Scribd
Upload
90 views3 pages

Sun and Shade Leaves

This study compared the rate of photosynthesis between sun-grown and shade-grown plant leaves. Leaf discs from Tithonia diversifolia (sun-grown) and Sanseviera zeylanica (shade-grown) were placed in a sodium bicarbonate solution and exposed to light. The time taken for the leaf discs to float, indicating photosynthesis, was recorded. T. diversifolia leaf discs floated within 5 minutes, while S. zeylanica discs took 23 minutes. This difference is due to sun leaves containing more chlorophyll A to harness sunlight, while shade leaves have more accessory pigments to use lower light wavelengths.

Uploaded by

Reinaur Signey Aluning
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as DOCX, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
90 views3 pages

Sun and Shade Leaves

This study compared the rate of photosynthesis between sun-grown and shade-grown plant leaves. Leaf discs from Tithonia diversifolia (sun-grown) and Sanseviera zeylanica (shade-grown) were placed in a sodium bicarbonate solution and exposed to light. The time taken for the leaf discs to float, indicating photosynthesis, was recorded. T. diversifolia leaf discs floated within 5 minutes, while S. zeylanica discs took 23 minutes. This difference is due to sun leaves containing more chlorophyll A to harness sunlight, while shade leaves have more accessory pigments to use lower light wavelengths.

Uploaded by

Reinaur Signey Aluning
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as DOCX, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
You are on page 1/ 3

Sun and Shade Leaves

Aluning, R.; Asto, RJ; Baquiran, ER.; Pacheco, CA.; Santos, KM

Abstract
Photosynthesis is the process by which plants use carbon dioxide, water, and light energy
from the sun to manufacture sugar. The rate of photosynthesis is affected by the availability
of the raw materials in the environment. This experiment observed the differences of shaded
and sun- grown plants in terms of the rate of photosynthesis and the physiology behind it.
Leaf discs of Tithonia diversifolia and Sanseviera zeylanica were placed in different syringes
containing a sodium bicarbonate solution. The time it took for at least five discs to float were
observed upon exposure to the artificial light. Tithonia diversifolia, a sun-grown plant, only
took five minutes and thirty-three seconds to float while Sanseviera zeylanica, a shaded
plant, took twenty-three minutes for the leaves. The presence of chlorophyll A was more
abundant in sun-grown plants to absorb high amount of light whereas accessory pigments
are more abundant in shaded plants to adapt to the lower wavelength due to the limited
amount of light they receive.

Introduction
The ability of plants to capture energy from photosynthesis provides green plants
chemical energy and enables them to reproduce and compete and irradiance levels have
influenced not only leaf-traits in plants, but also photosynthesis rates. This is more so
evident in sun- and shade-grown plants, to which most differences are attributed to
adaptations to irradiance levels. Assumptions have already been made through studies on
the various morphology and physiology of leaves contribute to their respective
photosynthetic performance under differing light levels. One assumption is that leaves
grown under high irradiance levels have higher photosynthetic rates per unit area at those
levels than do leaves of plants restricted or to low irradiance levels, (Bjorkman et al. 1972a,
1972b; Jurik et al. 1979; Bjorkman 1981). Added with the correlated increases in
photosynthetic rates and oxygen increases with higher irradiance levels, sun versus shaded
adaptation models were presented together with corresponding data. This study deals with
the observation of differences of sun- and shade-grown in terms of photosynthesis and the
underlying physiology of it.
In this experiment, the leaves used for day plants is Tithonia diversifolia while for
shade plants, Sanseviera zeylanica. Ten leaf discs are punched from each leaf and was
placed on a syringe separately. The syringe contains baking soda solution that was
aspirated. The nozzle of the syringe was repeatedly plunged and pulled until the leaf discs
sank at the bottom of the syringe. Both syringes were exposed to bright light. The time
elapsed from exposure until at least five discs floated up to the midpoint of the syringe was
recorded.

Results and Discussions


There were two set-ups used in for the experiment, shaded and non-shaded plants,
in order to compare their photosynthetic rate through a comparison of the time it takes for
leaf discs of respective plants to float. The table below shows the results recorded.
Table 1. Comparison of the time leaf discs floated between two plants
Plant Time (min)

Tithonia diversifolia 5: 33

Sanseviera zeylanica 23:00

Tithonia diversifolia is a non-shaded plant while Sanseviera zeylanica is a shaded


plant. From the table above, Tithonia diversifolia leaf discs only took five minutes and thirty-
three seconds to float whereas Sanseviera zeylanica leaf discs took a longer time for the
discs to float. Bicarbonate ions present in the solution entered through the air spaces of the
leaves, hence they sank at the bottom initially. With enough exposure to light and available
water in the system, the leaves allowed photosynthesis thus having a production of the by-
product oxygen, which has filled the air spaces, providing buoyancy so the leaf discs
eventually floated (Williamson, 2008). The rate by which the leaf disks floated was used as
an an indirect measurement of the rate of photosynthesis of the plants.

It was proven that the process of photosynthesis, that happens in the chlorophyll
contained in the chloroplast, requires carbon dioxide, water, and light in order to produce
oxygen and starch (Knuffke, 2011). In the experiment, the sodium bicarbonate solution had
provided water and carbon dioxide for the leaf discs while an artificial light was used. The
bicarbonate ions in the baking soda served as the alternate source of carbon dioxide thereby
allowing photosynthesis to proceed.

The shaded and non-shaded plant representatives however, had different times of
floating completely. This is because non-shaded plants contain more chlorophyll due to the
amount of time of exposure of this plant to sun daily. In order to harness the radiant energy,
there is more pigment present compared to plants that are rarely hit by the suns rays.
Therefore, shaded plant representatives to have lesser amount of chlorophyll A than other
accessory pigments that are able to harness lower wavelengths of light, which was available
for the plant (Williamson, 2008).

As such, it can be said that the amount of chlorophyll, specifically chlorophyll A,


controls the speed of photosynthesis or the amount of oxygen and starch produced by the
plant. Non-shaded plants have increased photosynthesis due to the high amount of
chlorophyll it contains to adapt to high amount of light because of its exposure to sunlight
daily. The shaded plant however, contains less chlorophyll A and have increased accessory
pigments capable of absorbing light at lower wavelength in order to adapt to the small
amount of light that can reach it.
References:
Bjdrkman, 0. (1981). Responses to different quantum flux densities. In 'Physiological Plant
Ecology. I. Responses to the Physical Environment'. (Eds 0. L. Lange, P. S. Nobel, C. B.
Osmond and H. Ziegler.) Encycl. Plant Physiol. New Ser., Vol. 12A, pp. 57-107.
(Springer-Verlag: New York.)

Bjorkman, O., Boardman, N. K., Anderson, J. M., Thorne, S. W., Goodchild, D. J., and
Pyliotis,
N. A. (19726). Effect of light intensity during growth of Atriplex patula on the capacity of
photosynthetic reactions, chloroplast components and structure. Carnegie Inst. Wash. Year
Book 71, 115-35.

Bjorkman, O., Ludlow, M. M., and Morrow, P. A. (1972a). Photosynthetic performance of two
rain-forest species in their native habitat and analysis of their gas exchange. Carnegie
Inst. Wash. Year Book 71, 94-102

Jurik, T. W., Chabot, J. F., and Chabot, B. F. (1979). Ontogeny of photosynthetic


performance in
Fragaria virginiana under changing light regimes. Plant Physiol. 63, 542-7.

Knuffke, D. (2011). Floating Leaf Disk Assay. Retrieved 21 March, 2016 from
http://ogobio.weebly.com/uploads/3/2/3/9/3239894/ap-_lab-photosynthesis_inquiry.pdf.

Williamson, B. (2008). The Floating Leaf Disk Assay for Investigating Photosynthesis.
Cherokee County School District. Retrieved 21 March, 2016 from
http://www.cherokee.k12.ga.us/departments/curriculum/science/Docs/The%20Floating
%20Leaf%20Disk%20Assay%20for%20Investigating%20Photosynthesis.pdf.

You might also like