CONNECTION! Photosynthesis chapter 10 in your BIOL 120 lecture. Please review your textbook as needed for this lab. The most important thing you need to know for Lab 6, are the reactants and products of aerobic cellular respiration.
Wavelengths of light are associated with various colors due to their frequency. When light hits an object or solution (like a plant leaf in the figure below), wavelengths are either absorbed or reflected/transmitted. We see color based on the associated wavelengths that are transmitted or reflected. We do not see the colors associated with the wavelengths that are absorbed.
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For example, view the absorption spectrum for typical plant pigments (graph below). The graph shows that when light hits a plant, purple, blue, red, and orange wavelengths have high absorbance values, meaning they are mostly absorbed by the plant and we don not see these colors. Green and yellow wavelengths have low absorbance values- meaning they are reflected... this is what gives plants their green color!
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Lab 8: ProtocolIn today's lab you will work with your lab group to develop a research proposal, conduct your experiment and begin to analyze your data.
Exercise I. Develop a research proposal Exercise II. Conduct your experiment Exercise III. Begin to analyze your data |
Procedure
You will determine the effect of light type or color (as decided as a class) on photosynthetic rate rates via spectrometry using DIP as a stand-in for NADP. Your TA will divide you up and let you know which variable you will test (based on class choice). You can test 5 test tubes at a time and may be able to run two sets of trails depending time.
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Procedure (Stadard Protocol)
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Procedure
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If you are especially curious about plants, Dr. Emani's research may interest you! He is investigating the use of molecular compounds produced by plants to meet human health needs, including the use of basil to produce anti-cancerous compounds. He is also researching the use of sorghum and tobacco as biofuels. Dr. Emani is also exploring the ways plants can be used to "bio-clean" toxic areas (a process called, phytoremediation) using pine and sorghum to break down oil waste material near oil fields to reclaim the land and aid in restoration efforts (check out this cool video). |