Makenzie Allen Science- Period 2 11/14/13 PHOTOSYNTHESIS SUMMATIVE PROJECT PROBLEM: How does the color of light (red,

blue) affect the rate of photosynthesis in Elodea at a distance of 5cm from the plant? HYPOTHESIS: If the color of light is changed from red to blue, then the rate of photosynthesis will increase by 60.7%. THEORY: Photosynthesis is the process where a plant makes its food. To make the food, you must have the reactants; water, light, and carbon dioxide, and the products; glucose (sugar), and oxygen. Photosynthesiss process takes place in the chloroplasts. Red light has a wavelength of 650nm and blue light has a wavelength of 475nm. When you look at a plant, you do not see the lights blue and red. This is because in a plant, 90% of blue light is ABSORBED, not reflected. Absorbed light colors are the exact opposite of reflecting. For example, in chlorophyll, the amount of green light reflected is about 94%. The amount of red light reflected is about 38%. The amount of blue light reflected is about 10%. So, if you put these amounts on an absorbed light graph, than the amount of blue light absorbed would be 90%, the amount of green light absorbed would be about 6%, and the amount of red light absorbed would be 62%. So, more green light is reflected than absorbed. Therefore, since blue light is on the opposite end of the spectrum, blue light is absorbed more than red light in a plant. This means that when the elodea is placed under the blue light, it will release more oxygen bubbles. And when it is placed under the red light, then it will release less oxygen bubbles then when it was under the blue light.

PROCEDURE FOR COLOR OF LIGHT 1. Measure and cut at an angle elodea 7 to 9 cm. 2. Remove a few leaves from end of stem and slightly crush end of stem. 3. Measure mass in grams and record. 4. Put elodea stem side up in a test tube. 5. Fill test tube with spring water and baking soda solution (1 tsp. to 100 mL of water). 6. Put tube in rack and adjust lamp with blue light 5 cm from top of test tube. 7. Measure 5 centimeters from the top of the test tube to the ring stand on the lamp. 8. Turn on lamp and wait 1 minute. 9. After 1 minute, begin counting small, medium and large bubbles for 3 minutes. Record data. 10. Repeat with red light. 11. Repeat for Trial 2, use the same elodea for both blue trials, and another elodea for the red light trial. DATA/OBSERVATIONS:
Trial 1
Color Blue

Oxygen produced in 3 minutes with blue and red light

Small x 1 44 x 1=44 Medium x 2 22 x 2= 44 Large x 3 1 x 3= 3 Total 91

Red

6 x 1=6

0 x 2=0

6 x 3=18

24

Trial 2
Color Blue Red

Oxygen Produced in 3 minutes at 5 and 10 cm

Small x 1 2 x 1= 2 3 x 1=3 Medium x 2 5 x 2=10 1 x 2=2 Large x 3 8 x 3= 24 3 x 3=9 Total 36 14

Averages
Trial 1 Trial 2 Total/2 Average Blue Light 91 36 127/2 63.5 Red Light 24 14 38/2 19

Averages For All Classes

BLUE CLASS PERIOD AVERAGES 1 2 3 4 6 7 TOTAL/6 AVERAGE RED % Oxygen Decrease/Increase

58.5 63.5 39 112 102 68.5 443.5/6 73.9

70 19 24.3 85.8 45 50.8 294.9/6 49.2

11.5 increase 44.5 decrease 14.7 decrease 26.5 decrease 57 decrease 17.7 decrease

Notes: Used the same elodea for both trials In both trials, the blue light elodea had a higher rate of photosynthesis (the air bubbles) than the red light elodea. Graphs:

Average Rate of Photosynthesis for Period 2 Color of Light

Rate of Photosynthesis 70 60 50 40 30 20 10 0 63.5

19

Blue Red

Blue Color of Light

Red

Average Data for All Classes

80 Rate of Photosynthesis 70 60 50 40 30 20 10 0 Blue Color of Light Red 49.2 Blue Red 73.9

Conclusion: How does the color of light (red, blue) affect the rate of photosynthesis in Elodea at a distance of 5cm from the plant? Well, to figure that out, one would have to actually do the experiment. My group, and the groups from other periods, have done the experiment. Our data tables show that the amount of oxygen produced during photosynthesis was greater under the blue light. This is because the amount of blue light absorbed in a plant is 28% more than the amount of red light absorbed. To be more specific, the amount of red light absorbed in a plant is 62%, and the amount of blue light absorbed in a plant is 90%. Therefore, the amount of blue light absorbed in the plant is greater. When we were comparing our data and averaging it, we discovered a slight glitch. Every period except period 1 had the blue light elodea produce more oxygen then the red light elodea. This, we figured, was probably just a minor mistake with the setting up of the experiment that messed the whole thing up. Our group had an average of 63.5 for the blue light elodea, and an average of 19 for the red light elodea. As you can see, the blue light elodea had a higher rate of photosynthesis then the red light elodea. Before my group did the experiment, we had to have a hypothesis. My hypothesis was that if the color of light is changed from red to blue, then the rate of photosynthesis will increase by 60.7%. My hypothesis was correct 100% of the time. Analysis: One of the discrepancies in the data that I saw were that in all but one class the blue light elodea produced more oxygen bubbles than the red light elodea. This one class was period one. In this class, the blue light elodea produced 58.5 oxygen bubbles, and the red light elodea produced 70 oxygen bubbles. I think that this might have been caused by many reasons. One reason is that the person setting up the red light elodea could have crushed the stem more than the blue light elodea. Also, they could also have counted the bubbles incorrectly, for example, they could

have counted the bubbles coming from the leaves, and not the stem. One improvement that could be made to insure that this experiment would go well next time is to make sure that each elodea is being crushed the same amount by the same person. Also, you should be sure that the bubbles you are counting come from the stem; not the leaves, and that the bubbles are being counted by one person; not two or more people talking over each other.

BIBLIOGRAPHY Coolidge-Stolz M.D., Elizabeth, et al. Focus On Life Science. Boston, Mass: Prentice Hall, 2008. Washington State Department of Ecology. American Waterweed- A Common Native Plant. February 24, 2003. November 2013. <http://www.ecy.wa.gov/Programs/wq/plants/native/elodea.html> Young, Paul. The Botany Coloring Book. Cambridge, New York: Harper and Row, 1982. Madigan, Jay. "What Wavelength Goes With a Color?" What Wavelength Goes With a Color? NASA Official: Lin Chambers, 15 Nov. 2011. Web. 04 Dec. 2013. <http://science-edu.larc.nasa.gov/EDDOCS/Wavelengths_for_Colors.html> M, Emelda. "Difference Between Chlorophyll A and B | Difference Between | Chlorophyll A vs B." Difference Between Chlorophyll A and B | Difference Between | Chlorophyll A vs B. N.p., 20 Feb. 2011. Web. 04 Dec. 2013 <http://www.differencebetween.net/science/nature/difference-betweenchlorophyll-a-and-b/> Coolidge-Stolz M.D., Elizabeth, et al. Focus On Life Science. Boston, Mass: Prentice Hall, 2008.