Introduction:
Aerobic life on earth is only possible thanks to the oxygen produced by the cellular respiration of plants and other photosynthetic organisms. This crucial service was recently demonstrated in a 2012 study by Martin et al. titled A paradigm of fragile Earth in Priestley’s bell jar. The experiment was based off of Priestley’s now famous bell jar experiment where Priestley first placed a mouse in a sealed jar without plant life, leading to the mouse’s eventual asphyxiation, and placed another mouse in a sealed jar this time with the addition of mint sprigs. This second mouse survived unscathed and in an effort to replicate this experiment on a large scale Martin et al.’s study focused on keeping a healthy 47-year old man in a small, well-lit, and sealed greenhouse filled with a variety of plants for 48 hours. Their experiment was a success and the oxygen content in the greenhouse actually rose from a deliberately reduced initial concentration of 12.4 % O2 to an 18.1 % concentration more representative of our atmosphere.
In our study we sought to compare the oxygen output of three different types of photosynthetic organisms, a strain of pea plant, a lichen, and an Elodea sp. to find which species yielded the most oxygen per gram of mass. We hope that the information acquired in our study can be used in a similar way to Martin et al.’s study and hope it will be of especial service those seeking to transport or keep aerobic organisms in confined spaces,
Measuring the Rate Oxygen Production using an Oxygen Electrode Chamber in Photosynthesis of Spinacia oleracea with Varying Light Intensities
Human impact on the cycling matter in ecosystems can change a lot of things. Humans can either help or hurt things. The carbon, nitrogen and phosphorus cycles are the three cycles of matter in ecosystems. What are these cycles? How do humans effect each one of these individual cycles? What are some examples of humans effecting these cycles?
The biosphere consists of a compound infusion of gases; the main components are oxygen, nitrogen, and carbon dioxide. The concentration of these gases have been changing for many years. For the most part, this is influenced by human activity. In a persistent effort to improve the quality and longevity of life, humans (particularly in industrialized societies) have tendencies to negatively impact the environment, and at the same time, we strive to replenish what we have nearly depleted to balance the scale.
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 lab is to observe the effect of white, green, and dark light on a photosynthetic plant using a volumeter and followed by the calculation of the net oxygen production using different wavelengths color of white and green light, and also the calculation of oxygen consumption under a dark environment, and finally the calculation of the gross oxygen production.
Abstract: Photosynthesis, the conversion of inorganic carbon into organic glucose molecules using light energy, is one of the most biologically important processes on Earth. It is imperative to study how the rapidly increasing carbon dioxide concentrations in the atmosphere since the Industrial Revolution may affect photosynthesis of photoautotrophs. In this experiment, a look is taken at the question: does inorganic carbon availability affect photosynthetic activity. This experiment uses bicarbonate as the inorganic carbon source, and analyzes how varying concentrations of bicarbonate may affect the photosynthetic activity of the South American aquatic plant Egeria densa (also known as Elodea densa) by measuring its O2 production in distilled water and 0.1%, 0.4%, 0.6%, 0.8%, and 1.0% sodium bicarbonate solutions. T-tests between the control (distilled water) and each bicarbonate treatment are conducted using the online program GraphPad. All tests results in a p-value greater than 0.05 and a calculated t-value greater than the critical t-value, thus rejecting the null hypothesis, indicating that inorganic
The Effects of Nitrogen and Phosphorus Enrichment on Water Samples from Encanto Lake and the Rio Salado River.
Environmental scanning can be viewed as a way of acquiring information about outside events that can aid organizations in first identifying potential trends, then interpreting them
Stephen Jay Gould in his article "The Evolution Of Life On Earth" aims to clarify the misconception of natural selection as the sole reason for evolution. Yet, he emphasizes on the presence of other causes and the complex unforeseeable nature of the universe that can not be explained in one theory. Even though the article is concerned with a deep scientific subject and factual information, we see the usage of description in every sentence. Description has an intrinsic role in this article where the uniqueness and the beauty of the language relies on the strong descriptive construction. It employs the power of the language and the readers senses to bring life to the subject. It also simplifies it by liking the described setting or object to something else that the readers are easily able to visualize and associate in their minds. In addition, using specific descriptive words make a statement more dynamic and effectual to the readers convincing them and inviting them to see the situation from the author perspective.( to help convince the reader and strengthen the argument of the author). It could exaggerate the details to effect the readers in a more emotional way and capture their attention. This won 't only engage the targeted audience, but it will allure other readers as well.
If you expose a photosynthesizing plant to water that contains both radioactive H and radioactive O, in which of the products of photosynthesis will the radioactive H and O show up?
The Importance Of Water To Living Organisms Water is normally the most abundant component of any living organism. As most human cells are approximately 80% water and 60% of the human body is made up of it, it is extremely important in many different ways to both the survival and the well being of living organisms. Evolutionists believe that life probably originated in water and even today thousands of organisms make their home in it. Water also provides the medium in which all biochemical reactions take place. The importance of water to living organisms originates from its many properties including its solvent properties, its high specific heat capacity, its high latent heat of vaporization,
Ecology has been the study of different interactions amongst organisms with the abiotic environment (Pimm and Smith, 2007), examining how ecosystems have thrived upon these relations. Ecosystems have depended on the continued availability of energy supplied ultimately by plants through the process of photosynthesis. Plants have lived in association with each other from having occupied the same niche in nature (Khan and Hussain, 1999). Numerous plants have
Photosynthesis is a vital process that autotrophs use to transfer light energy into chemical energy. Photosynthesis ultimately produces O2 and glucose. It, like many other biological processes, can be affected by environmental variables. The variable that we altered in the following experiment are intensity, light wavelengths, and pigment types. In order to do this, we conducted three experiments. In the first experiment, we examined the effect of light intensity by placing vials with chloroplasts with DPIP at different light distances in which the results varied. Initially, 30cm away was the most effective for photosynthesis. Then 24cm appeared to be the most effective. Followed by 49cm at minutes 25 and 30. In the second experiment, we
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
Nearly everything that a human does is in response to the environment. Our lives are defined by what is around us and what we find in front of us, whether this means accepting, dealing with or changing it. This has been the pattern since primates first stood up and became Homo erectus, and has continued until we considered ourselves doubly wise. The shape of the land affected where humans moved. Weather was something with which to contend. Fire affected humans until they conquered it – and herein lies the core of the relationship. The earth affects humans, and humans affect it back, viewing characteristics and patterns as problems and challenges, and finding a solution.