Seed Respiration Experiment

Seed Respiration Experiment

What is the effect of temperature on plant life?

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Our Equipment

Method

What will we do?

My Prediction

What I think will happen?

Develop a hypothesis related to cellular respiration of seeds prior to the experiment. After the experiment, address whether your hypothesis was supported or disproved by the results of the experiment. Then explain why or why not.................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................

In the experiment, as seeds respire, they take in O2 and release CO2 at the same rate. Any CO2 released in the tubes reacts with the CaO2 to form calcite. The CO2 is absorbed by the CaO2. As a result, the amount of air in the sealed test tube actually decreases, and water rises in the test tube. This provides a visible indication that respiration is actually occurring. Thus, the height of the water in the test tube is an indicator of the amount of respiration that occurred.

Results

What happened & Why?

You, as students, take on the role of scientists/researchers.Your target audience is the the farmers' cooperative extension service.Situation: The cooperative extension service has asked you, the scientists/researchers, to determine the conditions needed for the best yields of crops.

A standardized protocol will be used to detect and measure respiration rates. Some of the seeds will be wet a few hours prior to class to ensure measurable results. The experiment will be done on day one. Final measurements will be taken, and interpretation of results will be done on day two. The seeds will be exposed to different environmental conditions (including varied temperatures). The data for each student will be combined within one data sheet.Seeds will be put in test tubes that contain CaO2, and the test tubes will be inverted in a beaker of water. Seeds will respire, taking in O2 and releasing CO2. After this process, the water level in each test tube will be measured in order to determine the amount of respiration that occurred.

Watch this video for more information about plant respiration.

A Similar but Different Experiment

Valuable Information about Cellular Respiration

Conditions that Affect Seed Germination

Purpose and Questions