How does photosynthesis actually work? How is it affected by various factors over time? These questions would be very difficult to answer in a traditional lab. LeafLab simulates measurements of leaf photosynthetic rates by CO₂ assimilation. The objective is to understand how photosynthetic rates change as a function of light intensity and ambient CO₂. Students can perform experiments and analyze the data to investigate concepts such as dark respiration, photochemical efficiency, CO₂ conductance, light compensation points, and photosynthetic saturation.

The purpose of this laboratory is to:

• Understand how photosynthetic rates change as a function of light intensity and ambient CO₂.

• Simulate measurements of CO₂ assimilation rates in leaves.

• Investigate dark respiration, photochemical efficiency, CO₂ conductance, light compensation points, and photosynthetic saturation.