Photosynthesis Lab Report
University of Hawaii at Manoa
Biology 171L
, Abstract
Photosynthesis is a process in which plants use sunlight to make food for themselves.
There are many factors that photosynthesis is influenced by which includes light intensity,
temperature, and light distance. During the photosynthesis lab spinach was used under 3 different
light colors which includes white, red, and blue. The weight of the leaf, rate of O2 in the dark,
rate of O2 in the light, Gross of photosynthesis rate of O2 (Light & Dark), and Gross
photosynthesis rate of O2 per unit were measured. The objective of this experiment was to see
which light was absorbed more and produced more O2. This experiment also shows how light is
important during the photosynthesis process and how it also influences the environment and
energy production. The light was placed 10 cm away from the bottle with the spinach leaf and
CO2 indicator which allows observation of the CO2 concentration changes during the
experiment. The spectrophotometer was used to obtain the absorbance readings in multiple
intervals over 10 minutes to the change. The initial hypothesis was that the red light would have
a higher rate of photosynthesis compared to the other colors. In conclusion the hypothesis was
not true and the white light produces more CO2 and the rate of photosynthesis increases (Table
1).
Introduction
All living organisms on earth need a way to sustain energy to survive. The process of
creating energy from sunlight is known as photosynthesis. This is an extensive process that goes
through multiple steps that produces oxygen we breathe. When the light is absorbed into a plant's
leaf, electrons within each photosystem are boosted to a higher energy level (Evans, 2013). Once
the electrons are excited, ATP (adenosine triphosphate) is produced. The first step of
University of Hawaii at Manoa
Biology 171L
, Abstract
Photosynthesis is a process in which plants use sunlight to make food for themselves.
There are many factors that photosynthesis is influenced by which includes light intensity,
temperature, and light distance. During the photosynthesis lab spinach was used under 3 different
light colors which includes white, red, and blue. The weight of the leaf, rate of O2 in the dark,
rate of O2 in the light, Gross of photosynthesis rate of O2 (Light & Dark), and Gross
photosynthesis rate of O2 per unit were measured. The objective of this experiment was to see
which light was absorbed more and produced more O2. This experiment also shows how light is
important during the photosynthesis process and how it also influences the environment and
energy production. The light was placed 10 cm away from the bottle with the spinach leaf and
CO2 indicator which allows observation of the CO2 concentration changes during the
experiment. The spectrophotometer was used to obtain the absorbance readings in multiple
intervals over 10 minutes to the change. The initial hypothesis was that the red light would have
a higher rate of photosynthesis compared to the other colors. In conclusion the hypothesis was
not true and the white light produces more CO2 and the rate of photosynthesis increases (Table
1).
Introduction
All living organisms on earth need a way to sustain energy to survive. The process of
creating energy from sunlight is known as photosynthesis. This is an extensive process that goes
through multiple steps that produces oxygen we breathe. When the light is absorbed into a plant's
leaf, electrons within each photosystem are boosted to a higher energy level (Evans, 2013). Once
the electrons are excited, ATP (adenosine triphosphate) is produced. The first step of
