Nutrition in Plants

MAKING SENSE OF IGCSE BIOLOGY
(4BI1)
Structure and Functions in Living Things
Topic 2e
Nutrition - Plants
Copyright © 2017 Henry Exham

Icons CC – The Pink Group
2e – Nutrition - Plants
Objectives
2.18 Understand the process of photosynthesis and its importance in the conversion of
light energy to chemical energy.
2.19 Know the word equation and the balanced chemical symbol equation for
photosynthesis.
2.20 Understand how varying carbon dioxide concentration, light intensity and
temperature affect the rate of photosynthesis.
2.21 Describe the structure of the leaf and explain how it is adapted for
photosynthesis.
2.22 Understand that plants require mineral ions for growth, and that magnesium ions
are needed for chlorophyll and nitrate ions are needed for amino acids.
2.23 Practical: investigate photosynthesis, showing the evolution of oxygen from a
water plant, the production of starch and the requirements of light, carbon dioxide and
chlorophyll.
2
Plant nutrition
L.O.: To understand the process of photosynthesis and its
importance in the conversion of light energy to chemical
energy.
To describe the structure of leaf and explain how it is adapted
for photosynthesis • Draw, label and describe the structure
Must of the leaf and explain how it is adapted
for photosynthesis
• Can you recall the word equation and the
Must balanced symbol equation for photosynthesis?
• Can you explain photosynthesis using scientific terms?

Must
STARTER QUESTION
Why is photosynthesis important?
What is photosynthesis?
• All life on Earth depends on plants!
• That’s because green plants can turn the energy from sunlight into a
chemical form (sugars) by the process of photosynthesis.
4
• This process happens inside plant cells in the chloroplasts.
• Chloroplasts contain a special pigment called chlorophyll which traps the
energy from the sun and then uses it to turn water and carbon dioxide
into sugar (glucose) for the plant.
sunlight
Carbon dioxide + Water chlorophyll Glucose + Oxygen
sunlight
6CO2 + 6H2O
chlorophyll
C6H12O6 + 6O2
5
• It’s easy to balance the photosynthesis equation.
• Just remember that everything has a 6 before it except the glucose.
sunlight
6CO2 + 6H2O
chlorophyll
C6H12O6 + 6O2

666 6
Used in respiration to
release energy Stored in fruit as
sucrose
Stored as starch
GLUCOSE
Turned into proteins with

Turned into cellulose
the addition of nitrogen
to make cell walls
so the plant can grow
7
Structure of a leaf
Cuticle
Upper epidermis Chloroplasts
Palisade
Vascular bundle
Mesophyll
Spongy
Lower epidermis
Air space
Guard cell Stoma 8
Structure of a leaf
• The cells in a leaf are arranged in layers a little like a Jaffa Cake.
• The waxy cuticle is like the chocolate.
• The palisade mesophyll is like the orange jelly
• And the sponge is like the spongy mesophyll!!
9
Structure of a leaf
• Leaves are perfectly adapted to carrying out photosynthesis!
1. The palisade layer is packed with chloroplasts for photosynthesis.
2. The leaf has a transparent upper epidermis to let light through to
the palisade layer.
3. The leaf has a broad shape to increase surface area to catch more
light.
4. The leaf is thin to allow rapid diffusion for gaseous exchange.
5. The leaf has air spaces in the spongy layer to allow for gaseous
exchange.
6. The leaf has lots of stomata to allow for gaseous exchange.
7. The leaf has guard cells to control if the stomata open or closed.
8. The waxy cuticle reduces water loss by evaporation.
10
Plant nutrition
L.O.: To understand how varying carbon dioxide concentration, light intensity
and temperature affect the rate of photosynthesis
• Explain “limiting factor”

Must
• Observe the graph and interpret how light
Must intensity , CO2 and temperature affect
photosynthesis.
•and recall the three limiting factors which affect the rate of
Must photosynthesis.
STARTER QUESTION
Why is photosynthesis very important?
Factors affecting photosynthesis
• The rate of photosynthesis relies on three things.
Light intensity
Amount of CO2
Temperature
12
Light intensity
• The higher the light intensity, the faster the rate of photosynthesis – provided that there is
lots of carbon dioxide and the temperature is warm enough.
Rate of photosynthesis
At a certain point it wont matter

how much more light you give the
plant the rate is at its maximum or
one of the factors (temp or CO2) is
in short supply. That is why the
graph plateaus.
Light Intensity
13
Amount of CO2
• The higher the carbon dioxide level, the faster the rate of photosynthesis – again, provided
there is plenty of light and a suitable temperature.
At a certain point it wont matter how

much more CO2 you give the plant
the rate is at its maximum or one of
the factors is in short supply. That is
why the graph plateaus.

CO2 14
Temperature
• As the temperature rises, the rate of photosynthesis increases – provided there is plenty of
carbon dioxide and light. This is because the temperature affects the enzymes controlling
photosynthesis.
However, at a certain point (over

45oC) the higher temperature

causes the enzymes to denature
and photosynthesis slows down
and stops.
Temperature
15
• The factor that is at the lowest level will be the factor which limits the
rate of reaction. This factor is called the limiting factor.
• If the limiting factor is increased, the rate of photosynthesis will increase
until one of the other factors becomes limiting.
Light intensity
Amount of CO2
Temperature 16
Plant nutrition
L.O.: To investigate how the intensity of light affects the rate of photosynthesis
• Can you carry out the online

Must experiment, record data, represent the
data in a graph and draw conclusions?
• Can you plan a fair investigation by deciding the
Must variables?
• Can you form a hypothesis for the given scientific question?

Must
STARTER QUESTION
How will you prove that plants cannot grow
without light?
https://www.reading.ac.uk/virtualexperiments/ves/preloader-
photosynthesis-full.html
Plant nutrition
L.O.: To investigate photosynthesis, showing the evolution of oxygen from a water plant,
the production of starch, carbon dioxide and chlorophyll.
• Can you carry out the online

Must experiment, record data, represent the
data in a graph and draw conclusions?
• Can you plan a fair investigation by deciding the
Must variables?
• Can you form a hypothesis for the given scientific question?

Must
STARTER QUESTION
How will you prove that plants cannot grow
without light?
PRACTICAL
Photosynthesis experiments
• There are some key experiments that you should know about in this
topic.
1. Show that starch is produced in photosynthesis
2. Demonstrate that oxygen is given off by a water plant in photosynthesis
• You need to be able to adapt these experiments to prove the
requirement for light, chlorophyll and carbon dioxide.
20
PRACTICAL
• Plants make glucose during photosynthesis and store it in their cells as

starch!
• You can test a leaf with iodine to show it contains starch.
21
PRACTICAL
1. First remove a leaf from the

plant.
2. Place it in a beaker of boiling
water for 30 seconds to kill it.
22
PRACTICAL
1. First remove a leaf from the

plant.
2. Place it in a beaker of boiling
water for 30 seconds to kill it.
3. Then place it in a boiling tube
of ethanol, inside the beaker
of boiling water, and make
sure the Bunsen flame is
switched off.
23
PRACTICAL
This removes the green

pigment called
chlorophyll from the leaf
so you can see the
results clearly.
24
PRACTICAL
4. Remove the leaf after a minute using forceps and rinse with
cold water under the tap.
5. Spread it out on a white tile and drip iodine over it.
6. Iodine will turn blue black if starch is present.
25
PRACTICAL
This leaf contains starch as it has gone blue black
This leaf contains no starch

• This is because the leaf has been destarched.
• It has been left in a dark cupboard for a few days, the plant has not been able to
photosynthesise and has therefore used up its store of starch for energy instead.
26
PRACTICAL
• Some leaves are variegated, this

means they have some green and
some white parts.
• What do you think the result would

look like for a variegated leaf like this
when its tested for starch?
• Have a look at the next slide to find

out!
27
PRACTICAL
The white parts will just turn

yellow/brown, the same colour
as the iodine as there is no
starch made here due to the
absence of chlorophyll
The parts of the leaf with

chlorophyll turn blue/black as
starch has been produced here
by photosynthesis
28
PRACTICAL
• You can also prove using the following apparatus and
the starch leaf test that CO2 is needed for
photosynthesis.
• The soda lime absorbs CO2 so if you leave the plant in
the sealed bell jar for a while it will stop
photosynthesising and use up its starch reserves for
energy.
• Therefore if you tested a leaf for starch it wont give a
positive result.
Soda lime
29
PRACTICAL
• You can use an aquatic plant such as Elodea (pondweed) to measure the
rate of photosynthesis under various conditions.
• As the plant photosynthesises it produces oxygen gas as bubbles.
• You can measure the volume produced in a given time to calculate the
rate.
30
PRACTICAL
You could change the distance the Or sodium hydrogen-carbonate can be

lamp is from the plant to investigate added to increase the CO2 in the
the effect of light intensity on the rate water, or the temperature of the
of photosynthesis water could be changed.
31
PRACTICAL
• Remember only to change one variable (light intensity, temp or CO2), this
will be your independent variable for the investigation.
• All the other variables in the investigation must stay controlled.
• The variable measured which will be the number of bubbles of oxygen in
a minute is the dependent variable.
32
PRACTICAL
REPEAT the experiment to

make it more RELIABLE
33
Minerals
• As we know the plant makes its food by the

process of photosynthesis in the leaves.
• However it needs various mineral ions and
water from the soil in order to stay healthy.
• Two of these are nitrates and magnesium.
34
Minerals - Nitrates
Used to
make a
acids, p mino
r
many o oteins and
the r m o
for the lecules
plant su
c h as
DNA.
y ca u s e s
c
Deficien rowth
t u nted g
s l e av es
o w
and yell
35
Minerals - Magnesium
m a ke
e d to
Us h y ll f or
lo ro p
c h a n t.
th e pl
Deficiency turns the leaves yellow
36
2c – Nutrition - Plants
CONCEPT CHECK – True or false
1. Oxygen is produced in photosynthesis

2. Photosynthesis occurs in the chloroplasts
3. Glucose is stored as starch by the plant
4. You can test for starch in a leaf using Biurets
5. Repeating an experiment makes it more reliable
6. Nitrates are used by the plant to make chlorophyll
7. The dependent variable is the one you change
8. The higher the temperature the faster photosynthesis will happen
9. The cuticle is the middle layer of the leaf
10. The guard cells control if the stomata are open or closed
37
CONCEPT CHECK – True or false
1. Oxygen is produced in photosynthesis

2. Photosynthesis occurs in the chloroplasts
3. Glucose is stored as starch by the plant
4. You can test for starch in a leaf using Biurets
5. Repeating an experiment makes it more reliable
6. Nitrates are used by the plant to make chlorophyll
7. The dependent variable is the one you change
8. The higher the temperature the faster photosynthesis will happen
9. The cuticle is the middle layer of the leaf
10. The guard cells control if the stomata are open or closed
38
CONCEPT CHECK – Exam style question
Q: Explain how you would safely test a variegated leaf to show the chlorophyll
is needed for photosynthesis. (6 marks)
39
CONCEPT CHECK – Exam style question
Q: Explain how you would safely test a variegated leaf to show the chlorophyll
is needed for photosynthesis. (6 marks)
Boil leaf in water;

Turn off Bunsen burner;
Boil in ethanol;
Rinse;
Test with iodine;
Green part goes blue/black;
White part stays brown/yellow;
40

Nutrition in Plants

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Nutrition in Plants

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MAKING SENSE OF IGCSE BIOLOGY

Copyright © 2017 Henry Exham

• Can you explain photosynthesis using scientific terms?

Copyright © 2018 Henry Exham

Turned into proteins with

Upper epidermis Chloroplasts

• Explain “limiting factor”

At a certain point it wont matter

At a certain point it wont matter how

Copyright © 2018 Henry Exham

However, at a certain point (over

45oC) the higher temperature

• Can you carry out the online

• Can you form a hypothesis for the given scientific question?

• Can you carry out the online

• Can you form a hypothesis for the given scientific question?

• Plants make glucose during photosynthesis and store it in their cells as

1. First remove a leaf from the

1. First remove a leaf from the

This removes the green

This leaf contains starch as it has gone blue black

This leaf contains no starch

• Some leaves are variegated, this

• What do you think the result would

• Have a look at the next slide to find

The white parts will just turn

The parts of the leaf with

You could change the distance the Or sodium hydrogen-carbonate can be

REPEAT the experiment to

• As we know the plant makes its food by the

Deficiency turns the leaves yellow

1. Oxygen is produced in photosynthesis

1. Oxygen is produced in photosynthesis

Boil leaf in water;

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