Photosynthesis Under Different Wavelengths of Lights

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Xinhui (Sunny) Huang Biology 225 Auman, A. Results and Analysis Lab Partner: Alex Lund Photosynthesis: Under Different Wavelengths of Light Photosynthesis is a process that converts light energy into chemical energies and storing them in the bonds of sugar that organisms - such as plants - can use to maintain metabolism and life. What wavelengths of all the light in the spectrum the plant normally receives is the most efficient in photosynthesis? To find out, in this experiment we studied the rate of photosynthesis under several different wavelengths of light. We hypothesized that the rate of photosynthesis is the fastest when the plant is exposed to the whole spectrum (general light), because the plant absorbs energy from several wavelengths, compared to just absorbing energy from one light wavelength. In this experiment, using the water displacement method, we predicted that the tube containing Elodea and exposed to the general light would have the longest water migration compared to the tubes exposed to red, blue, or green lights. As predicted, the results showed that the tube that was exposed to the general light had the most water displacement at 17mm, followed by red at 16mm, blue at 7mm, and green at 4mm. These results supported our hypothesis that the tube exposed to general lighting (whole spectrum) would have the most water migration, and therefore would be the most efficient in photosynthesis for plants. General lighting and red light's wavelengths were favored by chlorophylls which carried out the photosynthesis process. Chlorophylls are green pigments that reflect the green light's wavelength, resulting in the low absorbance of energy and a smaller amount of water displacement, suggesting that green light's wavelength is not efficient for photosynthesis. Overall, there could be modification made towards refining the experiment. For example,

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