A student investigated how light intensity and temperature affect the rate of photosynthesis in the aquatic plant Cabomba caroliniana. The rate of photosynthesis was measured by collecting and measuring the volume of oxygen gas produced by the plant over a 5-minute period.
The student's results are shown in the table below:
| Light intensity (arbitrary units) | Temperature (∘C^\circ\text{C}∘C) | Volume of oxygen produced (mm3\text{mm}^3mm3) |
|---|---|---|
| 10 | 15.0 | 5 |
| 50 | 15.0 | 15 |
| 100 | 15.0 | 22 |
| 200 | 15.0 | 24 |
| 10 | 30.0 | 12 |
| 50 | 30.0 | 14 |
| 100 | 30.0 | 42 |
| 200 | 30.0 | 45 |
| 10 | 50.0 | 2 |
| 50 | 50.0 | 4 |
| 100 | 50.0 | 6 |
| 200 | 50.0 | 7 |
Identify the anomalous result in the table and describe how the student could confirm whether this result is indeed an anomaly.
Suggest why the rate of photosynthesis is extremely low at all light intensities when the temperature is 50.0∘C50.0^\circ\text{C}50.0∘C.
16 exam-style questions on OCR A A Level Biology Photosynthesis. Each one has a worked solution and a mark scheme showing where the marks go.