Document Type

Poster

Publication Date

4-23-2015

Disciplines

Biology | Life Sciences

Advisor

Stephen Saupe, Biology

Abstract

Water is crucial to photosynthesis because it provides electrons for the light-dependent reactions. Additionally, plants decrease transpiration rate during drought in an effort to minimize water loss, resulting in changes in CO2 uptake and photosynthetic rate (Vico, 2008; Özenc, 2008; Galmés et al., 2007). Water use efficiency (WUE), the ability of a plant to maintain photosynthesis despite water loss, is an essential component of determining plant performance in drought conditions. Previous studies have shown an association between water stress and increased WUE (Zhang et al., 2010). Therefore, we hypothesize that the photosynthetic rates in both the Vigna radiata (mung beans) and Brassica rapus (rutabagas) will decrease after withholding water until exhibition of water stress symptoms, and the WUE of water-stressed plants will be higher than watered counterparts.

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