Resources

Jea Verma & Heather Kim How does the temperature of water affect the rate of Beck, Kevin. “Enzyme Activity in Photosynthesis | Sciencing.” | Sciencing, 23 April 2019,

Noblesse International School https://sciencing.com/enzyme-activity-photosynthesis-12161.html. Accessed 20 February 2024.

S.Y. 2023-2024 photosynthesis as measured by the amount of oxygen Chen, Qingqing, et al. “Effects of high temperature on photosynthesis and related gene expression in
poplar - BMC Plant Biology.” BMC Plant Biology, 28 April 2014,
https://bmcplantbiol.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/1471-2229-14-111. Accessed 20 February
2024.

produced?
“Factors affecting photosynthesis - Photosynthesis - Edexcel - GCSE Combined Science Revision -

IBDP Biology 11 Edexcel.” BBC, https://www.bbc.co.uk/bitesize/guides/ztc297h/revision/3. Accessed 20 February

2024.
“How does temperature affect photosynthesis in plants?” BYJU'S, https://byjus.com/question-
answer/how-does-temperature-affect-photosynthesis-in-plants/. Accessed 20 February 2024.
“What is Photosynthesis | Definition from Seneca Learning.” Seneca, https://senecalearning.com/en-

INTRODUCTION GB/definitions/photosynthesis/. Accessed 20 February 2024.

Photosynthesis is a biological process in plants that require carbon dioxide, water, and light, where oxygen is made. This ANALYSIS
experiment will deal with how different temps of water in the aquatic environment affect the amount of oxygen produced. We The patterns of Graph 1 show Change in Oxygen Levels (%) of room temperatures (27.15, 24.75, 26.40) increased,
expect to be able to identify the optimal temperature of water needed in order to maximize rate of photosynthesis occurring indicating the production of more oxygen, while it decreased for cold and hot temperatures, indicating more oxygen
within a given amount of time. “if the temperature is increased to above about 45°C, the enzymes that catalyze (speed-up) the
consumption than production. Data shows that oxygen production only increased when the water is at room temp and
reaction begin to denature .” This tells us that there is a certain degree wherein a higher temperature than that would cause
it declines if it becomes too warm or cold. It shows that hot and cold temps slow down rate (negative change in amount
the rate of photosynthesis to “drop sharply until it stops altogether”. Temperature of 25-35°C is ideal for efficient
of oxygen) while room temperatures increases it (positive change in amount), making it more efficient. Standard
photosynthesis. The dependent variable, amount of oxygen produced, would be a good measure of change since it will allow
us to understand the amount of photosynthesis as a result of the water’s temperature.
Deviation: Cold: 0.802, Room temp: 0.794, Hot: 0.493 Standard Error: Cold: 0.463, Room temp: 0.458, Hot: 0.285.The
low standard deviation and error indicates that there is less variation within the data and that there is a higher
HYPOTHESIS precision. A low standard error indicates that the resulting data is reliable.
A temperature of 20°C (or near that) will result in the most amount of oxygen produced (indicating a higher efficiency of
photosynthesis). This is because as the temperature of water increases, there will be more molecular activity that results in CONCLUSION
more photosynthetic reactions, but only until it’s no more than 40-45°C Hypothesis was supported by data. Room temp of 20-35 degrees had highest positive change of +6.5% in oxygen
VARIABLES PROCEDURE levels and hot setup of 40-100 degrees had lowest oxygen change exhibiting a change of -7.07%. Results show
MATERIALS photosynthesis is more efficient in 20-35 degrees celsius. Higher water temperature leads to increase in number of
Independent: Temperature of 1. Place the water plant in the beaker
3 beakers (500 ml) collisions between molecules, causing rate of photosynthesis increasing, but high temperatures would also denature
water in degrees Celsius (0- 2. Cover with a funnel, use blue tac to keep the funnel in place
3 test tubes the enzymes. As temp increases, amount of oxygen produced will also increase, but to an extent. In table 1, we see
15, 20-35, 40-100) 3. Heat water to (0-15) degrees celsius and add the baking soda.
3 funnels temperature reaches 40 degrees celsius, the mean of change drastically decreases entering into the negative values,
Dependent: Change in % of Once mixed add it into the beaker.
Dissolved oxygen
dissolved oxygen 4. Place the test tube containing the water (at the specific showing how the enzymes are denatured. Our hypothesis was also supported by published data. Senecalearning.com
meter temperature of the set up) in the funnel.
Controlled: says, “if the temperature is increased to above about 45°C, the enzymes that catalyze the reaction begin to denature.”
Flashlight 5. Repeat steps 3 and 4 for 20-35 and 40-100.
Amount of sodium There is a degree where higher temperature than that would cause the rate of photosynthesis to drop. A temp of 25-
Sodium Bicarbonate
bicarbonate 6. Once all set ups are created, set up a timer for 30 minutes and 35°C is ideal.
Amount of water Aquatic Plants observe how oxygen is being produced (depth of empty space in
Type of aquatic plant (hornworts) test tube)
7. At the end of the 30 minutes measure the depth/amount of water
EVALUATION
(hornwort)
left in the test tube. Less water = more oxygen produced. STRENGTHS: Proved hypothesis, successfully placed test tube of water over the funnel, able to see visible oxygen
Source of light (flashlight)
bubbles as a result of photosynthesis because of our correct lab design, able to contribute to science with our
DATA CONFIGURATION
research and data.

ERRORS: IV Although we were able to see differences in our data, our ranges were quite extreme. This led us to only
have 3 data points for each trial, which we believe limited ourselves in our analysis. As a result, it affected the
processes that followed the data collection. This could be improved by using more data points (5-7). This way we
could have more leeway into analyzing the data post-data collection. DV: Repeated Inconsistencies when using
dissolved oxygen meter. Initially, we had planned to measure the depth of change in the test tube, but it was
inefficient because the test tube was too large. So, we changed the size of the test tube. We changed our method of
measurement from depth of change to % of oxygen.CV: Amount of hornworts was not consistent. The error is not
significant. Improve this error, by purchasing more of the hornworts in advance in order to prevent the issue of
shortage. We could have also pre measured the length to ensure that we would have enough for all 3 set ups and all 3
trials. Ucontrolled E: Temp was constantly changing as a result of time. Hot temp eventually cooled down, cold
temperatures either had the ice melting or the coolness of the ice was only concentrated in certain areas. Magnitude
of this is not significant (we have a low standard error and standard deviation), it still affects the reliability of the data.
Can be solved by placing the beakers on a hot plate.

EXTENSIONS
One extension to this investigation is to compare the significance of temperature changes of different types of
aquatic plants. It would be quite relevant to our own research as we have already found that room temperatures are
the best conditions, while hot temperatures are the worst (cold temperatures are not also quite ideal, but are better
than the latter). Since some aquatic plants live in habitats with higher/lower temperatures than those of others, it
would also be interesting to observe whether or not they have a certain resistance to temperature change. This type
Table 1 - Mean Temperature per trial in relation to Change in Oxygen Levels
of study would especially be of great importance and relevance in the modern time as global warming is causing
ocean temperatures to rise.