Photo Requirements: Photosynthesis and Cellular Respiration

This is a ‘wet’ lab, meaning you will be conducting (and documenting) an experiment analyzing the effects of photosynthesis on leaves. Sounds boring, but it is pretty awesome.

Experimental Set Up

Once you have gathered your supplies, you will need to take several photos. First take a photo of your experimental setup for documentation purposes. It should look something like this.

Sunken Leaf Disks

The hardest part of this lab is to get the leaf disks to sink. Be sure to let all of the air out of the syringe. Place your thumb firmly over the opening and pull. While you pull, swirl or shake the syringe. If you do it correctly, you should see the liquid bubble. It is actually boiling at room temperature due to the difference in pressure. Pull it back a quarter to a third of the way and release your thumb. You should hear an audible pop. It may take five or ten times to get all of them to sink. If that doesn’t work, you need to find a leaf from a different plant. You can do it. I promise.

Once you successfully get all the leaf disks down, take a photo.

Minute 20: End of Light Trial

At the end of the 20 minutes the leaf disks are exposed to light, take a photo of both the experimental and control group.

Minute 40: End of Dark Trial

After the additional 20 minutes your leaf disks are exposed to dark, take one last photo.

Submit Your Lab

Be sure to combine all pages of your lab (exercises and experiment) with the required photographic evidence and create a single PDF. Submit to the Lab Submission link Canvas by the deadline.