As a high school or undergraduate Biological Sciences teacher, you can use this set of computer-based tools to help you in teaching photosynthesis, factors affecting photosynthesis, and the impact of increasing levels of atmospheric CO2 and some climate-related factors on photosynthesis.
This lesson plan enables students to understand the process of photosynthesis in plants and the various factors that influence it. Students will explore how changes in climate related factors such as CO2 levels, temperature, water availability can influence photosynthesis, thereby impacting plant growth and agricultural yields. A hands-on lab activity will enable students to assess the change in the rate of photosynthesis when CO2 concentration changes.
Thus, the use of this lesson plan allows you to integrate the teaching of a climate science topic with a core topic in the Biological Sciences.
Questions
Use this lesson plan to help your students find answers to:
What is photosynthesis?
What are the key differences between C3, C4, and CAM plants?
How do plants respond to climate change?
Discuss the impact of increasing global CO2 levels on photosynthesis.
Is global food security at risk due to climate change? Explain.
This is a Teacher-submitted Lesson Plan.
Teacher-submitted lesson plan, Contributed by: Dr. Aditi Kothari-Chhajer and Dr. Neeti Mehla, Department of Botany, Sri Venkateswara College (University of Delhi), Delhi.
Want to know more about how to contribute? Contact us.
A classroom/laboratory activity to measure the rate at which photosynthesis occurs and note changes under variable conditions such as elevated carbon dioxide levels, a potential contributor to climate change
Here is a step-by-step guide to using this lesson plan in the classroom/laboratory. We have suggested these steps as a possible plan of action. You may customize the lesson plan according to your preferences and requirements.
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Introduce the topic by playing a micro-lecture (video)
• Introduce the topic by playing the video micro-lecture, “Photosynthesis” from bozemanscience.
• This video explains the process of photosynthesis, chloroplasts and photoreceptors, the light reaction and the Calvin cycle, and an overview of C3, C4, and CAM plants.
Discuss the topic further by playing a video micro-lecture
• Play the video micro-lecture, “Plant Response to Climate Change” by Prof. Raghu Murtugudde (content developed at Science Media Centre, IISER Pune), to explain that C3 and C4 type plants evolved differently as a response to changes in temperature and CO2 levels.
• This micro-lecture explains the possible influence of CO2 levels and climate change on the growth of plants and consequently on vegetation and crop productivity.
• This reading states that plant physiology and biochemical compositions change in response to high CO2 availability. Secondary effects like changes in stomatal conductance affect efficiency of carbon fixation and water uptake in plants. Thus, differences in the responses of C3 and C4 plants under these conditions are noted.
• This lab activity will allow students to test the rate of photosynthesis under variable environmental conditions like light intensity, temperature, carbon dioxide levels.
• In this lab activity, students can test the effect of elevated CO2 levels on the rate of
photosynthesis on spinach leaves by testing under different concentrations of added sodium bicarbonate. Students can then discuss how the rate at which photosynthesis occurs can affect food production in plants and thereby, affect agricultural produce in general.
Use the tools and the concepts learned so far to discuss and determine answers to the following questions:
What is photosynthesis?
What are the key differences between C3, C4, and CAM plants?
How do plants respond to climate change?
Discuss the impact of increasing global CO2 levels on photosynthesis.
Is global food security at risk due to climate change? Explain.
The tools in this lesson plan will enable students to:
Define photosynthesis.
List the various factors that influence photosynthesis.
Discuss the possible effects of elevated levels of CO2 on field-grown plants.
If you or your students would like to explore the topic further, these additional resources will be useful.
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Simulator
A simple simulator that allows users to change a range of variables such as the color of light, brightness of light, and carbon dioxide concentration, and to then calculate their impact on the photosynthetic efficiency of a plant.
Classroom activity, “Designing an experiment to test the rate of photosynthesis”
Developed by John S Olson for the Minnesota Science Teachers Education Project (MnSTEP), led by the Center for Global Environmental Education, available at SERC Carleton.
Reading, “The impact of global elevated C02 concentration on photosynthesis and plant productivity”
Reddy, A. R., Rasineni, G. K., & Raghavendra, A. S. (2010). The impact of global elevated CO₂ concentration on photosynthesis and plant productivity. Current Science, 46-57.
Reading, “Potential Impacts on Food Security and Undernutrition”
Climate Change and Global Food Systems: Potential Impacts on Food Security and Undernutrition. Samuel S. Myers et al. Annual Review of Public Health, Vol 38: 259-277.
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