Elodea Light Intensity Essay

778 Words4 Pages

Aim: How does light intensity affect the rate of photosynthesis in Elodea (pondweed)?
Introduction: In this experiment, we were testing the rate of photosynthesis in elodea. For a plant to photosynthesize, it needs carbon dioxide and water and sunlight, a factor of photosynthesis. In order for us to measure the rate of photosynthesis, we needed to measure the products that were made, glucose and oxygen. As oxygen was a visible product, we counted the oxygen bubbles made when we moved the source of light.
Hypothesis: Plants need light to photosynthesize. In this experiment, the light intensity is changed by changing the distance of the source of light closer or further away from the elodea, so theoretically, when the intensity becomes stronger due to the light source being closer to the Elodea, the rate of photosynthesis should increase and …show more content…

I believe that the higher the light intensity is, increases the rate of photosynthesis as it is would no longer be a limiting factor of photosynthesis and therefore the plant would photosynthesize at a higher rate, which is shown in my results. My investigation has proved evidence to support my hypothesis. Evaluation: Overall, there was an increasing trend, however at 20cm there was an anomaly that occurred as it did not follow the pattern that the other results displayed. However, this could have been due to a number of factors, the plant may have been tired or there could have been another limiting factor, e.g. temperature or carbon dioxide. One of the variables that we could not control was the size of the oxygen bubbles or the age of the plant which may have influenced our experiment. I do not believe that our measurements were accurate due to influential factors that may have affected the results. There were external light intensities that also may have influenced the results. To improve my investigation, I