What do you notice?

After looking at the pictures of various leaves below, click on the Leaves Word Cloud link to share three words that reflect your observations. What did you see, what did you notice, what do you wonder, etc. ...

The videos below show the measurement of CO2 concentration with basil plants in different colored light during a 1-hr time-lapse.

1) Break into groups of 4. Each group will record CO2 data for each 5-minute interval from the videos shown below.

2) After inputting data in a copy of the CO2 Concentration spreadsheet, the information will appear as a graph. Be sure that everyone in your group has access to your group's google sheet.

3) Copy and paste your group's graph into the class's CO2 Graph google slides and answer the included questions.

Watch the videos below to learn more about the process of photosynthesis and how you can extract chlorophyll and other pigments from plants!

• Plants that have high rate of photosynthesis will have an environment with less CO2 (carbon dioxide) are producing more O2 (oxygen). Conversely, low levels of photosynthesis in plants will result in higher levels of CO2 and less oxygen.

• A pigment is any substance that absorbs light. The color of the pigment comes from the wavelengths of light that are reflected, or in other words, those wavelengths not absorbed. Chlorophyll, the green pigment common to all photosynthetic cells, absorbs all wavelengths of visible light except green, which it reflects. This is why plants appear green to us. Black pigments absorb all wavelengths of visible light that strike them. White pigments reflect most of the wavelengths striking them.

• Each pigment has a characteristic absorption spectrum describing how it absorbs or reflects different wavelengths of light. Wavelengths absorbed by chlorophyll and other photosynthetic pigments generate electrons to power photosynthesis. All photosynthetic organisms have chlorophyll a which absorbs violet-blue and reddish orange-red wavelengths. Chlorophyll a reflects green and yellow-green wavelengths.

• Accessory photosynthetic pigments, including chlorophyll b and beta-carotene, absorb energy that chlorophyll a does not absorb. Chlorophyll only triggers a chemical reaction when it is associated with proteins embedded in a membrane, such as in thylakoid membranes of the chloroplast or membrane infoldings found in photosynthetic prokaryotes.

1) Use the Java Lab below to explore how wavelengths of light change depending on the type of wave and/or corresponding color .

Passing white light through a prism separates the light into different wavelengths, appearing as a rainbow of colors. The order of colors is determined by the wavelength of light. For visible light, red has the longest wavelength and violet has the shortest wavelength. However, visible light is just a small portion of the electromagnetic spectrum.

Energy is inversely proportional to the wavelength – longer wavelengths have less energy than shorter wavelengths. For example, UV light has a shorter wavelength and more energy than visible light.

Take the quiz below to evaluate your understanding of photosynthesis and the interaction varying wavelengths of light.

During the fall season, leaves lose absorb their green chlorophyll pigment back into the tree. Before the leaves drop, the Click on the padlet below to answer the following questions:

1)Which type of chlorophyll is present when leaves change color and what wavelengths of light are being reflected?

3) Which type of artificial light should be used to maximize photosynthesis in plants?