The Effect of Light Intensity on a Canadian Pondweed

Biology Coursework: Photosynthesis

The aim of the experiment was to investigate a factor that would affect the rate of photosynthesis in a Canadian pondweed plant. Canadian pondweed is used because it has an unusual quality of giving off bubbles of oxygen from a cut end and it’s easy to see and monitor/count the bubbles in water.

It was decided to use light intensity as the experimental variable, different paper will be wrapped around the beaker containing the pondweed and different amounts of light will be let in.

The following will be kept as fixed variables:
_ Carbon Dioxide- the more CO2 there is in the air the more there is that can diffuse into the leaf. This is kept the same by adding a spoonful of sodium hydrogen carbonate to the beaker containing the plant.
` Temperature- plants contain enzymes, which denature at unreliable temperatures, so by increasing the temperature the enzymes activity will increase; this will be kept the same by being done in normal ...