Photosynthesis

by Drs. Ingrid Waldron, Linda Robinson and Scott Poethig, Department of Biology, University of Pennsylvania, CC-BY-NC 4.0.

Students learn how to use the floating leaf disk method to measure the rate of net photosynthesis (i.e. the rate of photosynthesis minus the rate of cellular respiration). They compare the rate of net photosynthesis in water vs. a solution of sodium bicarbonate. The questions guide students in reviewing the relevant biology and interpreting their results.