Limiting Factors in Photosynthesis: Light, CO₂ Concentration, and Temperature
Students will explore the nitrogen and phosphorus cycles, understanding their critical roles in nutrient availability for ecosystems.
About This Topic
Students will explore the nitrogen and phosphorus cycles, understanding their critical roles in nutrient availability for ecosystems.
Key Questions
- Apply Blackman's law of limiting factors to interpret graphs of net photosynthetic rate against light intensity at different CO₂ concentrations and temperatures, identifying the limiting factor at each region of each curve and explaining the biochemical basis for each limit.
- Design a controlled investigation to determine the effect of CO₂ concentration on the rate of photosynthesis in an aquatic plant, specifying how rate will be measured, how variables will be controlled, and how the compensation point will be determined.
- Evaluate how the light saturation point and CO₂ compensation point are used to optimise growing conditions in commercial greenhouses, and predict how rising atmospheric CO₂ will affect net primary productivity in C3 crops under field conditions.
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