CIE IGCSE Biology: 复习笔记:6.1.7 Investigating Gas Exchange
Investigating Gas Exchange
Plants are respiring all the time and so plant cells are taking in oxygen and releasing carbon dioxide as a result of aerobic respiration
Plants also photosynthesise during daylight hours, for which they need to take in carbon dioxide and release the oxygen made in photosynthesis
At night, plants do not photosynthesise but they continue to respire, meaning they take in oxygen and give out carbon dioxide
Photosynthesis and respiration in plants
During the day, especially when the sun is bright, plants are photosynthesising at a faster rate than they are respiring, so there is a net intake of carbon dioxide and a net output of oxygen
We can investigate the effect of light on the net gas exchange in an aquatic plant using a pH indicator such as hydrogencarbonate indicator
This is possible because carbon dioxide is an acidic gas when dissolved in water
Hydrogencarbonate indicator shows the carbon dioxide concentration in solution
The table below shows the colour that the indicator turns at different levels of carbon dioxide concentration
Several leaves from the same plant are placed in stoppered boiling tubes containing some hydrogencarbonate indicator
The effect of light can then be investigated over a period of a few hours
Results from a typical experiment are shown in the table below: