Compare Elements of Growth
Conduct an experiment on photosynthesis using light, water and air. Investigate to find out what plants need more of in order to grow. Seed 12 plants of the same species seed. Place three plants in a direct sunlight. Place three plants in dark room and each day add a half a cup of water. Place three plants in front of a fan in a dark room. Observe the plants over a two week period. Take pictures daily. Note any observations. At the end of the two weeks, compare the growth of the plants. The plants placed in the sunlight should grow the best.
Sun Energy and Plants
Investigate whether plants need sun in order to survive. Obtain two plants. Cover one plant with a brown paper bag. Place the other plant in direct sunlight. Observe the plants for a two week period. Give the plants the same amount of water each day. Indicate the health of each plant. The plant placed in direct sunlight should seem the healthiest since it was able to undergo photosynthesis and convert sunlight energy into food.
Light Effects on Leaf Stomata
Conduct a botany experiment to investigate the affects of light on a plants' stomata. The stomata are openings in the leaf that allows for gas exchange in the plant during photosynthesis. The more light exposed to the plant, the more stomata. Gather three plants of the same species. Place one plant in a regular light room at room temperature. Place another plant in direct sunlight at room temperature. Place another plant in a dark room at room temperature. Let the plants sit for a two week period. Give the plants the same amount of water daily. Take a leaf from each plant. Cover the leaves with clear fingernail polish. Place a piece of the leaf on a microscope slide. Examine the leaf under high power (40X) and count the number of stomata present in the field of view. Repeat this procedure three times for each plant leaf and average the number of stomata per field of view.
Different Colored Wavelengths and Photosynthesis
Test to see if different colored wavelengths affect the chlorophyll content in a leaf. Make sleeves of different colors to cover of the leaves of a plant. Get transparency film. Use three different colored permanent markers (green, red, yellow, black) to color the film. Tape or staple the film to create four colored sleeves sleeve that will fit over the leaf of a plant. Leave one sleeve clear (no marker) to serve as the control. Place the sleeves on different leaves of the plant. Secure the sleeve to the leaf by taping the stem and sleeve together. Place the plant in direct sunlight for one week. Rotate the plant and give water daily. Remove the sleeves and note the color and appearance of leaf. Compare results. The color of the sleeve is the color of light that is being absorbed, not blocked, apart from the black sleeve. The black sleeve is prohibiting all colors from absorbing into the leaf. This leaf with the black sleeve should look the least healthiest since light can not be absorbed into the leaf and photosynthesis can not occur.