The Effect Of Inorganic Nitrogen On The Photosynthetic Activity Of Egeria Densa

Photosynthesis and cell respiration are some of the two most important biological processes that organisms go through. Photosynthesis is the biological process plants undergo to convert light energy into chemical energy. In chloroplasts the chlorophyll act as catalysts for this process. The process uses carbon dioxide (CO2) and Water (H2O) in order to produce glucose (C6H1206) and oxygen (02). Thus, it is read as 6CO2 + 6H2O —> C6H12O6 + 6O2. Photosynthesis is split into two different processes. The first process is light Dependent meaning i uses energy being absorbed to break down and molecules at a rapid photosynthetic rate. The second process is Light Independent meaning it uses ATP and NADH absorbed during when light was present to breakdown glucose instead. Therefore, Healthy plants are green because Chlorophyll absorbs red and blue light, but reflects green light signifying stored light.Some Anaerobic bacteria undergo photosynthesis meaning it can’t grow in oxygen and uses Carbon Dioxide and other substances like hydrogen sulfide to photosynthesis. In general all plants need Carbon Dioxide. (Ensminger, 2014)

Duckweed is a small aquatic plant that is able to grow rapidly, making it the ideal specimen for our experiment. It is hypothesized that altering the amount of light received by duckweed will alter its photosynthetic rate. It is predicted that a lower light intensity will lower the rate of growth in duckweed.

Photosynthesis is the conversion of light energy to chemical energy into sugars. It is the process in plants that uses carbon dioxide, water, and sunlight from its surroundings and releases oxygen as a byproduct (6H2O+6CO2+light energy -> C6H12O6+6O2). Photosynthesis is required for plants because they are autotrophs, organisms that make their own food. Plants require a specific environment that is ideal to them to be able to carry out the process. Environmental conditions can either increase or decrease the rate of photosynthesis. Things like colors of light, pH, and temperature can all affect the rate of photosynthesis in plants.

Introduction: Photosynthesis can be defined as a solar powered process that removes atmospheric carbon dioxide and transforms it into oxygen and carbohydrates (Harris-Haller 2014). Photosynthesis can be considered to be the most important biochemical process on Earth because it helps plants to grow its roots, leaves, and fruits, and plants serve as autotrophs which are crucial to the food chain on earth. Several factors determine the process of photosynthesis. Light is one these factors and is the main subject of this experiment. The intensity of light is a property of light that is important for photosynthesis to occur. Brighter light causes more light to touch the surface of the plant which increases the rate of photosynthesis (Speer 1997). This is why there is a tendency of higher rates of photosynthesis in climates with a lot of sunlight than areas that primarily do not get as much sunlight. Light wavelength is also a property of

The purpose of this experiment was to investigate the effects of light intensity on the rate of photosynthesis in a Moneywort plant. By observing the plant in distilled water mixed with sodium bicarbonate, different light bulbs were targeted onto the plant. The measurement of the amount of bubbles present on the plant during the trial of the experiment enabled us to identify the comparisons between the activity of the light and the process of photosynthesis.

Photosynthesis is a vital process that requires to utilize energy for plants. This experiment was done to evaluate the effects of carbon availability on photosynthetic activity. The aquatic plant Elodea densa was placed into sodium bicarbonate solutions of five concentrations ranging from 0.1% to 1.0%, in five independent trials (excluding the negative control treatment of water). The temperature and light intensity was constant. The results indicated a directly proportional relationship between the availability of carbon dioxide and the rate of photosynthesis of Elodea Densa, as photosynthesis continued to increase with increasing amounts of bicarbonate. The most O2 amount of oxygen produced was with the 0.7% NaHCO3 concentration and least with the control of water. The null hypothesis that stated carbon concentration does not affect rate of photosynthesis of the aquatic plant was rejected. The predicted hypothesis that an increase in bicarbonate concentrations results in an increase in the photosynthetic rate was accepted. In conclusion, there is a significant increase in photosynthetic activity as the concentration of NaHCO3 increases.

University Press, Cambridge, United Kingdom. E J H Corner, 2002. The Life of Plants. University of Chicago Press,

“Atmospheric carbon dioxide (CO₂) concentrations have increased by approximately 40% since the start of the Industrial Revolution” (Wilmers et al. 2012). This increase in atmospheric CO₂ is a leading cause and contributor to Earth’s climate change with effects such as: “measurable global heat retention and elevated atmospheric temperatures, partial melting of the polar ice caps, ocean acidification, and a host of other impacts on Earth’s environments” (Wilmers et al. 2012). Earth’s ecosystems are combating this climate change by helping reduce the concentration of CO₂ and “sequestering C” (Carbon) in the atmosphere through “photosynthesis” (Wilmers et al. 2012). “Kelp forests are among

The purpose of this experiment is to understand the effects of nutrient enrichment and eutrophication, using samples of water from Rio Salado and Encanto Park. The samples will contain different concentration levels of nitrogen, phosphorous and nitrogen and phosphorous combined and the impact it has on algae growth. The results recorded showed that the nitrogen concentration levels had a little change, phosphorous levels had a higher change and phosphorous and nitrogen combined had a significantly higher change, resulting in higher algae growth. The results showed that phosphorous indeed is a limiting nutrient in algae growth, but to achieve the highest growth rate, both nitrogen and phosphorous need to be combined.

This increase in oceanic inorganic carbon has offset the seawater carbonate chemistry by causing increasing concentrations of CO2 and bicarbonate, while causing decreasing concentrations of carbonate and pH levels (Dedmer 2013). Rost and colleagues (2008) express that emissions of fossil fuel have caused an immense increase in the levels of atmospheric CO2, which are then deposited into the surface water of oceans. This increase in carbonic acid is in turn decreasing the pH balance, which poses a threat to marine organisms.

Since the industrial revolution, anthropogenic inputs of carbon dioxide to the atmosphere have increased dramatically. Concentrations in the atmosphere have risen 40% from 1750 to 2011, reaching record highs of 390.5 ppm (Stocker, et al., 2013). Due to this, the amount of dissolved CO2 in the oceans has also increased causing acidification of the oceans which can have several effects, mainly on calcifying organisms. Climate change has also influenced the stratification of the oceans due to density changing affecting nutrient distribution. So far, although a number of methods have been explored, there have been no solutions that don’t have their own issues.

Photosynthesis, the process that supports nearly all of life on Earth, is also sub-optimally efficient. Since photosynthesis is the source of all of our food and energy, examining its inefficiencies may lead to improvements in our abilities to produce food, materials, and sustainable bioenergy. So, what are these inefficiencies? What is the potential for improvement? If possible, should we improve the process of photosynthesis? How might this effect our environment and ourselves? These are the questions that frame the following essay.

However, the photosynthetic process can be affected by different environmental factors. In the following experiment, we tested the effects that the light intensity, light wavelength and pigment had on photosynthesis. The action spectrum of photosynthesis shows which wavelength of light is the most effective using only one line. The absorption spectrum plots how much light is absorbed at different wavelengths by one or more different pigment types. Organisms have different optimal functional ranges, so it is for our benefit to discover the conditions that this process works best. If the environmental conditions of light intensity, light wavelength and pigment type are changed, then the rate of photosynthesis will increase with average light intensity and under the wavelengths of white light which will correspond to the absorption spectrum of the pigments. The null hypothesis to this would be; if the environmental conditions light intensity, light wavelength and pigment type are changed, then the rate of photosynthesis will decrease with average light intensity and under the white light which will correspond to the absorption spectrum of the pigments.

In this lab, varying wavelengths were used to test how light affects photosynthesis and respiration as a whole. The absorbance of lights from 380 nm to 720 nm of chlorophyll pigment from the Elodea sample

Anthropogenic activity has affected a large number of ecosystems in the world including the earth’s oceans. Atmospheric levels of carbon dioxide (CO2) have been escalating since the rise of the industrial revolution and are now at a far more prominent rate than previously experienced in the Earth's history primarily due to the burning of fossil fuels (Wood et al., 2008). The concentration of CO2 in the Earth's atmosphere now surpasses 380 parts per million (ppm), which is more than 80 ppm over the highest values of the past 740,000 years (Hoegh-Guldberg et al., 2007). As a result, the oceans have absorbed approximately 25% to 30% of the CO2 in the atmosphere acting as carbon sinks and decreasing the rate of CO2 rise in the atmosphere, which has had a direct effect on the ocean’s chemistry (Logan, 2010). This results in the most prominent phenomena known as ocean acidification, which worsens day-to-day as CO2 enters the oceans at a more noteworthy rate than ever before, diminishing the ocean's natural buffering capacity and lowering the pH (Wood et al., 2008). This is documented to have a significant threat to marine species. As CO2 enters the ocean and comes in contact with the water, it reacts and changes the chemical properties of the ocean itself (Wood et al., 2008). This process produces carbonic acid that breaks down into bicarbonate, carbonate, and hydrogen ions that increase the acidity. The ocean’s pH commonly ranges between 7.8 and 8.2, yet, recent studies show that