A Portable Photosynthesis System for Investigating Developmental, Symbiotic and Ecological Effects on Photosynthesis

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This award is to purchase a portable photosynthesis system that is integrated with a fluorescence monitoring system and a portable leaf area meter with a transport belt conveyor accessory. These instruments will be used in ongoing and newly planned projects in which measured photosynthetic rates will be correlated with developmental, symbiotic, and ecological factors. The research projects supported include the role of photosynthesis in the growth strategy and biomass allocation of clonal species in wetland ecosystems, the process of leaf senescence induced by the presence of maturing fruits in bean plants, and the use of CO2 fixation rates as an accurate predictor of nodulation and the rate of nitrogen fixation in the actinorhizal plant Elaeagnus umbellata. The purchase of the instrumentation will also help expand the range of available student research projects, and thus will serve as a critical resource for training undergraduate science students at Ithaca College.