Primary Productivity and Energy Flow

Joshua Kline, Ryan Marconi, Jordan Yeager, Alec Krause

Due Date: 2/21/2018
Introduction:
Plants are classified as producers in the flow of energy cycle. Plants are called producers
because after receiving sunlight, these producers transform solar energy into chemical energy for
the consumers and the decomposers. The plants breathe in carbon dioxide and release oxygen as
waste which is used for other organisms like humans. This is done through the process of
photosynthesis (6CO2 + 6H2O + Sunlight = C6H12O6 +6O2). The importance for this experiment
is to determine which of the two main factors in photosynthesis have the largest effect on plant
growth. The two main factors are the amount of light and the amount of water. The experiment is
setup having one cell of grass in light with water, having one with no light but with water, and
one in light wrapped in aluminum foil with no water. This experiment will show the most
efficient way to grow plants.

Hypothesis:
The hypothesis concluded is that the grass treated with correct soil, lighting, amount of
water, would grow faster and healthier that the grass without light, and the grass without water.

Materials:
- 3 cells of grass plants
- Beaker of water
- Paper towels
- Drying oven
- Trash bag
- Scale balance
- Aluminum foil

Procedure:
In order to conclude proper data before separating the grass, it is essential for the grass to
be equal in weight. First, remove the grass from the cell and remove all excess soil and water by
stirring the grass in a beaker of water helping to remove the soil, and then drying it off with a
paper towel removing the water. Next, grab a weigh boat and place it onto the scale and zero the
scale. This is important because when calculations are made the weigh boat should not be added
to the grass. Then place the grass onto the weigh boat and record the weight. Record weights for
all three grass cells. After recording each weight, separate the three grass cells by placing one
cell under the drying oven and label it “Light”. Also place one behind a trash bag in a dark area
and label it “Dark”. Wrap the last cell in aluminum foil and place it under the drying oven
labeling it “Aluminum”. Lastly, water both the light cell and the dark cell, but not the aluminum.
This allows each factor of light, darkness, and water to be tested on which has the greatest
impact on grass growth.
Results:
Treatment Wet Mass (g) Dry Mass (g)

Initial 0.2g 0.05g

Light 0.2g 0.1g
Dark 0.2g 0.04g

Analysis and conclusion

As the results were concluded after two weeks, the hypothesis was proven correct. It was
hypothesized that the plant grown with both light and water would grow the fastest and
according to the data table it does. The objective was to find differences in weight and growth of
the different grass cells to have strong enough evidence to draw conclusions. The data table
shows that the grass with both light and water grows 0.2g, and the dark grows -0.16g, and the
aluminum grows -0.15. This is also evident when looking at the equation for photosynthesis
(6CO2 + 6H2O + Sunlight = C6H12O6 +6O2) because both sunlight and water are necessary for the
reaction to occur.

Discussion
When forming my hypothesis for the lab, all my group members and classmates generally
had the same hypothesis because of the common knowledge that water and sunlight are both
necessary for photosynthesis, and it was basic background knowledge that the light with water
cell would grow the most. After looking at the class’s results and comparing it to my group’s it
really revealed how important every factor of photosynthesis actually is. The other two types of
graph both did not gain any mass and actually began to die off. All the other groups found
significant growth in mass in only one grass cell, and that grass cell is the same one that was
supposed to grow the most in everyone’s hypothesis.

Informative Paragraphs
We ran this lab to further understand the process of photosynthesis and how important of
a role it has in the energy flow cycle as a part of the producers. I chose to write my lab report on
this lab because the experiment is easy to set up and explain why we are experimenting this.
Also, there is a data table with numbers that show the change in growth based on how each grass
cell was treated. This lab requires scientific thinking and understanding of the energy flow cycle
and photosynthesis to realize the impact it has on humans and each other level in the cycle. I like
this lab because it shows how each factor of photosynthesis individually effects plant growth and
when reading to really understand how important plants are to others.
 It helped me develop scientific thinking skills in a few ways. The first being how to
correctly run an experiment with a control factor, and being able to test my hypothesis by
growing the cells three different ways all having a different impact on plant growth. I learned
that you must take into account each specific factor and make sure that there are not any errors
such as uneven light, or incorrect distribution of water, and to correctly weigh and record to find
the best results. Also, after reading I realize how each level of the flow of energy cycle affects
one another. For example, without trees, grass, and other producers, there would not be enough
energy for some species in the consumer levels, which ultimately would lead to less and less
decomposers. This is why photosynthesis is so important and making sure there is enough of
each factor for plants to correctly grow.