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Justin Nguyen
BIOL 110 HCC
11 November 2013
The Effect of the Distance of Light on the Oxygen Accumulation in C3 Leaves
Abstract:
Photosynthesis is the opposite of respiration, which the energy from the sunlight is
converted into oxygen and sugar. An experiment was conducted to determine the rate of reaction
when the distance from the light source is altered. By monitoring the time it took for oxygen to
accumulate in the plants stoma, it was determined that the closer the sunlight, the faster the
oxygen accumulation of oxygen is stored in the stoma.
Introduction:
Photosynthesis is required for plants to create their own food. To create food, energy
from the sunlight is captured during photosynthesis in order to convert the energy into organic
molecules. This process can be summarized as:
Sun + 6CO
2
+ 6H
2
O C
6
H
12
O
6
+ 6O
2
.
There are many plant cells that make up a plant. These plant cells contain a green
spherical organelle, which is known as the chloroplast, are active during photosynthesis. In this
experiment, a C3 leaf would be used in order to determine the rate of photosynthesis. The C3
leaf has a xylem, a complex tissue consisting of thick-walled and hollow cells resembling small
pipes, which allows water to transport through it (Dalton, 254). Gas exchange takes place
through the stomata and the stoma, which stores the gases in air spaces. In order to determine the
rate of photosynthesis in the C3 leaves, the leaves must sink in the bicarbonate solution. This
sinking takes place by using a vacuum pump to remove the insoluble oxygen from the leaves. In
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the presence of light, the leaves would absorb the carbon dioxide in the water to fill the air
spaces. According to MacDonald (1995), when there is more light induced on the plant,
photosynthesis can occur thus it was assumed that the closer the light source, the faster the rate
of reaction of photosynthesis.
Materials and Methods:
Procedure is found on pages 256 to 257 in the BIOL 110 Lab Manual.
Results:
The spinach leaves were placed into the bicarbonate solution at 22C after the leaves
were vacuum pumped to release the oxygen. The light source was placed at 20cm and 5cm
respectively to determine the rate of photosynthesis of the leaves. The time that it took the leaves
to store oxygen and rise to the top decreased when the light source got closer, the results were
graphed according to the order the leaves rose.
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Table 1
Leaf Segment Time (minutes:seconds)
1 1:58
2 3:24
3 6:05
4 6:12
5 6:48
6 14:34
7 15:28
8 23:15
9 28:00
10 42:00
Average 14:46

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Table 2
Leaf Segment Time (minutes:seconds)
1 7:53
2 8:26
3 9:50
4 10:00
5 10:22
6 10:32
7 10:55
8 11:45
9 12:05
10 12:38
Average 10:27

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Conclusions:
Of the two trials that were tested, the trial that had the light source closest to the spinach
leaves reacted much faster than the trial with the light source further away from the spinach
leaves. It has been stated that during photosynthesis, that light should be delivered to all
chloroplasts of the leaf (Terashima, 1). Since light should be delivered to all chloroplasts to the
leaf, it was expected that the light source should be positioned closer to the leaf because the light
would be distributed faster throughout the leaf. It was expected that the closer the light source,
the leaves rose faster, resulting in a shorter average (10 minutes 27 seconds). While the farther
the light source, the average was longer (14 minutes 46 seconds). This rate confirms the work of
Terashima because the rate of photosynthesis was faster when the light source was closer to the
leaf.
Relevance:
Many plants grow from photosynthesis. The light that is absorbed from the plant help
keeps the plant cells active, producing nutrients in the plants. During the day, the plant opens up
during the daytime when the oxygen is absorbed in the stoma. This explains why the leaves rose
after the leaves absorbed the sunlight. When winter comes around, the plants dont create enough
food for the plant because the sunlight does not reach the plants due to the sun being further
away.
References:
Dalton, K. (2012). Biology I: Molecular & Cells, Lecture Guide & Laboratory Manual. Virginia
Beach, VA: Academx Publishing Services, Inc.

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MacDonald, J. J. (1995). Photosynthesis: Why does it occur? Journal of Chemical
Education, 72(12), 1113. Retrieved from http://0-
search.proquest.com.library.ccbcmd.edu/docview/212013431?accountid=3784
Solomon, E. P., Berg, L. R. & Martin, D. W. (2011). Biology. Belmont, CA. Brooks/Cole.
Terashima, I., Hanba, Y. T., Tholen, D., & Niinemets, . (2011). Leaf functional anatomy in relation to
Photosynthesis1. Plant Physiology, 155(1), 108-16. Retrieved from http://0-
search.proquest.com.library.ccbcmd.edu/docview/847795331?accountid=3784
Xiong, J., Fischer, W. M., Inoue, K., Nakahara, M., & Bauer, C. E. (2000). Molecular evidence
for the early evolution of photosynthesis. Science, 289(5485), 1724-30. Retrieved from
http://0-search.proquest.com.library.ccbcmd.edu/docview/213588730?accountid=3784