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The rate of photosynthesis is not constant — it changes depending on environmental conditions. Understanding the factors that affect the rate and the concept of limiting factors is a key part of the AQA GCSE Combined Science Trilogy specification (8464). This lesson explores each factor, explains how to interpret graphs, and introduces the inverse square law for light intensity.
The rate of photosynthesis measures how quickly a plant converts carbon dioxide and water into glucose and oxygen. It can be quantified by:
A higher rate of photosynthesis means the plant is producing more glucose (and therefore growing faster) in a given time.
A limiting factor is the factor that is in the shortest supply at any given moment and therefore directly controls the rate of a reaction. Even if other conditions are ideal, the rate cannot increase beyond the point set by the limiting factor.
The three main limiting factors for photosynthesis are:
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