature) and the light intensity to 20. Count the number of bubbles for one minute after starting the timer.

a. What were the bubbles per minute at this setting? ______ bpm

b. Now increase the CO2 available to the elodea (click on the CO2 bottle). What were your bubbles per minute? ______ bpm

c. Based on your data, how does the amount of available CO2 affect the rate of photosynthesis?

Experiment 2:

Keep your settings from Experiment 1-c (25°C, light intensity of 20, increased CO2).

a. What were the bubbles per minute at this setting? ______ bpm

b. Now increase the temperature to 40°C. What were your bubbles per minute? ______ bpm                                       

c. Based on your data, how does an increase in temperature affect the rate of photosynthesis?

Experiment 3:

Return to your settings from Experiment 1-c (25°C, light intensity of 20, increased CO2).

a. What were the bubbles per minute at this setting? ______ bpm

b. Now decrease the temperature to 10°C. What were your bubbles per minute? ______ bpm

c. Based on your data, how does a decrease in temperature affect the rate of photosynthesis?

Experiment 4:

Alter the variables in order to determine which combination leads to the highest rate of photosynthesis. Which combination of settings produced the highest number of bubbles per minute? 

1. Temperature: ________ b. Light: ________ c. CO2: ________

Final Question:

What was the independent variable and dependent variable of these experiments?