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Serena Roy

AP Biology

Mrs. Buckley

26 November 2019

Cellular Respiration Lab

Baseline
Question: ​How does seed germination affect the rate of cellular respiration ?
Hypothesis:​ Germinating seeds will have a higher rate of respiration than boiled seeds that are
not germinating.
Observations:
Type of Seed Germinating Seed Boiled Seed

Observations -Red indicator dropped down
capillary tube very quickly
during the first minute but
slowed down after that
-This could be due to shifting
the respirometer to properly
mark the location of the red
liquid since it was not
standing straight in the water
-Temperature fluctuated a
little during the trial but
stayed around 20 degrees
Celsius
-Red liquid did not move
down tube at all and stayed in
same spot throughout entire
trial
-Respirometer was not
standing straight during the
entire experiment but any
shifting to view level of red
liquid properly did not move
its position
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Data Table 1:
Germinating Boiled

Time (minutes) Temperature Total Distance Dropped Total Distance Dropped

(℃) (cm) (cm)

1 20 2.9 0

2 19 3.6 0

3 19 4.1 0

4 18.5 4.5 0

5 18.5 5.0 0

6 19 5.4 0

7 20 6.0 0

8 19 6.4 0

9 19 7.0 0

10 19 7.3 0
Graph 1:
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Calculations:
Time Germinating Germinating Boiled
(minutes)
F inal P osition−Initial P osition
F inal T ime−Initial T ime
Rate of Respiration Rate of Respiration
(cm​3​/minute)​/Slope (cm​3​/minute)​/Slope

1 2.9−0 0
1−0 2.9

2 3.6−2.9 0
2−1 0.7

3 4.1−3.6 0
3−2 0.5

4 4.5−4.1 0
4−3 0.4

5 5.0−4.5 0
5−4 0.5

6 5.4−5.0 0
6−5 0.4

7 6.0−5.4 0
7−6 0.6

8 6.4−6.0 0
8−7 0.4

9 7.0−6.4 0
9−8 0.6

10 7.3−7.0 0
10−9 0.3

Average 7.3−0 0.73 0

10−0
Rate/Slope
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Inquiry
Question: ​How does the type of plant, mung bean or barley, affect respiration rates?
Hypothesis:​ Mung beans will have a higher rate of respiration than barley.
Observations:
Type of Seed Mung Bean Seed Barley

Observations -Red indicator dropped down -Red liqui did not move down
capillary tube very quickly nearly as fast
during the first minute but -Barely moved between two
slowed down after that minutes and four minutes
-This could be due to shifting -Temperature stayed at
the respirometer to properly constant 19 degrees Celsius
mark the location of the red throughout trial
liquid since it was not
standing straight in the water
-Temperature fluctuated a
little during the trial but
stayed around 20 degrees
Celsius
Data Table 2:
Mung Bean Mung Bean Barley Barley

Time Temperature Total Distance Temperature Total Distance

(minutes) (℃) Dropped (cm) (℃) Dropped (cm)

1 20 2.9 19 0.2

2 19 3.6 19 0.4

3 19 4.1 19 0.4

4 18.5 4.5 19 0.5

5 18.5 5.0 19 0.7

6 19 5.4 19 1.1

7 20 6.0 19 1.4

8 19 6.4 19 1.6

9 19 7.0 19 1.9

10 19 7.3 19 2.1
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Graph 2:
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Calculations:
Time Germinating Germinating Barley Barley
(minutes)
F inal P osition−Initial P osition F inal P osition−Initial P osition
F inal T ime−Initial T ime
Rate of F inal T ime−Initial T ime
Rate of
Respiration Respiration
(cm​3​/minute (cm​3​/minut
)​/Slope e)​/Slope
1 2.9−0 0.2−0 0.2
1−0 2.9 1−0

2 3.6−2.9 0.4−0.2 0.2

2−1 0.7 2−1

3 4.1−3.6 0.4−0.4 0
3−2 0.5 3−2

4 4.5−4.1 0.5−0.4 0.1

4−3 0.4 4−3

5 5.0−4.5 0.7−0.5 0.2

5−4 0.5 5−4

6 5.4−5.0 1.1−0.7 0.4

6−5 0.4 6−5

7 6.0−5.4 1.4−1.1 0.3

7−6 0.6 7−6

8 6.4−6.0 1.6−1.4 0.2

8−7 0.4 8−7

9 7.0−6.4 1.9−1.6 0.3

9−8 0.6 9−8

10 7.3−7.0 2.1−1.9 0.3

10−9 0.3 10−9

Average 7.3−0 0.73 2.1−0 0.21

10−0 10−0
Rate/Slop
e
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Questions:
1. What is the difference, if any, in the rate of cellular respiration in germinating seeds
versus non-germinating seeds?
Non-germinating seeds do not respire because any living cells they once had were killed
once they were boiled (in the case of this lab, that is). This means that germinating seeds have a
much higher rate of respiration in comparison because they actually complete cellular respiration
while non-germinating seeds do not.

2. Does the temperature of germinating seeds affect the rate of cellular respiration? Do
plant seeds consume more oxygen at higher temperatures than at lower temperatures?
According to an experiment using germinating pea seeds, germinating seeds have a
higher rate of respiration at higher temperatures than at lower temperatures. The rate of
respiration, calculated in ppm/second in this lab, was 0.73 when recorded at 10 ℃, 2.28 at 22℃,
and 2.40 at 45 ℃. This experiment also measured the respiration rate at 55℃ which was lower
than the previous rates, 1.73 ppm/second, most likely becuase the temperature was too high and
the cell stopped working properly because proteins may have begun to denature and many cell
functions decreased in rate at this temperature. Outside of the rate at 55℃, the rate of respiration
increased at the temperature increased, meaning respiration rates of germinating seeds become
higher as the temperature is raised up to a point. Conversely, colder temperatures result in a
lower rate of respiration. This means that germinating seeds consume more oxygen at higher
temperatures than at lower temperatures because they require a higher volume of oxygen to meet
the demands of a higher cellular respiration rate.

3. What problems would arise if students used a living, green plant instead of
germinating seeds?
Living green plants would also be completing photosynthesis while they respire, meaning
they would consume the CO2 released from cellular respiration. This also means that O2 would
be produced by the photosynthesis process, meaning the volume of O2 would fluctuate as it was
used up during cellular respiration and produced from photosynthesis. The results would not
reflect the O2 consumption from cellular respiration because photosynthesis completed by the
plant would also affect the volume.

4. Why is it necessary to correct the readings of the respirometers containing seeds

with the readings taken from respirometers containing only glass beads? Your
answer should refer to the concepts derived from the general gas law,PV = nRT
The red manometer fluid moved down the capillary tube as O2 sealed in the respirometer
was consumed and any CO2 produced was converted to a solid once it combined with the KOH
soaked into the absorbent cotton ball. In this experiment, the pressure inside the respirometer
should be constant because it is a closed system. This means that only the volume changes when
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using the equation PV=nRT. The distance the red manometer fluid travels down the capillary
tube reflects the change in volume of O2, moving down the tube as the volume of gas in the
respirometer decreases because it is consumed by the germinating seed. Since glass beads (or
non-germinating boiled seeds in this experiment’s case) are unable to respire, no O2 will be
consumed and the volume of gas remains constant. Therefore, the only variable that can change
the position of the red manometer fluid is a pressure change. Any change in pressure would
affect both the results of the germinating and non-germinating respiration rates so the distance
the red fluid moved in the non-germinating capillary tube would need to be subtracted from the
germinating seed results (the total distance traveled) to account for the pressure change.

5. What happens to the volume of the gas being measured (O2 consumption or CO2
production) when the temperature or pressure changes during the experiment?
If pressure and temperature remain constant, will the volume of gas in the
respirometers increase or decrease? Please explain. Hint: Several tutorials and
animations explaining the general gas law are available on
(http://www.nclark.net/GasLaws)
When the pressure increases, the volume decreases and when the pressure decreases, the
volume will increase. Likewise, an increase in temperature will result in an increase in volume
while a decrease in temperature will result in a decrease in volume of gas being measured. If the
pressure and temperature remain constant, the volume of the gas in the respirometer will
decrease because the O2 will be consumed by the germinating seeds and the released CO2 will
be converted to a solid once it combines with the KOH. However, the volume of gas would
remain the same during an experiment using non-germinating seeds because so O2 would be
consumed or CO2 released and converted to a solid.

6. Imagine that you are given 25 germinating pea seeds that have been placed in boiling
water for 5 minutes. You place these seeds in a respirometer and collect data. Predict
the rate of oxygen consumption (i.e., cellular respiration) for these seeds, and explain
your reasons.
The rate of oxygen consumption will be zero because the proteins and enzymes in the pea
seed cells will become denatured due to the high temperatures. The cells will no longer function
properly and die, meaning they cannot perform cellular respiration and will not consume any
oxygen . The rate will be zero like it was for the non-germinating boiled mung bean seeds during
the baseline experiment.
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7. Imagine that you are asked to measure the rate of respiration for a 25 g reptile and
a 25 g mammal at 10°C. Predict how the results would compare and justify your
Prediction.
Mammals are warm-blooded animals while reptiles are cold-blooded. This means that
mammals need to produce more energy (ATP) through cellular respiration to maintain a higher
body temperature. This means that mammals would have a higher rate of respiration at 10°C
because they need to maintain a warmer body temperature than reptiles and would have to
produce more ATP in order to do so.

Conclusion:
The baseline experiment of this lab was used to compare the respiration rates of
germinating and non-germinating (boiled) mung bean seeds. The hypothesis stated that
germinating mung bean seeds would have a higher rate of respiration as indicated by a greater
amount of oxygen consumption as recorded by the respirometer and manometer fluid used
during the experiment. This hypothesis was accepted and supported by the data collected because
there was a significant increase in the respiration rate of germinating mung bean seeds compared
to the non-germinating seeds. The overall rate of respiration for the germinating seeds, as
represented by the oxygen consumption causing a drop in the manometer fluid level, was 0.73
cm​3​/minute while the non-germinating seeds had a rate of 0 cm​3​/minute. Germinating seeds are
able to respire and consume any oxygen initially trapped within the respirometer once it was
sealed, meaning the volume of O2 dropped during the experiment and the manometer fluid level
also dropped. The boiled, non-germinating seeds are unable to respire so they did not consume
any oxygen, keeping the O2 volume the same throughout the trial and the manometer fluid at the
same level.
The inquiry experiment compared the respiration rates of germinating mung bean seeds
and barley seeds to see which had a higher rate of respiration. The hypothesis stated that mung
bean seeds would have a higher rate of respiration and this was supported by the data collected.
The average respiration rate for the mung bean seeds was 0.73 cm​3​/minute while the rate of the
barley was only .21cm​3​/minute . This means more oxygen was consumed during the mung bean
seed trial and the respiration rate was higher, as predicted in the hypothesis which was accepted.
The potassium hydroxide used during the lab is a skin and eye irritant as well as corrosive
and toxic, so extra care was taken to prevent contact with skin, eyes, and equipment in the lab
other than the syringes and pipettes. If the KOH did touch someone’s skin during the experiment,
that person immediately washed their hands and made sure they were not burnt by the chemical.
When the KOH was placed in the syringe, the capillary tube was pointed downwards into the
sink so that any excess chemical draining out of it could be flushed down the drain to avoid
unnecessary human contact with it. Possible sources of error include improper respirometer
construction, incorrect amounts of KOH or seeds, and significant changes in pressure or
temperature during the experiment that were not accounted for. If the respirometer was not
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tightly sealed, excess oxygen could escape and the manometer fluid would drop much faster than
it should have, reflecting a higher respiration rate than the actual value. Not including enough
KOH could mean some of the CO2 was not converted to a solid and this excess gas volume kept
the manometer fluid level from indicating the actual amount of the O2 consumed because it
would not drop as far down if only O2 were present. If the temperature of the water or room
were to drastically change, this could alter the volume of gas in the respirometer and skew the
results, as would a significant change in pressure that was not properly accounted for. Any
change in the manometer fluid level of the non-germinating mung bean experiment would
indicate a change in pressure of the room that had to be accounted for when calculating the rate
of respiration for both baseline experiments.
This lab proved that germinating seeds do complete cellular respiration at different rates
depending on different variables such as temperature, type of seed, germination, and more.
Non-germinating seeds that have been boiled cannot complete cellular respiration because their
cells have died. Different types of seeds, like barley or peas, will have a different rate of
respiration than mung bean seeds if they are tested at the same temperatures. Also, higher
temperatures most often results in a higher rate of respiration than lower temperatures up to the
point where enzymes stop functioning properly and proteins begin to denature, stopping
respiration and eventually killing the cells. Further experimentation could be performed to find
out the ideal temperature for maximum cellular respiration rates for multiple plant types. This
experiment could also be adapted to investigate more variables such as comparing respiration
rates for individual seeds rather than 10 at a time. Also, the pressure could be adjusted to show
the effects of pressure on the volume of gas and manometer fluid level by trying the experiment
in different parts of a building, outside, with the doors open/closed, etc. There if a lot of room for
experimentation with this lab using different variables that respiration rates.