IBDP Biology

Internal Assessment
Student Name: Cho Yu Jin Leve HL
l:
School Name: Sekolah Pelita Harapan Code
Lippo Cikarang
Session: May Candidate
2017 No.

Investigation title: The Effect of Carbon Dioxide Concentration on Rate

of Photosynthesis
Description:
This investigation experiments on the effect of carbon dioxide
concentration on the rate of photosynthesis of H. verticillata. Changing
the concentration of sodium hydrogen carbonate solution will vary the
concentration of carbon dioxide. The rate of photosynthesis will be
measured by recording the amount of data using Logger Pro.
Syllabus topic(s): 2.9 Photosynthesis

Assessed Criteria: Aspect: Grade (2,1

or 0)
Design Define problem and select
variables
Controlling variables
Developing a method for
collection of data
Subtotal (Design)
Data Collection & Recording Raw Data
Processing
Processing Raw Data
Presenting Processed Data
Subtotal (DCP)
Conclusion & Concluding
Evaluation
Evaluating Procedures
Improving the Investigation
Subtotal (C&E)
On Covershe Turnitin
Total:
time: et: :

Candidate declaration:
I confirm that this work is my own work and is the final version. I have
acknowledged each
use of the words or ideas of another person, whether written, oral or visual.

Signed (student): _________________________________ Date:

____________
IBDP Biology Internal
Assessment
Accepted (teacher): _________________________________ Date: ____________

This statement is also checked by the student when submitting the work through
Turnitin.

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 Name: Cho Yu Jin
Date: 13 June 2016

The Effect of Carbon Dioxide Concentration on Rate

of Photosynthesis
Exploration

DESIGN

Defining the problem & selecting variables

Research Question:
How does the concentration of carbon dioxide affect the rate of photosynthesis in a
H. verticillata measured through the amount of oxygen produced during 10 minutes?

Background Information:
Limiting Factors in Photosynthesis
There are certain factors that affect the rate of photosynthesis. These factors are also
called limiting factors because they constrain the rate of photosynthesis if they are in short
supply. Therefore, these factors need to be carefully controlled in an investigation involving
photosynthesis.
i) Light intensity
Increasing light intensity increases the rate of photosynthesis when there is sufficient
carbon dioxide available and the temperature warm enough for the reaction to occur. Light
intensity is proportional to the inverse of the square of the distance from the lamp (1/d 2).
Square of the distance is used instead of just the distance because light intensity depends
on the area of the light falling on the plant. When the distance from the lamp increases,
the area being lit also increases.
ii) Carbon dioxide concentration
When other factors are in sufficient amounts, increasing the concentration of carbon
dioxide will increase the rate of photosynthesis until the plant is photosynthesizing at its
maximum rate. If there is too little carbon dioxide, it can become the limiting factor, thus
impeding the viability of the investigation. However, as long as the investigation is
completed in a short period of time, the amount of carbon dioxide used up by the plant will
not be sufficient to cause the carbon dioxide concentration to become the limiting factor.
iii) Temperature
Increasing the temperature increases the rate of photosynthesis, until a point at which the
enzyme activity decreases or the enzymes are denatured. The optimum temperature for
plant enzymes is 25 C.

H. verticillata
H .verticillata with the common name Hydrilla is an aquatic plant native to the cool and warm
waters in Asia, Europe, Africa and Australia, with a sparse, scattered distribution. The stems
grow up to 1 or 2 meters long. The leaves are arranged in whorls of two to eight around the
stem, each leaf 5 to 20 millimeters long and 0.7 to 2 millimeters broad, with serrations or small
spines along the leaf margins; the leaf midrib is often reddish when fresh. Male and female

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flowers are produced separately on a single plant. The flowers are small, with three sepals
and three petals. The petals are 3 to 5 millimeters long and transparent with red streaks. Yet,
the flowers are rarely seen. They have air spaces to keep them upright.
Hydrilla has a high resistance to salinity compared to many other freshwater associated
aquatic plants. Hydrilla is also known for its competitive and aggressive nature.

Hypothesis:
If the concentration of carbon dioxide is increased by decreasing the concentration of sodium
hydrogen carbonate solution, then the rate of photosynthesis will increase, measured by an
increase in the amount of oxygen detected by the Logger Pro.

Variables:
Table 1: Variables Selected for this Experiment
Units Range

Independent Variable Concentration of sodium Moles / M 0.0M 1.0M

hydrogen carbonate solution

Dependent Variable Volume of oxygen gas Parts per million / ppm -

Control Variables Units Possible effect on results

Temperature Degree Celsius / C (21C for this experiment)

Increasing the temperature increases the rate of
photosynthesis, until a point at which the enzyme
activity decreases or the enzymes are denatured.

Light intensity Candela / cd Increasing light intensity increases the rate of

photosynthesis when there is sufficient carbon
dioxide available and the temperature warm
enough for the reaction to occur.

Length of Centimeter / cm Having longer or shorter length of H. verticillata

H. verticillata determines the number of leaves that affect the
rate of photosynthesis.

Volume of NaHCO3 Milliliter / ml Changing the volume of NaHCO3 will affect the
solution amount of carbon dioxide present as well.

Time for recording Second / s The time for recording the data should be the
data same because there may be greater/lesser
changes as time passes.

Controlling the Variables

Table 2: Method for Controlling Variables
Method for Control
Control Variables
Why
Temperature Increasing the temperature increases the
rate of photosynthesis, until a point at
which the enzyme activity decreases or
the enzymes are denatured.
Light intensity Increasing light intensity increases the
rate of photosynthesis when there is
sufficient carbon dioxide available and the
temperature warm enough for the
reaction to occur.
How
Carry out the experiment in the same
room, measuring the temperature every
trial using a thermometer.
Carry out the experiment in the same
room with consistent lighting.
Place the plants at the same distance
from the light source.

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Length of H. verticillata Having longer or shorter length of
H. verticillata determines the number of
leaves that affect the rate of
photosynthesis.
Volume of NaHCO3 Changing the volume of NaHCO3 will
solution affect the amount of carbon dioxide
present as well.
Time for recording data The time for recording the data should be Set up Logger Pro to record data every
the same because there may be
greater/lesser changes as time passes.
Measure the length of the plant before
cutting using a 30cm ruler taking
perpendicular measurements into
consideration.
Measure the volume of the solution for
each trial using a graduated cylinder.
second for 10 minutes.

Developing a Method for Collection of Data

Materials:
1. H. verticillata
2. 1 30.0cm ruler
3. 300ml of each NaHCO3 solutions: 0.1M, 0.3M, 0.5M, 0.7M, 1.0M
Table 3: Moles of NaHCO3 solutions
Mass of NaHCO3 powder Volume of distilled water
Moles (M)
(g 0.01g) (ml 0.5ml)

0.1 2.4 300

0.3 7.5 300

0.5 12.6 300

0.7 17.7 300

0.9 22.8 300

1.0 33.2 300

4. 300ml of distilled water
5. 1 thermometer
6. 5 500ml beakers
7. 3 250ml Erlenmeyer flask
8. 1 1000ml beaker
9. 1 100ml graduated cylinder
10. 3 oxygen probes
11. 1 Logger Pro
12. 1 computer
13. 1 balance

Safety:
NaHCO3 may cause mild irritation. Use gloves and safety goggles for this investigation.

Method:
1. Connect the Logger Pro to the computer.
2. Cut one 15.0cm-long piece of H. verticillata.
3. Add 100ml of 0.1M NaHCO3 solutions into a 250ml Erlenmeyer flask.
4. Put the oxygen probe into the mouth of the flask.
5. Start to collect the data for 600 seconds by clicking Collect.

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 6. After 600 seconds, save the data collected on the computer.
7. Remove the probe from the flask.
8. Repeat the experiment with all the other concentrations of NaHCO 3 solutions.

Diagram 1: Experiment Setup

Quantitative Analysis

DATA COLLECTION & PROCESSING

Recording Raw Data
Table 4: Initial amount of oxygen for each concentration of NaHCO 3 solution
Concentration of Initial amount of oxygen present (ppm)
NaHCO3 solution (M) Trial 1 Trial 2 Trial 3
0.0 (control) 41146.5 12178.8 26801.5
0.1 12009.7 41468.5 31149.8
0.3 11925.1 41388.0 30988.8
0.5 11840.5 41388.0 30908.4
0.7 11755.9 41549.1 30827.9
1.0 11840.5 41307.5 30988.8

Table 5: Final amount of oxygen for each concentration of NaHCO 3 solution

Concentration of Initial amount of oxygen present (ppm)
NaHCO3 solution (M) Trial 1 Trial 2 Trial 3
0.0 (control) 40904.9 11925.1 26635.0
0.1 11925.1 41468.5 31069.3
0.3 11671.4 41146.5 30666.9
0.5 11586.8 40904.9 30505.9
0.7 11755.9 40743.9 30505.9
1.0 11586.8 40743.9 30344.9

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Graph 1: Amount of oxygen produced for the control (water) over time

Graph 2: Amount of oxygen produced for 0.1M NaHCO3 over time

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Graph 3: Amount of oxygen produced for 0.3M NaHCO3 over time

Graph 4: Amount of oxygen produced for 0.5M NaHCO3 over time

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Graph 5: Amount of oxygen produced for 0.7M NaHCO3 over time

Graph 6: Amount of oxygen produced for 1.0M NaHCO3 over time

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Processing Raw Data
Table 6: Amount of oxygen produced for each concentration of NaHCO3 solution
Concentration of Amount of oxygen produced (ppm)
NaHCO3 solution
Trial 1 Trial 2 Trial 3 Average
(M)
0.0 (control) -241.6 -253.7 -166.0 -220.4
0.1 -338.3 -0.0 -80.5 -139.6
0.3 -253.7 -241.5 -321.6 -272.3
0.5 -253.7 -483.1 -402.5 -379.8
0.7 -0.0 -805.2 -322.0 -375.7
1.0 -253.7 -563.6 -643.9 -487.1

Sample Calculation 1:
Average = (sum of trial 1 until 3 inclusive) / 3
Example 1:
Average for 0.0M of NaHCO3 solution: (241.6 + 253.7 + 166.0) / 3

Sample Calculation 2:
Amount of oxygen produced = (Final amount of oxygen present) (Initial amount of oxygen
produced)
Example 2:
Amount of oxygen produced for 0.0M of NaHCO3 solution: 40904.9 41146.5

Presenting Processed Data

Graph 7: Amount of oxygen produced against the concentration of NaHCO 3 solution
0
0 0.1 0.2 0.3 0.4 0.5 0.6 0.7 0.8 0.9 1
-100

-200

Amount of Oxygen Produced (ppm) -300

-400

-500

-600
Concentration of Sodium Hydrogen Carbonate Solution (M)

Communication

CONCLUSION & EVALUATION

Concluding
The results of this investigation does not support the hypothesis that if the
concentration of carbon dioxide is increased by decreasing the concentration of sodium
hydrogen carbonate solution, then the rate of photosynthesis will increase, measured by an
increase in the amount of oxygen detected by the Logger Pro. The graph shows that oxygen
was actually consumed rather than produced over time. Through this result, various
assumptions can be made. One of the various assumptions can be that the rate of respiration

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was greater than the rate of photosynthesis, causing a consumption of oxygen rather than a
production. Carrying out the experiment in a rather weak light source and cold room could
have caused this. Looking at the graph above, increasing the concentration of sodium
hydrogen carbonate solution leads to greater consumption of oxygen. Therefore, it can be
concluded from the investigation that when carbon dioxide concentration is decreased, more
oxygen is consumed. Once again, this does not support the initial hypothesis.

Evaluation
Evaluating Procedures
The overall quality of the procedure used and data collected is fair since the controlled
variables were kept fairly constant to ensure that there was only one independent variable
affecting the results (dependent variable). Yet, the procedure could have been improved by
carrying out the investigation in a dark room with a controlled light source. This could more
definitely control the light intensity on the plant. Also, turning off the air conditioners could have
better controlled the temperature. In carrying out this lab, there were some difficulties in
obtaining aquatic plants that are fresh. Also, it cannot be assured that the Hydrilla plants were
under the best condition after being taken out of the aquarium towards the end of the
investigation.

Improving the Investigation

Table 7: Errors, Limitations, Weaknesses and Improvements

Systematic Errors Significance, Effect and Direction Improvement

Not carrying out the
Increasing light intensity increases
experiment in a dark Carry out the experiment in a
the rate of photosynthesis when
room with a dark room with a single
there is sufficient carbon dioxide
controlled light controlled light source. This is
available and the temperature warm
intensity from a single to control the light intensity.
enough for the reaction to occur.
light source

Random Errors Significance and Effect Improvement

Measurements not Readings and results become Take measurements
taken perpendicular inaccurate and lead to unreliable perpendicular to eye level.
to eye level calculations.

Weaknesses and
Significance and Effect Improvement
Limitations
Take the plant from the
Difficulty in finding
The plant may not be carrying out aquarium every time before
fresh Hydrilla plant
photosynthesis as effectively. each trial to ensure best
quality.

Bibliography
Sodium Bicarbonate. Pubchem. US National Library of Medicine, 2016. Web. 11 June 2016.
Factors Limiting Photosynthesis. GCSE Bitesize. BBC, 2014. Web. 11 June 2016.

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