Photosynthesis Lab Conclusion

Conclusion

Temperature and light are the two main contributing factors to photosynthesis rate. So in theory as temperature increases and light increases so will the photosynthesis rate. This is because reactions occur when the plant enzymes collide and bind with a substrate. The increase in temperature would mean an increase in the kinetic energy of the plant enzymes meaning they would move faster, and therefore collide more frequently with the substrates, so as a result an increase of photosynthesis occurs. However when a system reaches a certain temperature, usually around 40° C, the plant enzymes become denatured, causing an immediate decrease in photosynthesis rate. The enzymes are denatured because higher temperatures cause the enzyme

This suggests that the lights which produced heat are less suitable for use with the growth of these plants.

The hypothesis was that the heat producing bulbs would make the plants produce more oxygen as they would be photosynthesising more, however the results disprove this idea. A possible reason for this is that the plants used were both aquatic and so are more used to cooler temperatures. Therefore their optimum temperatures for photosynthesis would have been lower than the usual for land plants, suggesting that the warmer temperature reduced their efficiency. (“Aquatic Plants for Freshwater Aquariums”)

The results on the graphs are grouped in clusters, each cluster represents the result obtain with the different light bulbs. Each cluster is group relatively close together and there is little variation in the error bars suggesting that the results obtained are reliable. The light bulbs which produced less or no heat are clustered together and have higher oxygen concentrations, meaning they were more compatible for the

It would be done by putting a plant in a closed system and measuring the fluctuations in the respiration rates and the oxygen production rates. It would be useful to see how light and temperature affect the plants. Also the knowledge could then be applied in the growth of crops in greenhouses to increase efficiency in yield production, and reduce the carbon dioxide production. Both of which would help reduce world hunger and reduce greenhouse gas emissions as carbon dioxide is a major contributor to greenhouse gas emissions (“Sources of Greenhouse Gas