How Does Exposure to Sunlight Effect Photosynthesis?

Lane Wilcox, 8S

Word Count: 4885

1
 Table of Contents
Abstract ................................................................................................................................................... 3
Introduction ............................................................................................................................................ 3
Focus Question ................................................................................................................................... 3
What is the basic theory for this subject area? .................................................................................. 3
What is the hypothesis to be tested? What are the possible outcomes of the experiment? ............ 5
How does the experiment compare to previous experiments done in the area?.............................. 5
Why is the subject important?............................................................................................................ 5
How is it relevant to society or a community? ................................................................................... 6
Practical Write-Up................................................................................................................................... 6
Aim ...................................................................................................................................................... 6
Hypothesis........................................................................................................................................... 6
Variables ............................................................................................................................................. 6
Risk Assessment .................................................................................................................................. 6
Equipment ........................................................................................................................................... 7
Method ............................................................................................................................................... 7
Results ..................................................................................................................................................... 8
Progress: ............................................................................................................................................. 8
Tables: ................................................................................................................................................. 9
Graphs: .............................................................................................................................................. 10
Observations: .................................................................................................................................... 13
Analysis/Discussion ............................................................................................................................... 14
Which result was best and which was worst? .................................................................................. 14
Explain the results and link to info from the introduction. .............................................................. 14
Patterns and Trends .......................................................................................................................... 15
Relevant Calculations ........................................................................................................................ 15
Evaluation ............................................................................................................................................. 16
What errors occurred during the experiment? ................................................................................ 16
Which variables were not well controlled? ...................................................................................... 16
Explain what effect each of these could have on the results. .......................................................... 16
Where could the accuracy of the experiment be improved? ........................................................... 16
Any ideas for future experiments? ................................................................................................... 16
Conclusion ............................................................................................................................................. 16
Bibliography .......................................................................................................................................... 17
Journal................................................................................................................................................... 18

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Abstract
This experiment tests how the exposure to sunlight can affect the process of photosynthesis. Three
duckweed plants were in three different places exposed to various amounts of sunlight. The results
will be measured by the amount of water that has been consumed by the plant. The first step of the
method was to get three buckets, bottles, rubber bands, skewers, and duckweed. Then the
experiment had to be assembled by cutting the bottles in half, hot gluing skewers together, sticking
the skewers to the bottles with rubber bands and then putting them in the container filled with water.
The results pointed out that the duckweed exposed to full sunlight had the best result as the duckweed
survived and there was a water consumption of 335mL indicating that the process of photosynthesis
was working. The worst result was the duckweed exposed to no sunlight as a couple of fronds on the
duckweed had died, and there was a water consumption of 215mL indicating that the duckweed didnt
consume a lot of because it didnt have the sunlight to turn it into water. The hypothesis for this
experiment was correct as the differing exposure to sunlight altered the water consumption of the
duckweed.

Introduction
Focus Question
How does differing levels of sunlight affect the process of photosynthesis?

This experiment will test the photosynthesis process in different amounts of exposure to sunlight
during the day. There will be three separate conditions where the duckweed will be placed, one in no
sunlight during the day, one in half sunlight during the day, and another in full sunlight during the day.
The experiment will take place over three weeks.

What is the basic theory for this subject area?

Duckweed

Duckweeds, or Lemnoideae are a subfamily of the Araceae of aquatic flowering monocot plants
(Cabera et al., 2008). The plant is small in size with simple characteristics, however, due to their size,
it can cause difficulty when identifying species (Wang & Messing, 2011). The frond of the duckweed is
the leaf or leaf-like part of the plant. As the plant floats on water, the plant is mostly exposed to
continuous sunlight (Wang & Messing, 2011). This causes the duckweed to be one of the fastest
growing plant species on earth, as constant sunlight causes a high rate of photosynthesis (Wang &
Messing, 2011). Due to the large amount of photosynthesis occurring in the plant, there are high
amounts of starch present, again demonstrating its ability for rapid growth (Cheng & Stomp, 2009).
Due to these factors, it is one of the most efficient multicellular biological solar energy converter that
we have (Wang & Messing, 2012).

3
Photosynthesis

The Royal Society of Chemistry (2017) explains that photosynthesis is the process of plants and
bacteria using light energy, carbon dioxide, and water to produce oxygen and glucose as well as
feeding itself. The process is comprised of a light dependent and a light independent reaction. The
chemical equation for the process of photosynthesis is 6CO2 + 6H2O ------> C6H12O6 + 6O2.

The light dependent reaction, as the name suggests, uses light which is converted into chemical energy.
This occurs when light is absorbed by chlorophyll, which is a photosynthetic pigment found in
chloroplasts of the plant. Electron energy rises as wavelengths of light are absorbed, therefore light
energy is successfully converted to chemical energy. These electrons (H+) are passed into the thylakoid
membrane of the chloroplast. The thylakoid membrane is the site of many reactions necessary for the
light dependent reactions to occur. It contains structures such as photosystem II, ATP synthase, a chain
of electron carriers and photosystem I. (Allot & Mindorff, 2014)

Photophosphorylation is a process that produces ATP, or energy, for the plant. A pair of excited
electrons from photosystem II pass through the chain of carriers which creates energy. When enough
energy is acquired, protons are pumped from the stroma into the thylakoid membrane, therefore
creating a concentration gradient, as the concentration of protons is moving from one place to
another (Schmidt, 2007). The stroma is fluid around the thylakoid membrane that contains many
enzymes. Chemiosmosis occurs when the ATP synthase enzyme uses energy from the concentration
gradient to produce ATP. The electrons used in the chain of carriers, stated previously, are then
passed to photosystem I. (Allot & Mindorff, 2014)

The electrons from photosystem I pass through a chain of electron acceptors. They are then passed
into the stroma and bind with NADP creating NADPH. As these electrons have now been used,
electrons from photosystem II replace those used in photosystem I, allowing for this process to repeat.
As photosystem II gives electrons away to photosystem I, photolysis or water splitting occurs to
provide photosystem II with electrons. Therefore, H+ is produced (electron) and oxygen is a bi-product.
(Allot & Mindorff, 2014)

The second part of photosynthesis is the light independent reaction. The light independent reaction
can occur in darkness, but only for a short time as it depends on substances produced by the light-
dependent reaction. The reaction occurs in the stroma of the chlorophyll, and commences when
carbon dioxide enters the stroma and combines with RuBP. This reaction is catalysed by the enzyme
Rubisco. The product of this combination is two molecules of glycerate 3-phosphate. The hydrogen
from the NADPH molecule formed in the light dependent reaction, binds with the two molecules, and
is converted into a carbohydrate named triose phosphate. Glucose phosphate then can be made for
the production of starch in the plant, as well as used to regenerate the RuBP used. Therefore the light
independent reaction produces glucose. (Allot & Mindorff, 2014)

It can be seen that sunlight can limit the rate of photosynthesis if it is below a certain level. When
there is a low amount of light exposed to the plant, it will inhibit the process and therefore unable to
survive. As the intensity rises, the rate increases. (Allot & Mindorff, 2014)

The amount of water present for a plant is also an important factor for the survival of the plant, as
seen above. Evaporation, which is the process by which a liquid changes into a vapor with the
absorption of energy (heat) (Park & Allaby. 2017). This decreases the amount of water readily
available for the plant.

4
What is the hypothesis to be tested? What are the possible outcomes of the
experiment?
Hypothesis

If the duckweed receives different amounts of exposure to sunlight, then photosynthesis (measured
by water levels/consumption) will be affected, ultimately influencing the plant's ability to survive.

Possible Outcomes

Full sunlight during the day: The most likely outcome for the water outside of the bottle is that the
water levels will drop due to evaporation. The water inside the bottle is mostly likely to drop from the
water consumption of the duckweed; it could also drop due to the oxygen produced. The water inside
of the bottle will determine how much water is used by the plant and the water outside of the bottle
is not as important.

Half Sunlight during the day: Same with full sunlight the water levels outside of the bottle should drop
due to evaporation. The water consumed by the plant inside of the bottle could cause the water levels
to drop. The water levels can also be affected by the oxygen produced through photosynthesis.

No Sunlight during the day: The duckweed is unlikely to survive without sunlight as it cant produce
energy for itself. The water shouldnt drop as much as there is no sun to evaporate to. The water
should drop inside the bottle as the plants will use up water but still wont survive.

How does the experiment compare to previous experiments done in the area?
An experiment conducted by Jan Ingenhousz in the late 1770s proved that plants produce oxygen and
later discovered that light played a significant role in this process (Photosynthesis Education, 2017).
Later, Jean Senebier demonstrated that carbon dioxide also contributed to the release of oxygen with
the help of sunless (Photosynthesis Education, 2017). In the early 1800s, Nicoloas-Thedore de
Saussure concluded that as well as carbon dioxide, water was also needed to keep the plants alive and
growing (Photosynthesis Education, 2017). The following experiment supports these theories as the
light intensity, as well as water uptake influenced the plant's survival.

Why is the subject important?

All plants need energy to survive, the only way for them to get this energy is through the process of
photosynthesis (Socratic, 2017). Without plants, the foundation for the food web would collapse. All
animals (including humans) depend on plants either directly or indirectly (National Gardening
Association, 2017). If photosynthesis didnt exist then the oxygen levels in the atmosphere would
slowly diminish as plants take in carbon dioxide and replace it with oxygen through the process of
photosynthesis (National Gardening Association, 2017). Not only is photosynthesis used by plants,
but it is used by algae, and bacteria Mould is a type of bacteria, the medicine penicillin is made from
mould, without photosynthesis mould wouldnt survive therefore not allowing for penicillin to be
made causing many peoples death (Sciencing, 2017).

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How is it relevant to society or a community?
According to Daniel, 2016, photosynthesis has many positive effects on society, including energy
production, food production, environmental benefits, and medicinal benefits. The process of
photosynthesis converts sunlight to energy which has influenced the development of solar power
devices. Without photosynthesis plants would not be able to create energy for themselves, this would
affect our food chain as most animals are herbivorous. Not only having benefits in power and food,
photosynthesis has medicinal benefits, plants have developed mechanisms for limiting light damage,
which can lead to the development of limiting light damage to humans, decreasing the chance of skin
cancer. One of the biggest benefits from photosynthesis is the benefit it has on the environment; the
process of photosynthesis removes carbon dioxide gas from the atmosphere and releases oxygen in
its place. This experiment contributes to the scientific community by providing further evidence to the
theory of photosynthesis (Daniel, 2016).

Practical Write-Up
Aim:
To determine how exposure to sunlight affects photosynthesis (measured by water
levels/consumption) in duckweed.

Hypothesis:
If water plants receive different amounts of exposure to sunlight then photosynthesis (water
level/consumption) will be affected because the plant will not be able to create energy for itself to
survive. This is outlined above in further detail.

Variables:
Independent Variable: Exposure to sunlight.

Dependent Variable: Photosynthesis Cycle (water consumption)

Controlled Variable: Duck weed, Water

Risk Assessment:
Hazard
Cutting bottle in half could
lead to cutting yourself.
Hot gluing could lead to burns.
Prevention Management
Wear gloves and have adult Bandage cut and approach an
supervision. Being attentive adult for help.
and present when using
scissors.
Wear gloves and have an Rinse burn with cold water and
adults supervision. Being approach an adult for help.
attentive and present during
the process.

6
Equipment:
3 Bottles

3 Large containers

12 Pegs

90g Duck weed

12.75 L Water

6 Rubber bands

Hot glue gun

15 Skewers

Method:
1. Three bottles were cut in half and melted on an iron.

2. 5 Skewers were glued together (x3).

3. The skewers were attached to the bottle with rubber bands

4. Pegs were placed on the ends of the skewers to balance the bottles.

5. Each container was filled up with 4.25L of water.

6. The Duckweed was placed inside the bottle.

7. The bottle was placed inside the water.

8. The amount of water was marked on the container.

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Results
Progress:
Photos:

Start of Experiment (8.3.17):

All: Full Sunlight:

Half Sunlight: No Sunlight:

End of Experiment (5.4.17):

All: Full Sunlight:

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Half Sunlight: No Sunlight:

Tables:
Before (8.3.17)

Overall:

Amount of Light Amount of Water

Full 4.25L
Half 4.25L
None 4.25L

Outside of bottle:

Amount of Light Amount of Water

Full 3.7L
Half 3.475L
None 3.575L

Inside of Bottle:

Amount of Light Amount of water: Amount of Duckweed

Full 550mL 40g
Half 775mL 40g
None 675mL 40g

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After (5.4.17)

Overall:

Amount of Light Amount of Water

Full 2.025L
Half 2.05L
None 3.06L

Outside of bottle:

Amount of Light Amount of Water

Full 1.45L
Half 1.6L
None 2.6L

Inside of Bottle:

Amount of Light Amount of Water Amount of Duckweed

Full 215mL 40g
Half 450mL 40g
None 460mL 40g

Graphs:
Water level Overall on the 8/3/17 and the 5/4/17
4.5
4.25 4.25 4.25
4
3.5
Amount of Water (L)

3 3.06
2.5
2 2.05
1.665
1.5
1
0.5
0
Full Sunlight Half Sunlight No Sunlight
Amount of Sunlight

8/03/2017 5/04/2017

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 Water Levels on the 8.3.17 and the 5.4.17 Outside of the
Bottle
4
3.7 3.575
3.5 3.475
Amount of Water (Litres)

3
2.5 2.6

2
1.5 1.6
1.45
1
0.5
0
Full Sunlight Half Sunlight No Sunlight
Amount of Sunlight

8.3.17 5.4.17

Water Levels on the 8.3.17 and the 5.4.17 Inside of the

Bottle
900
800 775
700 675
Amount of Water (Millilitres)

600
550
500
450 460
400
300
200 215
100
0
Full Sunlight Half Sunlight No Sunlight
Amount of Sunlight

8/03/2017 5/04/2017

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 Percentage of Water Loss
70

60 60.9
60.8
Percentage of Water Loss

54
50 51.8
45.3
40 41.9

30 31.9
28
27.3
20

10

0
Full Sunlight Half Sunlight No Sunlight
Amount of Sunlight

Overall Outside Bottle Inside Bottle

Water Loss
3

2.5 2.585
Amount of Water (Litres)

2.25 2.2
2
1.875
1.5
1.19
1 0.975

0.5
0.335 0.325
0.215
0
Full Sunlight Half Sunlight No Sunlight
Amount of Sunlight

Overall Outside Bottle Inside Bottle

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Observations:
Full Sunlight:

The duckweed in full sunlight, survived and maintained itself which was expected as it was in its
natural environment. The water level dropped by more than half outside of the bottle and inside of
the bottle. The water level outside of the bottle must have dropped due to the exposure to sunlight
and evaporated.

Half Sunlight:

The duckweed in half sunlight didnt last as well as a couple of duckweeds died. The appearance of
duckweeds changed from a green colour to brown, as well as becoming limp. As the water inside the
bottle decreases it displays the amount of water consumed by the plant outweighed the water
produced by the plant. The evaporation of the water outside of the bottle is similar to that of the
duckweed in full sunlight as it lost more than half of the water.

No Sunlight:

Without sunlight, the duckweed that was exposed to no sunlight had many dead fronds. The water
levels inside bottle decreased due to the plant's water consumption, the duckweed that was exposed
to half sunlight had a similar reaction. As there were many hot days during the 3-week experiment,
the water outside of the bottle had minimum evaporation. The water outside of the bottle didnt
decrease as much as the other tests as the water wasnt evaporating as much as it was without sunlight.

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Analysis/Discussion
Which result was best and which was worst?
The duckweed growing in full sunlight had the best result as none of the duckweed had died. This
condition was the most successful because of 335mL of water consumption as well as duckweed
growth. The water levels decreased inside the bottle due to 335 mL of water consumption by the
duckweed overtime. The light exposed to the duckweed caused the light dependent reaction to take
place, therefore, causing water to be absorbed to complete the reaction. It can be concluded that
there was more water consumption in the full sunlight condition than the duckweed exposed to half
sunlight and no sunlight. After three weeks, the duckweed exposed to full sunlight had grown extra
fronds, which indicates that the plant was exposed to enough sunlight and water to carry out effective
photosynthesis.

The duckweed that was exposed to no sunlight had the worst results of the experiment as most of
the duckweeds fronds had died. The water level outside of the bottle decreased 975mL of water which
is a small amount when compared to other conditions. As this condition was not exposed to any
sunlight, this would explain the lack of evaporation. However, the small evaporation that occurred
may be attributed to the hot weather during the 3-week period. The water inside of the bottle
decreased 215mL due to water consumption by the duckweed.

Explain the results and link to info from the introduction.

When looking at the duckweed exposed to no sunlight, the light-independent reaction of
photosynthesis would have allowed the plant to survive for a short period of time. As the light
independent reaction needs hydrogen from the light dependent reaction (Allot & Mindorff, 2014), the
environment was not sufficient to allow the plant to survive. When looking into this process in more
detail, the plant would have consumed water 215mL but not have the sunlight to cause the water split
and be used efficiently in this reaction (Allot & Mindorff, 2014). Due to this, the plant could no longer
survive in these conditions. Due to the hot climate, the heat caused some water outside of the bottle
to evaporate 975mL of water. In addition to this, the space where the no sunlight condition was placed
was in a confined and small area, which may have increased the temperature slightly.

The duckweed exposed to the half sunlight condition survived due to the plant being exposed to
sufficient sunlight allowing enough energy to be created by photosynthesis. Inside of the bottle 325ml
of water was used, confirming effective use of the water through photosynthesis. As light is absorbed
by chlorophyll, the excited electrons caused by light energy and used in photosystem I and II need to
replaced (Allot & Mindorff, 2014). The role of water in photosynthesis is to provide the H+ electron,
therefore increased uptake of water to provide this electron is seen as the water levels decrease (Allot
& Mindorff, 2014). Outside of the bottle more than half of the water had evaporated (1.875L). During
the end of the three weeks, three fronds had started to die. Without full exposure to sunlight, the
duckweed won't have sufficient energy to survive but it still receives enough sunlight to keep most of
the duckweed alive.

14
The duckweed exposed to full sunlight illustrated a light-dependant reaction as the plant absorbed
sunlight into the chlorophyll, (Allot & Mindorff, 2014). This is evident as the inside of the bottle no
duckweed died and the water level decreased by 335mL. Outside of the bottle, the water evaporated
due to the heat and the water levels dropped by more than half (2.25L) (Park & Allaby. 2017). The
results are similar to the duckweed exposed to the half sunlight condition. However, the process of
photosynthesis was more efficient and effective.

Patterns and Trends

For all three tests, the water levels outside of the bottle dropped due to evaporation caused by
sunlight and heat. Inside each of the bottles water levels had dropped a significant amount due to
water consumption by the duckweed. Each of the plants consumed water to survive but not all
conditions provided evidence of effective photosynthesis.

Relevant Calculations

Percentage of Water Loss

70

60 60.9
60.8
Percentage of Water Loss

54
50 51.8
45.3
40 41.9

30 31.9
28
27.3
20

10

0
Full Sunlight Half Sunlight No Sunlight
Amount of Sunlight

Overall Outside Bottle Inside Bottle

15
Evaluation
What errors occurred during the experiment?
When measuring the water levels before and after the experiments, a measuring cup was used to get
exact measurements. As water may have escaped by sticking to the measuring cup or the container,
it is not a precise measurement of water. The exposure to the sunlight may have not been constant
due to overcast weather, therefore the amount of sunlight is only an estimations.

Which variables were not well controlled?

The duckweed had no direct source of carbon dioxide which can alter the overall outcome/results of
this experiment. The experiment was focused on the water consumption by the duckweed; this may
not give a fully accurate representation of the photosynthesis process. The heat of the experiment
was not controlled as the test was measuring water consumption.

Explain what effect each of these could have on the results.

The uncontrolled temperature could lead to different amounts of evaporation for each test creating
false results. With different amounts of carbon di-oxide the experiment can be affected as the
photosynthesis process will be different for each test.

Where could the accuracy of the experiment be improved?

The accuracy of the experiment could have been improved if the carbon dioxide levels were even and
measured for each test as each photosynthesis reaction would have the same amount of carbon
dioxide. If the containers were marked more clearly then the results would have been easier to record
as well as being more reliable. Heat could have been controlled more by measuring the temperature
of surroundings, at the light exposure could have been controlled by using different exposures of LED
lamps.

Any ideas for future experiments?

In the future, the experiment will have to be evaluated and planned more in depth before I start so
that the test will have more reliable results. The results will have to be marked clearly so they can be
recorded easier. For future experiments, the climate should be the same for each test except for the
Independent variable.

Conclusion
In conclusion, the hypothesis for this experiment, If water plants receive different amounts of
exposure to sunlight then photosynthesis (water level/consumption) will be affected because the
plant will not be able to create energy for itself to survive., was correct. This is because the water
consumption by each plant was different because of how much sunlight the plant was exposed to.
Sunlight has a major effect on the process of photosynthesis as it allows the plant to absorb water to
create energy for itself. The duckweed exposed to no sunlight clearly displayed how sunlight affects
photosynthesis as the duckweed absorbed 215mL of water, this illustrates how without sunlight the
duckweed can't use water without sunlight, so the plant didn't absorb water resulting in the plants
death. The duckweed exposed to half sunlight displayed how the plant can absorb water with the aid
of sunlight but eventually, the plant will start to die without full sunlight as the duckweed didnt have
enough energy to create more energy. The duckweed exposed to full sunlight completed the process
of photosynthesis perfectly as it has enough energy to create more energy from the sunlight and the
water.

16
Bibliography

Allott, A., & Mindorff, D. (2014). Biology Course Companion. Oxford, USA: Oxford University Press.

Cabrera, L I., Salazar, G. A., Chase, M. W., Mayo, S. J., Bogner, J., & Davilla, P. (2008). Phylogenetic
relationships of aroids and duckweeds (araceae) inferred from coding and noncoding plastid
DNA. American Journal of Botany, 95(9), 1153-1165. doi: 10:3732/ajb.0800073

Cheng, J. J., & Stomp, A. (2009). Growing duckweed to recover nutrients from wastewaters and for
production of fuel ethanol and animal feed. CLEAN- Soil, Air, Water, 37(1), 17-26. doi:
10.1002/clen.200800210

Park, C., & Allaby, M. (2017). A dictionary of environment and conversation (3rd ed.). Evaporation.
Oxford, USA: Oxford University Press.

The Royal Society of Chemistry. (2017). Photosynthesis. Retrieved from

http://www.rsc.org/Education/Teachers/Resources/cfb/Photosynthesis.htm

Schmidt, A. (2007). Chemotaxis. Retrieved from

https://stuff.mit.edu/~kardar/teaching/projects/chemotaxis(AndreaSchmidt)/

Wang, W., & Messing, J. (2012). Analysis of ADP-glucose pyrophosphorylase expression during turion
formation by abscisic acid in spirodela polyrhiza (greater duckweed). BMC Plant Biology,
12(1), 5-15. doi:10.1186/1471-2229-12-5

Daniel, H. (2016). Benefits of photosynthesis. Retrieved from http://benefitof.net/benefits-of-

photosynthesis/

Socratic. (2017). Why is photosynthesis important for plants? Retrieved from

https://socratic.org/questions/why-is-photosynthesis-important-for-plants

Sciencing. (2017). Why is photosynthesis important for all organisms? Retrieved from

http://sciencing.com/photosynthesis-important-organisms-6389083.html

National Gardening Association. (2017). Why is photosynthesis so important? Retrieved from

https://garden.org/courseweb/course1/week2/page6.htm

Photosynthesis Education. (2017). Discovery of Photosynthesis. Retrieved from

http://photosynthesiseducation.com/discovery-of-photosynthesis/

17
Journal
4/3/17

The research for the experimented had started to be researched, the topics that were researched
were duckweed and photosynthesis, the summarised researched can be found in the introduction.
To complete the experiment a way to measure how sunlight affected photosynthesis had to be
thought of. The idea is to put the bottom halves of bottles in a container filled with water to see the
water consumption in the bottle. The upside down bottles will have the duckweed inside allowing
for the water consumption to be measured accurately

7/3/17

The products for the experiment were purchased toady (3 containers, 3 Bottles, Duckweed, six
rubber bands, 15 skewers, hot glue gun, pegs). The process of assembling the experiment was
planned, and the locations for the plants were chosen. The location for the duckweed exposed to no
sunlight will be placed in the cupboard, the duckweed exposed to half sunlight will be placed on the
balcony for half the day and then put in the cupboard for half of the day, and the duckweed exposed
to full sunlight will be left out on the balcony. Tomorrow the experiment will be assembled and
started.

8/3/17

The experiment was assembled and had commenced, the skewers were hot glued together, and the
bottles were cut in half and melted the ends of the bottle to make the ends flat. The containers were
filled with 4.25L of water in each, and then the duckweed was placed in the bottle which was then
placed in the containers. The bottles were stuck to the skewers with rubber bands then placed in the
container. Each container was photographed and the containers were put in their locations for the
experiment.

11/3/17

The duckweed in each condition has started to show signs of water loss. The duckweed exposed to
full sunlight looks like it has lost the most amount of water so far out of the three different
conditions. Inside and outside of the bottles for the three experiments the water levels are dropping
most likely due to evaporation and water consumption. These outcomes were to be expected as the
duckweed would consume the water and the heat would cause evaporation.

18
14/3/17

The decrease in water levels continued as expected for all three duckweed experiments, no
problems have occurred yet, but are still likely to present themselves. The duckweed exposed to full
sunlight has still lost the most amount of water and the duckweed exposed to no sunlight has still
lost the least amount of water. The exact water levels cannot be checked because the water levels in
the bottle would be compromised.

17/3/17

For each experiment the water levels are still dropping with the duckweed exposed to full sunlight is
still losing the most water. The duckweed exposed to no sunlight still hasnt lost much water,
although the duckweed exposed to half sunlight has lost less water than the duckweed exposed to
full sunlight and has lost more water than the duckweed exposed to no sunlight. It is evident that
the results will display these results in the future.

20/3/17

As expected the water levels kept dropping with the duckweed exposed to full sunlight losing the
most water and the duckweed exposed to no sunlight losing the least amount of water inside of the
bottle. The duckweed exposed to half sunlight was in the middle when it came to the water levels
inside of the bottle. The duckweed exposed to no sunlight had started to get dead fronds on the
duckweed, indicating that the plant isnt completing the process of photosynthesis.

23/3/17

The duckweed inside of the bottle exposed to no sunlight have started to get dead fronds; this is
most likely due to the lack of energy the plant has without sunlight. The water levels inside of the
bottle exposed to no sunlight have dropped minimal amounts of water. The duckweed exposed to
half sun light has dropped an average amount of water and has no dead fronds. The duckweed
exposed to full sunlight is fully alive and continues to consume the most amounts of water.

26/3/17

The duckweed exposed to half sunlight has consumed the average amount of water which is less
than the amount consumed by the duckweed exposed to full sunlight but consumes more than the
duckweed exposed to no sunlight (middle), the duckweed exposed to half sunlight now has one
dead frond. The duckweed exposed to no sunlight is continuing to die but it does still have alive
fronds. The duckweed exposed to full sunlight is alive and continuing to consume the most amount
of water every three days.

29/3/17

The bottle exposed to no sunlight has even more dead fronds but is lasting longer than expected, it
is still consuming water but minimal amounts. The duckweed exposed to half sunlight is still
consuming a normal amount of water; the duckweed has continued die as another frond is dead.
The duckweed exposed to full sunlight is consuming the most amount of water as usual and all of
the duckweed fronds are alive.

19
2/4/17

The duckweed exposed to half sunlight has had another frond die and is consuming less water than
usual. The duckweed exposed to no sunlight is barely consuming anything now and has even more
fronds dying. The duckweed exposed to full sunlight is consuming a lot of water compared to the
other tests, and the duckweed is still perfectly green and all fronds are alive.

5/4/17

The experiment was ended, the experiment was photographed and then all of the tests were
measured and put into a table. The duckweed exposed to no sunlight had consumed 215mL of water
over the 3-weeks and the duckweed was mostly dead. The duckweed exposed to half sunlight
consumed 325mL of water over the three weeks and four fronds of the duckweed had died. The
duckweed exposed to full sunlight was green and healthy, it had consumed 335mL of water over the
three weeks and displayed the process of photosynthesis. The experiment was a success and had
minor errors over the three weeks.

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