• Define photosynthesis as the process by which plants manufacture carbohydrates from raw materials using energy from light
• State the word equation for photosynthesis: carbon dioxide + water → glucose + oxygen, in the presence of light and chlorophyll
• Investigate the necessity for chlorophyll, light and carbon dioxide for photosynthesis, using appropriate controls
• Investigate and describe the effects of varying light intensity, carbon dioxide concentration and temperature on the rate of photosynthesis, e.g. in submerged aquatic plants
• State the balanced chemical equation for photosynthesis
6CO2 + 6H2O light chlorophyll C6H12O6 + 6O2
• Explain that chlorophyll transfers light energy into chemical energy in molecules, for the synthesis of carbohydrates
• Outline the subsequent use and storage of the carbohydrates made in photosynthesis
• Define the term limiting factor as something present in the environment in such short supply that it restricts life processes
• Identify and explain the limiting factors of photosynthesis in different environmental conditions
• Describe the use of carbon dioxide enrichment, optimum light and optimum temperatures in glasshouses in temperate and tropical countries
• Use hydrogencarbonate indicator solution to investigate the effect of gas exchange of an aquatic plant kept in the light and in the dark
• Identify chloroplasts, cuticle, guard cells and stomata, upper and lower epidermis, palisade mesophyll, spongy mesophyll, vascular bundles, xylem and phloem in leaves of a dicotyledonous plant
• Explain how the internal structure of a leaf is adapted for photosynthesis
• Describe the importance of:
– nitrate ions for making amino acids
– magnesium ions for making chlorophyll
• Explain the effects of nitrate ion and magnesium ion deficiency on plant growth