Question

The aquatic plant Elodea is commonly used to study photosynthesis. You put some Elodea in a test tube, shine light on the plant, and count the bubbles that were released under varying conditions. Which results would you expect to see in your analysis of photosynthetic rate?

Answer 1

The photosynthetic rate refers to a determination of maximum rate at which leaves possess the tendency to fix carbon at the time of photosynthesis. The simple way by which the photosynthetic rate can be determined is by measuring the concentration of carbon dioxide produced.

It is known that the concentration of carbon dioxide, light intensity, and temperature are the three main elements, which affect photosynthesis. The enhanced concentration of carbon dioxide and higher light intensity results in higher photosynthetic rates.

In the given case where Elodea is used to study photosynthesis, it can be seen that at high light intensities, the concentration of bubbles increases as there is an elevation in the concentration of carbon dioxide.