Cellular Respiration Lab Report

Instructions: In this laboratory activity, you will calculate the rate of cellular respiration in
germinating and non-germinating peas using a respirometer to measure the amount of oxygen
consumed. You will also investigate the effects of temperature, light, or seed type on the rate of
respiration. Submit your lab report to your instructor when completed.

Title:

Cellular Respiration Lab

Objective(s):

 To calculate the rate of cellular respiration in germinating and non-germinating peas

using a virtual respirometer to measure the amount of oxygen consumed.
 Investigate the effect of temperature on the rate of respiration.

Hypothesis:

There are two parts of this lab activity. This means you should have two hypotheses. In part one,
you are testing the rate of cellular respiration of germinating and non-germinating seeds. In part
two, you will select a different factor to test, such as temperature, light, or seed type, and
measure the effects of this factor on the rate of respiration. Write each hypothesis using an
if/then statement.

Part 1: If germinating and non-germinating peas are tested, then the cellular respiration rate of
the germinating peas will be higher than the non-germinating peas because their metabolism is
more active.

Part 2: If germinating seeds are placed in different temperature environments, then the cellular
respiration rate of seeds in the higher temperature environment will be higher because warm
conditions are more optimal for enzymes of cellular respiration.

Procedure:

Access the virtual lab and complete the electrophoresis procedure. The materials are listed for
you. However, you are responsible for providing a brief summary of the steps you followed
during the experimental procedure.

Materials:

Cellular Respiration Virtual Lab

 Summary of Steps:

1. A respirometer is virtually built by placing a cotton ball in a test tube.

2. Using a pipette, four drops of potassium hydroxide (KOH) are added onto the
absorbent cotton ball at the bottom of the test tube. One non-absorbent cotton
ball is placed on top of the absorbent cotton ball.
3. Twenty germinating peas are placed in the test tube.
4. The test tube is capped with a stopper and pipette pointing outward from the
top of the test tube.
5. To build a respirometer of non-germinating peas, glass beads are added to the
tube until it reaches the same volume as the germinating peas.
6. To compare the rates of respiration of germinating and non-germinating peas,
compare it to a respirometer filled to the same volume of glass beads.
7. Observe and record the changes in gas volume in the respirometers in Table 1
at different time intervals.

Variables:

List your controlled variables, independent variable, and dependent variable of each part of the
lab activity. Explain why these are the variables.

Remember, controlled variables are factors that remain the same throughout the experiment. An
independent (test) variable changes so that the experimenter can see the effect on other variables.
The dependent (outcome) variable will change in response to the test variable.

Part 1:

Controlled variables: Water bath temperature, amount of potassium hydroxide used, the
time intervals at which data was collected, and the volume of each vial ( this makes sure
that vial’s volume did not effect the rate of respiration.

Independent variable: Seed type (germinating versus non-germinating).

Dependent variable: The rate of cellular respiration.

Part 2:

Controlled variables: Seed type, amount of potassium hydroxide used, and the time
intervals at which data was collected.

Independent variable: The water bath temperature.

Dependent variable: The rate of cellular respiration

Data:
Complete the data tables to organize the data collected in this lab. Don’t forget to record
measurements with the correct number of significant figures.

Important: Before you record your volume, you must correct for differences in volume
that are due to temperature fluctuation rather than rate of respiration. To do this, subtract
any difference in the movement of water into the vial with glass beads from the
experimental vials held at the same temperature. For example, if the five-minute reading
measures 3 ml for the germinating peas, but the glass beads (which are not respiring)
show an increase of 1 ml, subtract 1 ml from 3 ml and record the total volume as 2 ml.

Table 1

This table is for gathering data on the respiration of germinating and non-germinating seeds.

Respirometer 1 Respirometer 2 Respirometer 3

Total Time (min) Volume of water (ml) Volume of water (ml) Volume of water (ml)
0 0.00 ml 0.00 ml 0.00 ml
5 0.02 ml 0.03 ml 0.04 ml
10 0.00 ml 0.05 ml 0.09 ml
15 0.00 ml 0.08 ml 0.12 ml
20 0.00 ml 0.12 ml 0.15 ml
25 0.00 ml 0.14 ml 0.23 ml

Table 2

This table is for gathering data on the effects of temperature, light, or seed type on respiration.

Respirometer 1 Respirometer 2 Respirometer 3 Respirometer 4

Total time (min) Volume of Water (ml) Volume of Water (ml) Volume of Water (ml) Volume of Water (ml)

0 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00

5 (0.07) 0.05 (0.2) 0.03
10 (0.10) 0.05 (0.21) 0.04
15 0.18 0.00 0.30 0.00
20 0.19 0.00 0.34 0.00
25 0.23 0.00 0.38 0.00

Graphing

Create a graph to compare the rate of respiration of the respirometers 1 and 3 in Table 2 of your
investigation. The graph should show the change in the volume versus time. This represents the
rate of respiration. Be sure to include a graph title and properly label your x- and y-axes,
including units.

Conclusion:

Write a conclusion statement that addresses the following questions:

 How was the rate of cellular respiration affected by germinating and non-germinating
peas? How was the rate affected by temperature, light, or seed type?
The rate of cellular respiration was higher in the germinating peas than in the non-
germinating peas. This is due to the fact that germinating peas have a more active
metabolism than the non-germinating peas and thus they require more energy.
An increase in temperature caused an increase in the rate of cellular respiration in
germinating peas. But after a certain temperature, this observed increase in respiration
rate diminishes because respiration enzymes function optimally at a specific temperature
range.
Does your data support or fail to support your hypotheses (include examples)?
The graphical data showed that the germinating peas in respirometer 3 (at 30 Celsius) had higher
change in volume than the peas in respirometer 1 (at 10 Celsius). The graphical also supports the
hypothesis that the rate cellular respiration is affected by temperature. In part 2 of the
experiment, respiration occurred at a faster rate in the respirometers in the warm water
bath.
Discuss the sources of error that could impact the results of this investigation if it were
repeated in a physical laboratory.
Several factors could have impacted the results in this experiment. One possible source
of error could be that seals on the respirators may not have been adequately leak-proof.
Another source of error is that the temperature could not have been constant which
could have caused inaccurate results.

Lab Reflection Questions

Answer the reflection questions, using what you have learned from the lesson and your
experimental data. It will be helpful to refer to your class notes. Answer questions in complete
sentences.

1. Explain how germinating peas use cellular respiration to obtain energy stored within their
endosperm?
To fulfill the high-energy demands of growth, germinating peas obtain energy from food
reserves stored in their endosperm through the process of cellular respiration. Pea plant
cells require energy in the form of ATP to divide, synthesize proteins, and maintain
themselves. As germination proceeds, food reserves stored in the endosperm are
hydrolyzed by enzymes and glucose molecules enter glycolysis, the Krebs Cycle, and the
electron transport chain to produce ATP, which powers the metabolic processes of the
pea cells.
If germinating seeds could only use fermentation to obtain energy, what changes would
you expect in the rate of respiration and growth?
The rate of respiration and growth in the seeds will slow down because fermentation
produces far less ATP than does aerobic respiration.

2. Statistical analysis allows scientists to evaluate the reliability of experimental data in

order to support or refute the null or alternate hypothesis of an investigation. One
standard deviation on either side of the mean represents 68% confidence that the true
value lies within that interval. (For the questions below, refer to your pre-lab activity for
assistance.)

a) Calculate the mean respiration rate of your germinating peas and non-
germinating peas. Before you take the mean of all 6 trials you must change your
volume/5 mins into volume/1 min. Divide each interval reading by 5 to get an
average per minute rate. Calculate one standard deviation for both means.
Non-Germinating peas mean respiration rate: 0.014/min
Standard Deviation: 0.012

Germinating peas mean respiration rate : 0.021/min

Standard Deviation: 0.007
b) Construct a bar graph that shows the mean respiration rate for germinating peas
and the mean respiration rate for non-germinating peas. Add error bars to show a
68% confidence interval across each mean.
 c) Is there evidence in your respiration data and your bar graph to support the claim
that most respiration rates lie within one standard deviation of the mean?
One standard deviation on either side of the mean represents, with 68% confidence, that the true value
lies within that interval. Two standard deviations would account for about 95 % of the data set.