Bio lab - Oxygen Consumption in germinating and non-germinating seeds

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The Rate of Oxygen Consumption of Germinating and Non-Germinating Seeds

2009-03-06


Oxygen consumption in Germinating and Non-germinating Pea Seeds 

Purpose:

To find out and compare the cellular respiration rate at different temperature by using germinating and non-germinating pea seeds. 

Hypothesis:

If the germinating peas are in the cold or the room temperature water, then the rate of cellular respiration will be higher than the rate for the beads or the non-germinating peas. The colder the temperature of the water is, the slower the process of cellular respiration in the peas is.  

Variables:

Controlled: Peas

Independent: Temperature, time

Dependent: Rate of oxygen consumption 

Materials:

  • Thermometer 
  • Pencil and paper 
  • A water bath 
  • Beads 
  • Germinating Peas 
  • Non-germinating Peas 
  • Beads 
  • Beaker 
  • Ice 
  • Food colouring 
  • Paper towels 
  • Potassium hydroxide, KOH pellets 
  • one-hole test-tube stoppers 
  • Tape 
  • Millimetre rulers 
  • Non-absorbent cottons 
  • Laboratory scoop 
  • 2 Test Tubes 
  • 2 Pipettes 
  • Medicine dropper 

 
Temperature: 10 and 25 degree Celsius

Volume of water: 10 mL

Peas: 10

30 KOH pellets

3-5 drops of food colouring

Time: 3 minutes for equilibration and 10 minutes (5 times) for the long-term) 

Procedure:

  1. KOH is strongly alkaline and caustic which might cause blindness. Skin contact was avoided and safety goggles were worn.
  2. Pea seeds were placed in water for 24 hours before processing the lab. Some of the peas were kept dry and the wet seeds were kept in damp paper towels until they were germinated. They were checked daily to prevent the seeds from getting mouldy 
  3. The bath was filled with room temperature water to be prepared for the lab. On the other one, to make it 10 degree Celsius, ice cubes were put into the bath and the temperature was measured with the thermometer.
  4. A wad of absorbent cotton was placed in the bottom of each of the vial and 30 KOH pellets were dropped into the cotton for the saturation. 10 seeds were placed in the test tubes and a layer of non-absorbent cotton was placed on top of the KOH solution cotton.
  5. For equal volume, beads were added to each of the test tubes with the dormant seeds since dry peas take up less space than the same quantity of germinating peas. The test tubes were capped with the stopper fitted with a pipette, tip pointing outwards. 
  6. The pipette was put into the water to find out the consumption of the oxygen. The food colouring was dropped into the water by using the medicine dropper.
  7. After three minutes, the initial position of the water in the pipette was recorded to the nearest 0.01 ml. Record was checked every 2 minutes for 10 minutes in total. 


Data Collection and Processing:

Raw Data Table

Ice water:

Raw Data Table 1: The volume of the water level at the reading of the 1.0 ml pipettes of the respirometres for 30 minutes in ice water. The pipettes each contain, germinating seeds, non-germinating seeds and bead.

Raw Data Table 2: The volume of the water level at the reading of the 1.0 ml pipettes of the respirometres for 30 minutes in ice water. The pipettes each contain, germinating seeds, non-germinating seeds and bead.


Raw Data Table 3: The volume of the water level at the reading of the 1.0 ml pipettes of the respirometres for 30 minutes in ice water. The pipettes each contain, germinating seeds, non-germinating seeds and bead.

Raw Data Table 4: The volume of the water level at the reading of the 1.0 ml pipettes of the respirometres for 30 minutes in ice water. The pipettes each contain, germinating seeds, non-germinating seeds and bead.

Raw Data Table 5: The volume of the water level at the reading of the 1.0 ml pipettes of the respirometres for 30 minutes in ice water. The pipettes each contain, germinating seeds, non-germinating seeds and bead.

Room Temperature:

Raw Data Table 6: The volume of the water level at the reading of the 1.0 ml pipettes of the respirometres for 30 minutes in room temperature. The pipettes each contain, germinating seeds, non-germinating seeds and bead.

Raw Data Table 7: The volume of the water level at the reading of the 1.0 ml pipettes of the respirometres for 30 minutes in room temperature. The pipettes each contain, germinating seeds, non-germinating seeds and bead.

Raw Data Table 8: The volume of the water level at the reading of the 1.0 ml pipettes of the respirometres for 30 minutes in room temperature. The pipettes each contain, germinating seeds, non-germinating seeds and bead.

Raw Data Table 9: The volume of the water level at the reading of the 1.0 ml pipettes of the respirometres for 30 minutes in room temperature. The pipettes each contain, germinating seeds, non-germinating seeds and bead.

Raw Data Table 10: The volume of the water level at the reading of the 1.0 ml pipettes of the respirometres for 30 minutes in room temperature. The pipettes each contain, germinating seeds, non-germinating seeds and bead.

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Raw Data Table 11: The volume of the water level at the reading of the 1.0 ml pipettes of the respirometres for 30 minutes in room temperature. The pipettes each contain, germinating seeds, non-germinating seeds and bead.

Qualitative Description:

The germinating seeds were yellowish green, round and slightly wrinkled. They were also wet because they were being germinated for 24 hours. The non-germinating seeds were more yellowish, dry, round and slightly wrinkled. The beads were blue, round, smooth and hard. KOH solution seemed transparent and not viscous. The solution seemed colourless but when it was added to the cotton, ...

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