Comparing the growth of pea plants grown in the light and in the dark

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Biology Coursework by Duncan Garnett

Experiment 1 - Comparing the growth of pea plants grown in the light and in the dark

Aim: To compare the vertical growth and weight gain of pea plants grown in the light and in the dark.

Background Knowledge: Photosynthesis forms the basis for this experiment. This is the process by which a plant makes food for itself from the raw materials around it. The energy needed for photosynthesis comes from sunlight, which is the variable for this experiment. The substance that absorbs sunlight is chlorophyll, which is mainly contained in chloroplasts. This energy is used to convert carbon dioxide (CO2) and water into sugars. This conversion creates the waste product oxygen, which is used by humans for breathing. Without being able to photosynthesise plants will stop growing and die. In a plant growing in the dark the chlorophyll will slowly be destroyed causing them to use their food reserves. Once the reserves have been used the plant will die. This is what happens in plants that are not grown in sunlight. Etiolation is a phenomenon that occurs in plants not being grown in sunlight, whereby the stem of the plant rapidly