Unit 3 Student Experiment Help

[mayellie101]

Hi guys!
For our unit three student experiment in Biology, we are looking at the different factors affecting photosynthesis in algae balls. My group and I are leaning towards investigating wavelengths (aka colour) of light and its effect.
Our teacher is very straightforward about us having a clear connection to the application of our experiment to Unit 3 and the real world. Wavelength seems interesting but my partner and I can only think of a real-life application where it is mass-produced under a certain colour for some reason ( and we can’t think about any ways where there would be a certain colour which is more prominent and hence absorbed more by the plant). I think at some levels in the ocean more/less light is absorbed and red/blue light tends to reach the depths of the ocean where algae are. I was just wondering if anyone knew anything about this that I could get in contact with or whether there is enough information regarding this to do a 2000 word report and score well?
Thanks so much for your help!!
- May Ellie

[K.Smithy]

Hi guys!
For our unit three student experiment in Biology, we are looking at the different factors affecting photosynthesis in algae balls. My group and I are leaning towards investigating wavelengths (aka colour) of light and its effect.
Our teacher is very straightforward about us having a clear connection to the application of our experiment to Unit 3 and the real world. Wavelength seems interesting but my partner and I can only think of a real-life application where it is mass-produced under a certain colour for some reason ( and we can’t think about any ways where there would be a certain colour which is more prominent and hence absorbed more by the plant). I think at some levels in the ocean more/less light is absorbed and red/blue light tends to reach the depths of the ocean where algae are. I was just wondering if anyone knew anything about this that I could get in contact with or whether there is enough information regarding this to do a 2000 word report and score well?
Thanks so much for your help!!
- May Ellie

Hey May Ellie!
This is a really interesting idea for an investigation. Before you commit to it 100% I would make sure that you have the equipment available to actually test the effects of different wavelengths.
One thing that is great about algae is that it absorbs carbon dioxide - in fact, there is a species of algae (known as Chlorella vulgaris) which is believed to absorb more CO2 than any other plant. For a real-world connection, you could look into algae as a means of combating climate change! Idk what kind of algae you would use for the experiment, however all algae is great for absorbing CO2 (a possible extension of this experiment would be to replicate it using C. vulgaris if it isn't available for you to use now).
As CO2 is required for photosynthesis, this could be a great path to take (i.e. the wavelength that makes photosynthesis more efficient, thus causing algae to absorb more CO2, ultimately helping to combat climate change).
I would recommend looking into blue and red light (those are supposedly what plants absorb the most of, and as you stated it is what reaches algae in the ocean) and you could probably leave green light out of the study as it is generally reflected back (giving most plants/algae a green appearance).
I definitely think that there will be enough information for you to write a 2000 word report and get a good grade.
Out of curiosity though, what experiment are you modifying?

Hope this helps, give us a shout if you need a hand or have any questions
Good luck with your investigation!
Katelyn