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Science 5: Rates of Photosynthesis 28 Views


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Description:

Today we'll learn about what makes plants photosynthesize faster or slower. Spoiler alert: standing next a tree and shouting "Go, go, go, go!" probably won't change things much.

Language:
English Language

Transcript

00:06

[Dino and Coop singing]

00:13

There are lots of things that happen more in the summer than in winter....

00:16

Surfing....

00:17

Drinking lemonade... [Woman drinking lemonade in the shade]

00:18

And taking off your backpack to find a patch of sweat that makes it look like you're still [Kid with a sweat patch on his back]

00:21

wearing a backpack...

00:23

Another thing that doesn't happen too much in the winter? Photosynthesis. [Plant looking sad]

00:26

This is because the process of photosynthesis depends on light, so naturally it's going

00:31

to happen a lot more during a sunny day in summer than a gloomy day in winter.

00:35

Uh…no offense, winter. We love you, too. So just in case we need a quick refresher, [Diagram of photosynthesis]

00:40

photosynthesis is the process by which plants are able to take sunlight and turn it into

00:44

energy to survive and grow.

00:46

So naturally, a tree in the summer is going to look pretty darn full of life. [Sunflowers dancing in summer]

00:50

But as every student painfully experiences each year, summer cannot last forever. [Students freezing playing soccer in winter]

00:56

And when the sun goes away for long periods of time, trees aren't able to keep up the

01:00

energy needed to maintain their previously-energetic, vibrant selves. [Tree looks tired]

01:03

Maybe they should chug a Red Bull, or something… [Tree drinking a can of Red Bull]

01:06

But when it gets cold, and the trees can't photosynthesize as well, it can sometimes

01:10

lose its leaves. We promise, this story isn't super sad. [Leaves falling from the tree]

01:14

Eventually, once it's warm and the buffet table is packed with lots of sun and nutrients, [Plants growing in the sun]

01:19

they get back to growing.

01:21

Fun fact: that's why seeds are usually planted in spring, so when summer comes along

01:25

the plants can grow really, really fast.

01:28

Well..except in places like deserts, because sunlight is only one part of the equation [Cactus growing out of sand]

01:32

– and plants without any water won't grow much at all.

01:34

But when it does rain in the desert, you can bet those plants will grow fast.

01:38

Naturally, then, it makes sense that photosynthesis happens a ton in places where there's water [Underwater plants]

01:43

all the time. And where is there water all of the time?

01:46

Ding ding ding! The ocean.

01:48

Kelp plants on the coast of California can grow up to 1 meter per day when the conditions [Plant looks annoyed at kid diving]

01:53

are just right. So if you're hoping for a growth spurt, try moving in with some kelp.

01:57

We hear they're pretty quiet roommates. So as you can see, rates of photosynthesis

02:01

can vary depending on where the plant is, what time of year it is, and what access to sunlight

02:05

and water it might have.

02:07

That's why you don't see giant cacti forests all over the desert. A desert cactus generally

02:11

has a hard time growing up to be big and strong. [Lots of cacti growing out the sand]

02:13

But on the bright side, just look at how cute this lil' guy is! [Cactus asking for a hug]

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