PHOTOSYNTHESIS INTERNET LAB

Here are some tutorial sites on photosynthesis to get you started. If you find any others that are good (or interesting or fun) sources of information and learning please share them with me and your classmates. Explore these sites and record your answers to the questions in bold type. Before starting the Internet Lab, set up a separate word document for your answers. Be sure to "save" often and send the document to yourself or save it to a disk at the end of the period.

http://www.stolaf.edu/people/giannini/flashanimat/metabolism/photosynthesis.swf

This site animates the light dependent reactions. Click on GO and watch the process. Describe what is happening in your own words. ( Question 1) You can run the animation as many times as necessary to understand it.

http://www.biology4all.com/resources_library/source/61a.swf

This is another animation of the light reactions, except you click through a series of slides. What are the products of the process? (2) Where do they go? (3)

http://www.biology4all.com/resources_library/source/61b.swf

This has access to other animations. You already looked at the light reaction animation. Click on the Calvin Cycle animation. See if you can figure out what molecule is the end product of this cycle? (4) How many carbon atoms does each one have? (5)

How many of these would it take to make one glucose? (Hint: How many carbon atoms in one glucose molecule?) (6)

Click on the animation of the photosynthometer. (http://www.biology4all.com/resources_library/source/61c.swf )

What does it measure? (7) Design a simple experiment using the photosynthometer. (8) Be sure to identify the manipulated, responding, and controlled variables.

http://photoscience.la.asu.edu/photosyn/default.html

This site is from the University of Arizona and has lots of information, some of which may be a little difficult, but explore the site and see what you can find out. Be sure to click on "Educational Resources: Learning about Photosynthesis." (Find the Ed. Resources link on blue bar at the top of the page.) The "What is Photosynthesis" link has links to numerous articles. Be sure to scroll down to the section called "I didn’t know that!", which has some very interesting facts. One hectare of corn can produce enough oxygen for how many people? (9) See if you can find the answers to the following questions after exploring this site:

10. What colors of light are absorbed by chlorophylls?

11. Are there any other photosynthetic organisms besides green plants? What are they?

12. Why do leaves change color in the fall?

13. In terms of the evolution of green plants, how do scientists think the chloroplast became a part of plant cells?

http://photoscience.la.asu.edu/photosyn/study.html

This site is an article entitled "Why study photosynthesis?" Read it. Can you list 8 reasons why we should study photosynthesis? (Your words, not Dr. Gust?s!) (14)

http://www.ftexploring.com/photosyn/photosynth.html

This site claims to make photosynthesis interesting. Stop laughing and explore the site. Why are those people hugging those trees? Who made these drawings? (Those are NOT questions for which you must write answers.) Tell me ten interesting new things you learned! (15)

http://www.emc.maricopa.edu/faculty/farabee/BIOBK/BioBookPS.html#Table%20of%20Contents

This site has a lot of good information and defines all the terms of photosynthesis. Look at the diagram of photosynthesis at the part marked "Stages of Photosynthesis" which is about halfway down the scroll. What three things go into the Calvin Cycle and what one thing comes out? (16) Read and explore this site. Afterwards, try to answer as many of the review questions at the end as you can. (Just put down the question number and the letter. (17).