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The effects of carbon dioxide on photosynthesis
The effects of carbon dioxide on photosynthesis
The effects of carbon dioxide on photosynthesis
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Recommended: The effects of carbon dioxide on photosynthesis
Sarah Boozer
4/28/2014
BSC111LH sec. H001
T. A. Aaron Holbrook
The Effects of CO2 on Brassica rapa Growth
Introduction
Brassica rapa is a mustard plant that can be found throughout North America, and is common in areas undergoing extreme change, such as changes in climate. There is an important relationship between the ecological and genetic factors that influence the growth of Brassica rapa (Mitchell-Olds 1996). So, the environmental elements, as well as the genetic information, are essential to the growth rate and survival of Brassica rapa. This plant is capable of reproducing quickly, and the root systems are usually quite small, although some Brassica rapa have developed larger root systems (Mitchell-Olds 1996). This plant is commonly used in experiments because of its ability to germinate rapidly. Brassica rapa is capable of sprouting within a stage of about two weeks, and this trait allows scientists to perform experiments in a short period of time.
Carbon dioxide is necessary for plants to carry out the process of photosynthesis, which is an important process because it allows plants to produce glucose, as well as oxygen. Based on evidence from previous experiments, the growth of the plant will reflect the amount of CO2 gas that is present in the environment (O’Leary and Knecht 1986). This means that the plant growth relies on the carbon dioxide in the atmosphere in order to be successful. Therefore, in several cases, it has been noted that when the concentration of CO2 is doubled, the plant growth will similarly increase (Carter et al. 1997). So, it can be concluded that by raising the amount of carbon dioxide in an environment, the surrounding plants will experience an increase in growth.
The purpose of this experimen...
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...e been beneficial to the experiment. An error may have occurred due to the fact that measurements were taken by different individuals, so the calculations could have been inconsistent.
Literature Cited
Carter, E., Theodorou, M., and Morris, P. 1997. Responses of lotus corniculatus to environmental Change I. effects of elevated CO2, temperature and drought on growth and plant development. New Phytologist. 136: 245-253.
Mitchell-Olds, T. 1996. Pleiotropy causes long-term genetic constraints on life-history evolution in Brassica rapa. Evolution. 50: 1849-1858.
O’Leary, J., and Knecht, G. 1986. Elevated CO2 concentration increases stomate numbers in Phaseolus vulgaris leaves. Botanical Gazette. 142: 438-441.
Poorter, H, and Navas, M. 2003. Plant growth and competition at elevated CO2: on winners, losers and functional groups. New Phytologist. 157: 175-198.
The Difference of Carbon Dioxide emission from Elodea plant after being exposed to different temperatures.
If intraspecific competition will affect the number of flowers and the height of each plant in Brassica rapa in 2, 5, and 10 seed treatments, then plants in the high density treatment will be shorter and have less flowers. We kept track of the number of flowers on each plant throughout the duration of the experiment, as well as the height of each surviving plant to support our prediction, and the plants with the highest fitness will be taller and have more
As a result of these factors, the flora has adapted to these conditions in a variety of ways including their shape, leaf type, root system, and color. One of the most prominent adapt...
Going into details of the article, I realized that the necessary information needed to evaluate the experimental procedures were not included. However, when conducting an experiment, the independent and dependent variable are to be studied before giving a final conclusion.
In this laboratory experiment, the rate of photosynthesis was measured through the use of the “floating leaf disk technique.” The leaf disks were placed into a syringe and the O2 and CO2 in the mesophyll layers of the leaves were removed and then replaced with sodium bicarbonate or water, causing the leaves to sink to the bottom of the container. If one determines the number of leaf disks rising to the top as a result of an increase in oxygen gas in the mesophyll cells, then the rate of photosynthesis is able to be measured because O2 is a product of photosynthesis. The first step of this experiment was a feasibility study of the variance in the photosynthetic activity of the leaf disks in both water and bicarbonate solutions. After five minutes of light exposure, all of the leaf disks in the bicarbonate solution (10 disks) had ...
Elodea is an anaerobic plant frequently utilized to understand and manage photosynthesis. Deciding to test the carbon dioxide different levels by setting two beakers containing the Elodea that should weigh roughly weigh between 1.5-2g and one beaker under the light. In the process we put the beakers in the appropriate spots for an hour, drops of phenolphthalein and of 0.02 mL of NaOH were included into every beaker then record the changes in carbon dioxide reproduction. It was presumed that the beaker with Elodea in 20 salt drops, would take more noteworthy measures by which decrease the carbon dioxide than the beaker with Elodea that had no salt. The Elodea that had 20 salt drops display no difference. The experiment gives us a better comprehension in regard to which circumstances does a plant undergo in the real world if it’s in high salt concentration.
The book states that the initial colonization of land by plants was followed by cooling and abrupt glaciation. The CO2 levels were 20 times higher than todays concentrations and would need to be reduced by 50% to cause glaciation. Though weathering could help contribute to a decrease in CO2 levels; not enough to cause glaciation. The book says that early plants lacked roots, but showed they still
C4 plants are will grow more in warm weather. Warm weather causes a plant to close their stomata to save water in warm temperatures. When this process occurs
The world has been warming up including the arctic since the 1950s (Hudson and Henry 2009; Mcguire et al. 2009).This concept is widely known as climate change or global warming. The increase in temperature on the earth surface and atmosphere has been a by-product of man’s industrialization and an insatiable need for energy (Smith 2008). A once contentious issue has now been put to rest furthermore there is the newly found supposition among the public that in fact climate change is a real and threatening problem (Smith 2008). The arctic’s warming affects a cross spectrum of environmental and biological systems that might not be irreversible and have the potential to cause precipitous changes in the earth structure (Mcguire et al. 2009). It is widely known that the low temperature in the arctic is one of the key factors that limit the growth of plant directly or indirectly (Post and Pedersen 2008). Temperatures directly affect plant growth by restricting the degree of tissue respiration and nutrient uptake (Brooker and Van der wal 2003) and indirectly by decelerating down the rate of decomposition (Chapin and Shaver 2002). The additional presence of CO2 is expected to increase plant biomass (Brouder and Volenec 2008). The interactive factors of Temperature, soil nutrients, CO2 availability and precipitation are the key factors for the growth of plants (Post and Perdersen 2008). The arctic is an excellent environment to carry out experimental studies on plants because of notable changes that can be noticed in plant structure or mass because of a change in temperature (Mcguire et al. 2009). There is a wide consensus among a number of scientists working in the arctic t...
... the floating discs easier. If this experiment is conducted again, I will have corrected these errors and been more careful. In a follow up experiment, the rate of photosynthesis can be calculated directly by the production of oxygen using oxygen probes. I could also calculate the rate increase in biomass in the plants. However in doing so, I may need to increase my sample size from 10 to perhaps 50 or 100 to generate more accurate results. In a follow-up experiment I plan on measuring the effects of temperature on photosynthesis. Low temperature slow down rates of photosynthesis by slowing down enzymatic processes. High temperatures denature enzymes and have similar results. With this knowledge I would explore how do rapid fluctuations in temperature impact plant growth, and is there a plant species resistant to these changes? Only further research can answer this.
- Each teaspoon may not have been equal. Measurements were made based on judgment and not exact measurements.
Each plant species has a unique pattern of resource allocation that is genetically determined but not fixed. Plants can adjust there allocation pattern when they experience different environments and the presence of other species. Phenotypic plasticity goes hand in hand with resource allocation as well. When a plant has to adjust itʻs resource allocation, sometimes it uses itʻs resources to help the plant grow different characteristic so that the plant can have a greater chance of living in the environment. For example, if a plant from an environment that does not experience wind on the regular basis enters a new environment that has a lot of wind the plant may change itʻs resource allocation and spend more of itʻs resources growing deeper
There is also the potential of human error within this experiment for example finding the meniscus is important to get an accurate amount using the graduated pipettes and burettes. There is a possibility that at one point in the experiment a chemical was measured inaccurately affecting the results. To resolve this, the experiment should have been repeated three times.
Trees absorb carbon dioxide (CO2) from the atmosphere while also turning it into glucose. The moment deforestation moves through a forest field of
Snogerup, S. 1980. The Wild Forms of the Brassica oleracea Group and Their Possible Relations to the Cultivated Ones. pp. 121-132. In C. Gomez-Campo, K. Hinata & S. Tsunoda (eds.), Brassica Crops and Wild Allies: Biology and Breeding. Japan Scientific Societies Press, Tokyo.