Photosynthesis Lab

In order to improve the quality of life for all living organisms, scientists must first ensure that the ecosystem’s foundation is remaining strong, a foundation known as photosynthesis. When photosynthesis is functioning as it should, in its fullest capacity, all organisms benefit from it in some way. Furthermore, scientists aim to better understand the photosynthetic process to help enhance the efficiency and quality of life on Earth. By fully understanding the function of photosynthesis, some environmental adjustments can then be made to refine the photosynthetic process. In this lab specifically (Lab No. 7), we isolated specific color wavelengths and recorded the rate of photosynthesis in comparison to the unaltered rate of photosynthesis
One test tube was wrapped in a colored filter and the other was left unaltered (the control), each group then inserted a stopper and a long glass tube in each test tube and recorded the water height in ten-minute intervals. As a class, we tested the effect of a blue filtered, purple filter, and green filtered test tube and then collected the data from each. The independent variable in this experiment was the time amount of time given in each interval, the dependent variable in this experiment was the rate of photosynthesis as represented by the height increase of the water within the long glass tube. My hypothesis is as follows: If Elodea is placed in a green filtered test tube and tested for its photosynthetic rate, then it will have no change in growth rate or photosynthetic rate because Elodea does not require green wavelengths to photosynthesize. If we cover three different Elodea filled test tubes with a purple, blue, and green filter, then I anticipate the blue and purple filtered test tubes will show the greatest impact on the growth of the
In plants, the pigments in chlorophyll are used to absorb the light energy from the sun to aid in the process of photosynthesis (Biology 102 Lab 7). Specific wavelengths are assimilated into the pigments; however, not all wavelengths will be absorbed into the plant. The wavelengths not absorbed will reflect off of the plant and act as the visual representation of a plant’s color, thus resulting in the green wavelength not being absorbed in the majority of the plant (Book citation). Furthermore, plants must have an increased pigment concentration in order to absorb the greatest amount of light possible (Book citation). The lab suggests that the control test tube will be able to absorb the wavelengths it wants to without a struggle because it will not have any filter hindering the plant’s process of photosynthesis. As previously mentioned, I propose the Elodea placed in a green filtered test tube will show no change in its photosynthetic rate because the green wavelength is not a necessary contributor to the growth of Elodea. The green filter surrounding the test tube is acting as a reflector of green light, making it difficult for the green wavelengths to reach the elodea at this point. A green plant, such as Elodea, will rely heavily upon the purple and blue wavelengths. Therefore, when placing a blue or purple filter around Elodea, it