Lemna Coursework

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Lemna Coursework

Introduction

Lemna are small water plants found in ponds. Typical of plants, they

reproduce asexually. When they reproduce they form a bud on the edge

of a leaf, which, when big enough, will eventually separate from the

mother leaf and can then reproduce itself. Sometimes lemna plants can

have up to 3 or 4 buds. Exactly the same as plants in soil, they use

the sun's energy for photosynthesis, and water, but they have to take

all their nutrition to grow and reproduce from the water. I am going

to look at how lemna are affected by deficiencies in nitrogen, iron

and magnesium.

Question

How do lemna plants cope in environments lacking certain mineral salts

- nitrogen, iron and magnesium?

Photosynthesis equation

sunlight

carbon dioxide + water ààààà glucose + oxygen

chlorophyll

sunlight

6CO2 + 6H2O ààààà C6H12O6 + 6O2

chlorophyll

Prediction

I predict that the lemna in the complete culture solution will thrive,

growing and reproducing at a high rate. This therefore means that by

the end of our experiment these lemna will be the greatest in number.

I also think that they will remain green and healthy, and should have

no abnormalities or deaths. This is because the lemna have all the

mineral salts that they could ever possibly need in order to grow and

reproduce. To photosynthesise, plants need carbon dioxide and water as

basic raw materials. However, they also need many different mineral

salts, which help the plant to grow, make chlorophyll and

photosynthesise among other things. All green plants need, in order of

importance, nitrogen, potassium, calcium, magnesium, phosphorus,

sulphur and other trace elements which are needed in tiny quantities,

which include iron, copper and manganese. I have shown the importance

of these minerals in the form of a pie chart. See following page.

potassium

calcium

nitrogen

trace elements

[IMAGE]

A complete culture solution contains all of these minerals; therefore

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