Photosynthesis 500 Race

By Braden Cummings
Testable Question
1. Do ivy leaves closer to the light photosynthesize faster than the ivy leaves farther
away to the light?
2. Do the ivy leaves in full bicarbonate concentration photosynthesize faster than ivy
leaves in half bicarbonate concentration?
Hypothesis
1. If ivy leaves are put closer to the light, then they will photosynthesize faster than
ivy leaves farther away.

The closer to the light, the more light the leaves receive, it will photosynthesize
faster. The farther away to the light, the less light the leaves receive, it will
photosynthesize slower.

2. If ivy leaves are placed in a full concentration of bicarbonate, then they will
photosynthesize faster than the ivy leaves in half concentration.

The more bicarbonate, the more carbon dioxide the ivy leaves receive, they will
photosynthesize faster. The less bicarbonate, the less carbon dioxide the ivy leaves
receive, they will photosynthesize slower.

Graphs
Results
1. The testable question was, “Do ivy leaves closer to the light photosynthesize faster than
the ivy leaves farther away to the light?” The average rate of photosynthesis at 10 cm
was 0.92 disks/minute, at 15 cm it was 0.83 disks/minute, at 20 it was 0.29 disks/minute,
at 30 cm it was 0.39 disks/minute. This data suggests that the leaves do
photosynthesize faster closer to the light than the leaves farther away from the light. In
one experiment, the data was an outlier, because the rate of photosynthesis at 15 cm
was 1.02 disks/minute, however; farther away at 20 cm, it was faster at 1.46
disks/minute.
2. The second testable question was, “Do the ivy leaves in full bicarbonate concentration
photosynthesize faster than ivy leaves in half bicarbonate concentration?” The average
rate of photosynthesis at full bicarbonate concentration was 1.26 disks/minute, and the
average rate of photosynthesis at half bicarbonate concentration was 0.87 disks/minute.
This data suggests that the leaves do photosynthesize faster with more bicarbonate than
less bicarbonate. In one experiment, the data was an outlier because the rate of
photosynthesis at full bicarbonate was 0.78 disks/minute, however; with less
bicarbonate, it was the same time at 0.78 disks/minute.
Explanation
1.The data did support the scientists hypothesis. The reason the plant leaf disks rise in
the syringes is because of oxygen. When light absorbing pigments in photosystem II in the
thylakoid membrane absorb sunlight, electrons are excited and move on to a electron transport
chain. Water than replaces by releasing ions, and splitting oxygen, and the leftover hydrogen
stays in the thylakoid space. This is how oxygen is made, and that’s how the leaf disks rose to
the top. Next, the electrons then go down to a protein pump and use their energy to pump in
hydrogen ions across the membrane into the thylakoid space. The hydrogen now has to move
across their concentration gradient. Because they are charged molecules, they use the protein
ATP synthase to move across. When the hydrogen ions go through the ATP synthase, the
synthase rotates, causing ADP and P to chemically bond and making ATP. ATP will be used in
the Calvin Cycle. After that, the electrons go to Photosystem I and get excited again by sunlight.
They then go to a second electron transport chain and get deposited at a NADP+ molecule, and
the combination of NADP+ and electrons make NADPH. NADPH brought to the Calvin Cycle in
the stroma. These electrons will be used in the Calvin Cycle.

2. The data did support the scientist’s hypothesis. The reason a plant photosynthesizes
faster in bicarbonate is because the plant needs carbon dioxide (bicarbonate is dissolved CO​2​ in
water). The Calvin Cycle is responsible for turning carbon dioxide into food. The Calvin takes
place in the stroma of the chloroplast. An enzyme called Rubisco takes carbon dioxide out of
the atmosphere. This CO​2​ is added with 3-Phosphoglycerate when they are combined in RuBP.
ATP from the light dependent reaction use their energy by splitting and rearranging the
3-Phosphoglycerate. Next, the splitting and rearranging results in glyceraldehyde 3-phosphate,
sugar (for the plant to use for energy and designing new molecules), and RuBP (for the Calvin
Cycle to continue).