Name: Demetriou De Gannes

Date: 25/06/2015
Form: U6-2
Subject: Biology
Teachers name: Mrs. Deane-Paul
Title: Photosynthesis- Light Intensity
AIM: To determine the effect of varying light intensities on Photosynthesis.
INTRODUCTION:
Photosynthesis is a process used by plants and other organisms to convert light
energy, normally from the Sun, into chemical energy that can be later released to
fuel the organisms' activities. This chemical energy is stored in carbohydrate
molecules, such as sugars, which are synthesized from carbon dioxide and water.
Photosynthesis maintains atmospheric oxygen levels and supplies all of the organic
compounds and most of the energy necessary for life on Earth.
Chlorophyll is a term used for several closely related green pigments found in
cyanobacteria and the chloroplasts of algae and plants where photosynthesis takes
place. Chlorophyll is an extremely important biomolecule, critical in photosynthesis,
which allows plants to absorb energy from light. Chlorophyll absorbs light most
strongly in the blue portion of the electromagnetic spectrum, followed by the red
portion. Conversely, it is a poor absorber of green and near-green portions of the
spectrum, hence the green color of chlorophyll-containing tissues.
The overall chemical reaction involved in photosynthesis is:
6CO2 + 6H2O (+ light energy) C6H12O6 + 6O2.
This is the source of the O2 we breathe, and thus, a significant factor in the
concerns about deforestation. There are two parts to photosynthesis. They are
called the light (dependent) reaction and the dark (light independent) reaction.
The light reaction happens in the thylakoid membrane and converts light energy to
chemical energy. This chemical reaction must, therefore, take place in the light.
Chlorophyll and several other pigments such as beta-carotene are organized in
clusters in the thylakoid membrane and are involved in the light reaction. Each of
these differently-colored pigments can absorb a slightly different colour of light and
pass its energy to the central chlorphyll molecule to do photosynthesis. The central
part of the chemical structure of a chlorophyll molecule is a porphyrin ring, which
consists of several fused rings of carbon and nitrogen with a magnesium ion in the
center.
The energy harvested via the light reaction is stored by forming a chemical called
ATP (adenosine triphosphate), a compound used by cells for energy storage. This
chemical is made of the nucleotide adenine bonded to a ribose sugar, and that is

bonded to three phosphate groups. This molecule is very similar to the building
blocks for our DNA.
The dark reaction takes place in the stroma within the chloroplast, and converts
CO2 to sugar. This reaction doesnt directly need light in order to occur, but it does
need the products of the light reaction (ATP and another chemical called NADPH).
The dark reaction involves a cycle called the Calvin cycle in which CO2 and energy
from ATP are used to form sugar. Actually, notice that the first product of
photosynthesis is a three-carbon compound called glyceraldehyde 3-phosphate.
Almost immediately, two of these join to form a glucose molecule.
Most plants put CO2 directly into the Calvin cycle. Thus the first stable organic
compound formed is the glyceraldehyde 3-phosphate. Since that molecule contains
three carbon atoms, these plants are called C3 plants. For all plants, hot summer
weather increases the amount of water that evaporates from the plant. Plants
lessen the amount of water that evaporates by keeping their stomates closed
during hot, dry weather. Unfortunately, this means that once the CO2 in their leaves
reaches a low level, they must stop doing photosynthesis. Even if there is a tiny bit
of CO2 left, the enzymes used to grab it and put it into the Calvin cycle just dont
have enough CO2 to use.
Light is electromagnetic radiation within a certain portion of the electromagnetic
spectrum. The word usually refers to visible light, which is visible to the human eye
and is responsible for the sense of sight. Visible light is usually defined as having a
wavelength in the range of 400 nanometres (nm), or 400109 m, to 700
nanometres between the infrared (with longer wavelengths) and the ultraviolet
(with shorter wavelengths). Often, infrared and ultraviolet are also called light.
As light intensity rises, the rate of the light independent reaction and therefore
photosynthesis increases proportionately. The more photons of light that fall on a
leaf, the greater the number of chlorophyll molecules that are ionized and the more
ATP and NADPH are generated. Light dependent reactions use light energy and so
are not affected by changes in temperature. As the light intensity is increased
further, however the rate of photosynthesis is eventually limited by some other
factor. So the rate plateaus. At very high light intensity, chlorophyll may be
damaged and the rate drops steeply. Chlorophyll A is used in both photosystems.
The wavelength of light is also important. PSI absorbs energy most efficiently at
700nm and PSII at 680 nm. Light with a higher proportion of energy concentrated in
these wavelengths will produce a higher rate of photosynthesis.

Diagram representing the setup of apparatus in the experiment

Apparatus/ materials:

beaker
Test tube
Metal forceps
Scalpel
Ruler
Water bath

Stop watch

Light source
Tripod stand
Elodeum
Paper clip
Clamp stand

Method:

A long piece of Elodea shoot (about 7cm) was cut diagonally at the severed
end.
The Elodea plantlet was placed in a test tube filled with water stem end up.
A paper clip was used to hold the plant steady and in place close to the
bottom of the test tube.
All visible aquatic invertebrates was removed from the test tube.
A beaker of water was filled and placed on a tripod stand.
The test tube containing the Elodea was submerged in the beaker of water
and held in a suspended position using a clamp stand.
The temperature of the set up was recorded.
The light source was placed at a desired distance from the water bath.
The lamp was turned on to allow five minutes of equilibrating time.
The number of bubbles evolved from the elodea over a three minute period
was counted.
This was repeated 3 times for the same light intensity
The above steps were repeated with the light source at various distances
from the plant (10, 15, 20, 30, 40 and 80 cm)
Results:
Table showing the effect of light on the rate of Photosynthesis or Oxygen/gas
production (bubbles produced).
Distance of
light
source/ cm

Light
intensity/

5
15
30
50
80

0.04000
0.00444
0.00111
0.00040
0.00016

1)Number
of bubbles
of O2 gas
produced
over 3 min
42
28
12
10
2

2) Number
of bubbles
of O2 gas
produced
over 3 min
40
21
13
8
1

3) Number
of bubbles
of O2 gas
produced
over 3 min
43
29
14
6
9

Avg number
of bubbles
of O2 gas
produced
over 3 min
42
31
13
9
4

Variables:
Manipulated- The different distance light was from the test tube.
Controlled- The procedure on each test tube was kept constant and the plant being
used in the experiment (Elodeum).
Responding: The amount of bubbles counted in the 3 minute interval.
Discussion:
This experiment was planned and done to observe/ determine the effect of light
intensities on Photosynthesis by reacting an Elodeum Shoot with light at different
distances

and then providing a simulation of the conditions that might be

available to this plant in its natural habitat. This is done by creating an optimal

temperature of the environment by using the water bath also sunlight was
simulated with the light rays coming from the lamp. These are some of the most
relevant conditions for photosynthesis to occur.
A graph representing the rate of photosynthesis with different light intensities
versus the average number of bubbles seen emitted from the Elodeum shoot. (by
counting the number of bubbles three times and then finding the average) The
graph showed a gradual increase in the number of bubbles released from the
Elodeum shoot as the light intensity is increased. This increase occurs drastically
until the light intensity of 0.00444, and then begins to slow down the rate of
photosynthesis and soon plateaus.
As light intensity rises, the rate of the light independent reaction and therefore
photosynthesis increases proportionately. The more photons of light that fall on a
leaf, the greater the number of chlorophyll molecules that are ionized and the more
ATP and NADPH are generated. As the light intensity is increased further, however
the rate of photosynthesis is eventually limited by some other factor. So the rate
plateaus as seen in the graph. At very high light intensity, chlorophyll may be
damaged and the rate drops steeply but this was not achieved in the experiment.

Precautions made in doing the experiment were as simple as washing the apparatus
clean before use to prevent contamination, systematic errors were avoided (such as
faulty equipment) and all reactants were made the same temperature before
reacting. Avoid keeping the Elodeum out of the pond water and avoid parallax
errors.
Limitations experienced in this experiment were; contamination of reagents, there
was a delay in using the stop watch as there was the factor of reaction time and
there was temperature fluctuations from not being in a closed environment but was
minimized due to the use of the water bath. Another limitation may be due to the
fact that there were external sources of light, not just the lamp. To correct this, the
experiment should have been done in a dark room with no light besides the primary
source. A wider range of distances should have been used, this would have
produced the most accurate results possible and also allow the study of the
photosynthetic behavior of the Elodeum with different distances.
Conclusion:
By increasing the light intensity, the Elodeum will photosynthesize more rapidly but
slows down after 0.00444, because of overexposure or saturation of the chlorophyll.