The Effect of Carbon Dioxide

on the Rate of Photosynthesis

by Isabelle Francke

Introduction (Part 1: Explanation of Photosynthesis)

Photosynthesis is the process that plants and similar organisms use radiation from the
sun to convert carbon dioxide and water into oxygen and glucose. The plant does this
by using photons as the initial energy source. Inside the thylakoids, photons excite
chlorophyll. The excited chlorophyll releases electrons and breaks water into two
hydrogen ions, electrons, and oxygen. The electrons stabilize the chlorophyll, the
hydrogen ions pass through ATP synthase to create ATP, and the oxygen is released
through pores in the leaf called stomata or is used in cellular respiration. Meanwhile,
excited electrons are transported by carrier molecules and NADP+ is converted into
NADPH. In the second stage, called the Calvin Cycle, carbon dioxide and RuBD are
transformed into 3 carbon molecules that can be transformed into other sugars like
glucose. During the Calvin Cycle, which happens in the stroma of the plant cell, ATP
and NADP are used for energy. The byproducts of photosynthesis, glucose and
oxygen, are used in cellular respiration.

Introduction (Part 2: Importance of Photosynthesis)

Photosynthesis is necessary for human life because it provides us with oxygen,
which is one of the key components of cellular respiration. When organisms first
began to photosynthesize, they increased the amount of oxygen in the
atmosphere. Without the first photosynthesizing organisms, humans would not
have evolved the way they have.
Additionally, photosynthesis is especially important in the current era because it
removes carbon dioxide from the atmosphere. Carbon dioxide is a greenhouse
gas that increases the rate of climate change. Climate change is a threat to many
species, but photosynthesis can reduce its effects.

Methods
To test the rate of photosynthesis in relation to carbon, we removed the gas from
leaf discs by using a vacuum and put them into two beakers, one with water and
one with a bicarbonate solution. We used diluted soap to allow the solution to
enter the leaf discs once they were fully immersed. Then we recorded the amount
of leaves that floated to the surface and how long it took them. When a leaf disc
floated, it indicated the presence of gases, specifically oxygen. In this way we
could indirectly test the rate of photosynthesis.

Results

Analysis
Based on the results, it is clear that an absence of carbon dioxide makes
photosynthesizing impossible for plant cells. The leaf discs that were placed in the
bicarbonate solution floated to the top. In the end there were 7 floating discs in
that solution. The oxygen that was created as a byproduct of photosynthesis made
the discs float to the surface because it is less dense than the solution it is in. But
in the water solution, no discs floated. In an absence of carbon dioxide, no oxygen
is created as a byproduct of photosynthesis, so no photosynthesis has happened.
If I were to create a new experiment using the same method, I would test the
effect of temperature on the rate of photosynthesis. It would be easy to compare
the data because the experiment yields qualitative numbers.