Lab Report

Question: What is the effect of changing the concentration of CO2 on the rate of
photosynthesis?

Hypothesis: Increasing the concentration of CO2 should increase the rate of

photosynthesis in a plant.

Null hypothesis: Increasing CO2 concentration has no effect on the rate of

photosynthesis.

Background Information: Photosynthesis is an essential life process that is responsible for

the existence of nearly all life on Earth today. It involves a large and complex series of
chemical reactions with the main substances used being CO2 and water to produce glucose
and oxygen (which is a waste product). The main limiting factors of this process are Light
intensity, CO2 concentration and temperature. In this investigation we studied the effect of
CO2 on the rate of photosynthesis on the aquatic plant – Hydrilla. Increasing the
concentration of CO2 , under normal conditions, increases the rate of photosynthesis until the
rate eventually becomes constant. The Calvin cycle or light-independent reaction of
photosynthesis is the part that is affected by the amount of CO2 present. The first step of the
Calvin cycle is carbon fixation, where CO2 is made to react with ribulose bisphosphate
(RuBP) to produce glycerate-3-phosphate. When more CO2 is supplied, the number of
reactions with RuBP naturally increases. A simple but effective way to measure the rate of
photosynthesis and any changes is to count the number of oxygen bubbles produced by the
plant as a waste product of photosynthesis.

Variables

Independent Dependent Control

Temperature

Concentration of sodium The number of bubbles Same plant used

bicarbonate solution produced/minute each time

Light intensity

Apparatus:

 3 beakers
 1 aquatic plant (Hydrilla)
 1 ruler
 18 grams of sodium bicarbonate
 500 ml water
 1 measuring cylinder
 1 pair forceps
 1 stop watch
 4 boiling tubes
  1 thermometer

Procedure:

 Make 0.2 percent and 0.4 percent concentrations of Sodium Hydrogen carbonate-
1. Fill a measuring cylinder v with 40ml of water and pour it into a
beaker. Add 2 grams of Sodium Bicarbonate to it.
2. Mix to form a solution then add an additional 60 ml of water using the
measuring cylinder to it so that the total solution is 100 ml
3. Take 20ml of this solution and add it to a separate beaker. Label said
beaker as ‘0.2%’
4. Repeat steps a and b with 4 grams of Sodium Hydrogen carbonate and
add 20 ml of this solution to a separate beaker. Label this beaker
‘0.4%’

 Pour solution from the 0.2 % beaker into a test tube, leaving enough space so that it
doesn't overflow when hydrilla is added to it.

 Carefully cut a piece of hydrilla so as not to damage it and then immediately transfer
it to the test tube, ensuring that the piece is fully submerged in the substance.

 Take water from the boiling tube in a beaker and measure its temperature. If the
Temperature is greater than 30° Celsius use room temperature water to moderate it to
around 30° Celsius (make note of the temperature it's cooled down to and minimize
differences in temperature for each run of this step)

 Place the beaker next to light source, add the test tube to it and immediately start the
stopwatch. Count the number of oxygen bubbles released by the plant and record the
total number after 2 minutes.

 Repeat steps 2-5 with the same piece of plant and solution from the 0.4% beaker

Safety and ethical considerations: Sodium Bicarbonate is a potential irritant if it gets into
one’s eyes, therefore, safety goggles should be used. While handling the water bath a lab coat
must be worn and care must be taken to not get burnt due to the water’s high temperature. As
for ethical considerations, after the experiment, the Hydrilla should be returned to its tank and
not be left to die.

Raw Data and Processed Data:

Concentration of sodium bicarbonate Number of Oxygen Bubbles produced

0.1% 2
 0.2% 5

0.3% 11

0.4% 20
Number of bubbles produced

Sodium Carbonate concentration / %

Evaluation: Looking at the data we can come to the conclusion that increasing the
concentration of CO2 does increase the rate of photosynthesis as more bubbles are produced.
Therefore, the hypothesis proves true and the null hypothesis is rejected. We could have
repeated the experiment more than one time, and could have used different and more varied
Sodium Bicarbonate solution concentrations, however we were unable to do it due to the lack
of time. Instead of keeping it in a beaker filled with hot water, where heat could have been
lost to the surroundings easily, we could have kept the test tube in a temperature controlled
water bath, in order to obtain more reliable results. A different light source other than
sunlight could have also been used, to precisely control the amount of light the Hydrilla
received.