Photosynthesis and Cellular Respiration

Establish a better understanding of photosynthesis and cellular respiration, and apply the scientific method to solve (or understand) a problem. Photosynthesis and respiration are reactions that complement each other in the environment. They are essentially the same reactions, but they occur in reverse. During photosynthesis, carbon dioxide and water yield glucose and oxygen. Through the respiration process, glucose and oxygen yield carbon dioxide and water. They work well together because living organisms supply plants with carbon dioxide, which undergoes photosynthesis and produces glucose, and these plants and bacteria give out oxygen, which all living organisms need for respiration.

Student Sheet

Name: Marcus Mayfield

Date: 6-15-14

Instructor’s Name: Dr. Chopra

Assignment: SCIE207 Phase 1 Lab Report

Title: Understanding the Scientific Method: Photosynthesis and Cellular Respiration

Instructions: Based on the virtual experiment, you will answer some questions and write a 1-page lab report using the scientific method.

When your lab report is complete, submit this document to your instructor in your assignment box.

Using what you learned on the lab animation, answer the following questions:

• Define a hypothesis that is suggested by the data that are collected in the lab.
• Complete a lab report using the scientific method.
• What effect does the intensity of light have on the rate of photosynthesis (measured as the number of oxygen bubbles)?
• Is it possible to examine the relationship between photosynthesis and cellular respiration under controlled experimental conditions?  Explain your answer in detail.

Part 1: Using the lab animation, fill in the following data tables to help you generate your hypothesis, outcomes, and analysis: 

Part 2: Write a 1-page lab report using the following sections of the scientific method:

• Purpose  

In this lab, our purpose is to see if the quantity of light affects the plant cells capability to execute photosynthesis. I predict that photosynthesis will perform more adequately being in sunlight but the seaweed doesn’t need to be in direct light in order to perform. Then see if it produces more bubbles in dim light or bright light. I found that the seaweed produced more bubbles in bright light. My hypothesis was correct because the more light energy provided means the more chemical energy produced to perform photosynthesis. I learned that you should put seaweeds in direct sunlight to get the best growth. 

• Introduction

Photosynthesis is the process by which plants and other organisms, such as photosynthetic algae and bacteria, take light energy and convert it into chemical energy in the form of carbohydrates. Photosynthesis occurs in the chloroplast of the cell which contains the organelle chlorophyll. Chlorophyll absorbs the energy of sunlight. That light energy is converted to chemical energy through the steps of photosynthesis. The reactions of photosynthesis are divided into light-dependent reactions and light-independent reactions. The reactions that require light convert energy from the sun into chemical energy that the chloroplast can then use, oxygen is a waste product of this process. The reactions that don’t require light use that chemical energy to make glucose from carbon dioxide and water. In this lab our objective is to see if the amount of sunlight affects the plant cells ability to perform photosynthesis. We can tell how well the cells are carrying out photosynthesis by the amount of oxygen it releases

Hypothesis or Predicted Outcome

• I think that photosynthesis will perform more adequately being in sunlight but the seaweed doesn’t need to be in direct sunlight in order to perform..

• Methods
  • Summarize the procedures that you used in the lab. The methods section should also state clearly how data (numbers) were collected during the lab; this will be reported in the results or outcome section.
• Results or Outcome
  • In this section, provide any results or data that were generated while doing the lab procedure.
• Discussion and Analysis
  • In this section, state clearly whether you obtained the expected results and if the outcome was as expected.
  • Note: You can use the lab data to help you discuss the results and what you learned.

Provide references in APA format. This includes a reference list and in-text citations for references used in the introduction section.

Give your paper a title and number, and identify each section as specified above. Although the hypothesis will be a 1-sentence answer, the other sections will need to be paragraphs to adequately explain your experiment.