Title: Environmental Factors That Impact Photosynthesis - Video & Lesson Transcript | Study.com
Headings: Environmental Factors That Impact Photosynthesis
Environmental Factors That Impact Photosynthesis
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Photosynthesis
Factors Impacting Photosynthesis
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Environmental Factors That Impact Photosynthesis
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Factors Impacting Photosynthesis
Light intensity is one factor that affects photosynthesis. Without the energy from light, the chemical reaction cannot happen. If plants have less light, they photosynthesize more slowly. The speed of photosynthesis increases with greater light intensity, though it ultimately levels off once the plant has as much light as it needs. Carbon dioxide concentration is another factor that affects photosynthesis. Generally, there is plenty of carbon dioxide in the air so there is little impact on photosynthesis in different environments. It's still a requirement, however, and if we deprive plants of carbon dioxide in the lab, we find a similar relationship to that of light: the rate of photosynthesis increases with carbon dioxide concentration until the plant has enough or more carbon dioxide than it needs; at that point, the rate doesn't increase much further. Based on the equation, it's probably not surprising that carbon dioxide and sunlight are two major factors that affect photosynthesis, but there is a third that isn't so obvious: