Factors That Affect Photosynthesis

the rate at which reactant is used up or the rate at which the product is formed

• temperature • CO2 concentration • light intensity

• CO2 is one of the raw materials needed for photosynthesis • increasing CO2 concentration increases rate of photosynthesis to a point • on a graph, the line flattens out, showing that CO2 is no longer a limiting factor

• without enough sunlight, a plant cant react quickly no matter how much CO2 there is • this is because light transfers the energy needed for photosynthesis • increasing light intensity boosts the rate of photosynthesis • eventually the line would flatten out on a graph, indicating temp or CO2 level is the limiting factor

• if it gets too hot or cold, the rate of photosynthesis will be low • but it increases as you reach the middle • this is because the enzymes in a plant that carry out photosynthesis have an optimum temperature in which that can react the quickest • temperatures too high denatures them so they dont react as quickly • and temps too low cause the enzymes to work more slowly

light intensity (inversely proportional to) 1 / distance^2

the law saying that the light intensity is inversely proportional to the square of the distance form the light source

• distance = 1m, so light intensity = 1 • distance = 2m, so light intensity = 1 /4 • distance = 3m. so light intensity = 1 / 9 • its the distance squared, over 1

because the the more the distance of the light source increases, the more the rate of photosynthesis decreases

lux / lx