Rate of photosynthesis

• rate of photosynthesis is affected by

  • light intensity
  • concentration of carbon dioxide
  • temperature
• A limiting factor is something stopping the rate of photosynthesis from happening faster
• Temperature affects the rate of photosynthesis because higher temperature speeds up chemical reactions but if too high then enzymes denature which reduces efficiency
• Photosynthesis is an endothermic reaction as it absorbs energy/heat from its surroundings
• How fast a plant can photosynthesise can also affect the rate of photosynthesis
• Chlorophyll can also be a factor of limiting rate of photosynthesis plants that contain more chlorophyll are able to absorb more light needed for photosynthesis
• Photosynthesis is a process that takes place in the leaves and more specifically in the subcellular structures called chloroplasts.
• Chlorophyll is a pigment that can absorb light, which it uses to convert carbon dioxide and water into glucose and oxygen.
• The reaction requires light energy for it to take place, and when energy from the surroundings is used to help a reaction take place, it is called an endothermic reaction.
• Energy is transferred from the environment to chloroplasts by light.
• The only product that the plants really want is the glucose, which they use for solar respiration, photosynthesis, and for making cellulose, starch, amino acids, and oils.
• Glucose is essential for plants' growth rate, which is often dependent on how fast they can photosynthesize.
• Plants need to carry out photosynthesis to survive, which is dependent on four main factors: light intensity, temperature, the concentration of carbon dioxide in the air, and the amount of chlorophyll that the plants have.
• Chlorophyll is the pigment within chloroplasts that absorbs the light energy needed for photosynthesis, and its level within an individual plant can vary due to disease, environmental stress, or lack of nutrients.
• Carbon dioxide is one of the reactants for photosynthesis, and the more red a plant can get, the higher the rate of photosynthesis, but after a while, the rate plateaus because when carbon dioxide is plentiful, something else becomes the limiting factor.
• Temperature affects the rate of photosynthesis, with the rate rising initially because the enzymes involved can work more quickly and the molecules can move faster, but after a while, the rate starts to drop again as the enzymes involved begin to denature.
• If plant doesn’t produce enough chlorophyll it may be because it has tobacco mosaic virus or may just lack required nutrients
• This is a graph of concentration of Carbon dioxide and how it plateaus which is the same as light intensity

  
• This is a graph of light intensity as it gradually plateaus which is the same as concentration of carbon dioxide

  
• This graph of temperature an how the enzymes get to the optimum temperature and allows its molecules to move faster but it soon starts to denature due to increase of temperature