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Sarah Bixler Ms. Murday; Period 2 Biology Honors December 1, 2012 Floating Leaf Lab Conclusion Cells are the foundation of living organisms. Plants and animals are made up of trillions of cells, but how these cells work is a very complicated and fascinating task. Inside of a cell, its organelles perform different functions. An example of this would be the Golgi apparatus which packages and ships finished proteins for transport out of the cell. When those proteins are shipped out of the cell they are inside of a transport vesicle and they leave out of the cell membrane, which protects the cell while allowing certain things in and out. Every cell in the body performs many specific tasks and has countless important functions which are why having cells is so important to life. However, between plant and animal cells there are a few distinct differences. Unlike animal cells, plant cells also contain a cell wall, chloroplasts and have larger vacuoles. These differences are seemingly understandable because plants do not move like humans do. They have a cell wall that provides the plant with a rigid structure and it supports the plant so it will grow sturdy and tall like most plants do. With larger vacuoles, a plant will be able to store more nutrients and waste for the cell. Additionally, plants cannot just eat food when they feel like it, which animals and specifically humans can. Instead with the extra storage in the vacuoles they can sustain themselves more efficiently in their environments. In response to the fact that plants cannot eat like animals can, it could be argued that the organelle, in a plant cell different from an animal cell, of a chloroplast is most important because creates its food for the cell.

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In the floating leaf lab the purpose was to investigate a process called photosynthesis which occurs in the chloroplasts of a plant cell. Photosynthesis is how plant cells create glucose which is food for the plant. The sugars are created by the light from the sun which provides the energy, along with hydrogen dioxide otherwise known as water and finally carbon dioxide. In the process, the molecules form a macromolecule called glucose with an extra dose of oxygen. This is why it is known that trees are important because they give the atmosphere oxygen that humans need to breathe. However not just trees perform this function but all plants do. The experimental objective states, The rate of photosynthesis will be measured through taking pieces of leaves, changing the intensity of light (energy) they are exposed to and measuring the oxygen produced. The independent variable was the distance of the light source or the intensity of light while the dependent variable was the oxygen produced. In the results of this experiment, it was proven that the closer the light was to the leaves the faster they rose from the bottom of the cup filled in water. The hypothesis formulated was indeed correct. This was because the energy from the light reached the cells at a faster rate making the process of photosynthesis occur faster as well and creating more oxygen at a quicker rate. In reaction to the oxygen occurring faster the leaves rose in the water because the state of mater they were producing was a gas which rises when enveloped in water. Qualitative and quantitative observations were performed in the experiment to check the number of leaves floating and the actual quality if they were floating or not. The dark trials of the floating leaf lab experiment showed a different process occurring in the cells of the plant. It showed cellular respiration occurring with no more sunlight the glucose created was then transferred to the mitochondria where oxygen and glucose were created to make water carbon dioxide and ATP,

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cellular energy. Energy was being released causing the floating leaves to sink back down but at a slower rate. Despite such a complete experiment, it was not fully immaculate. Several sources of error might have been a result in fluctuating numbers. Systematic error was apparent in the dark trials of the experiment. In order to check the leaves and take data the covering must be opened up a bit of actually see the leaves. This lets light into the covering making it a systematic error because data cannot be taken without lifting up the covering. Measuring error could also have occurred. The carbon dioxide solution may not of been exactly 3 cm for each cup so one group of leaves in perhaps cup B may have had an advantage with more carbon dioxide solution. In order to improve this experiment steps to try and reduce as much experimental error as possible should be taken. The importance of this experiment is it can be used to prove that there should be no difference in the photosynthesis rate of plant cells in different types of leaves. It would help create a better understanding of cellular energy and plant cells in general and how they overall function during photosynthesis and cellular respiration.