Photosynthesis and Cell Respiration Webquest
Name ______________________________
Period______________________________
Task One: Explore Photosynthesis:
Go to the website for NOVA online: http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/nature/photosynthesis.html
Click on LAUNCH INTERACTIVE next to the green picture. Click on the tab THE CYCLE at the top of the
animation.
***If FLASH does NOT work click “Printable Version” and read it to answer the questions***
Click on the girl, click the water pot, and
finally click on the window shade.
1. Where is CO2 produced?
2. Where is O2 produced?
Click on the tab ATOMIC SHUFFLE at the top of the animation.
Click the NEXT arrows to watch the process of photosynthesis molecularly.
3. What is the overall equation (found at the end of the animation)?
Click on the tab THREE PUZZLERS at the top of the animation.
Answer the three questions and check your answers.
4. A tree inhales carbon dioxide; it needs to if its to survive. But can it release enough O 2 to keep
just one person alive?
5. A plant needs its own food to function. It can’t make its own food at night. Beyond a few hours of
darkness, can a plant survive without light?
6. A plant that receives the nutrition it needs will continue to live, we now know. But what if we
took all of its O2 way? Do you think that the plant could still grow?
Task Two: Explore Cellular Respiration
Go to the website for Sumanas online:
http://www.sumanasinc.com/webcontent/animations/content/cellularrespiration.html
Click on THE BIG PICTURE tab at the bottom of the buffalo
Click on the Subtitles tab at the bottom right and choose English
Click on the Play arrow on the bottom left of the animation.
7. What is the purpose of cellular respiration?
Fill in the models below for cellular respiration and photosynthesis:
INPUT

+
8. CELLULAR RESPIRATION
OUTPUT
+
+
9. PHOTOSYNTHESIS
INPUT
+
+

OUTPUT
+
10. What is the energy output of respiration?
11. What is the energy input of photosynthesis?
12. Explain THREE similarities and/or differences of photosynthesis and cellular respiration.
1.
2.
3.
TASK Three: GAME PLAY PRACTICE
Use the link to access the Photosynthesis &Respiration Game. As you move through the game, answer the
following questions.
http://tinyurl.com/h47ql88
13. What molecule does the fruit represent? ______________________
14. The molecules you use in a chemical reaction are called the: ________________
15. The molecules you produce in a chemical reaction are called the: _____________
16. What are the reactants in respiration?
17. What are the reactants in photosynthesis?
18. What are the products in cellular respiration?
19. What are the products in photosynthesis?
TASK Four: Photosynthesis/Cell Respiration Virtual Lab (STAGE 1 ONLY)
Use the link to access the “Life Science Lab”. You will only be completeing STAGE 1, as you move thru the lab,
answer the following questions.
https://my.hrw.com/sh2/sh07_10/student/flash/virtual_investigations/hst/act/hst_act_vi.html
20. What provides the main energy source for photosynthesis? ___________________
21. In addition to sunlight, what else does the plant need in order to carry out the process of
photosynthesis? ______________________ and _____________________
22. Which organelle in a plant cell carrier out photosynthesis? _____________________
23. Chloroplasts use water and carbon dioxide to form a simple sugar called ____________________.
24. After glucose is produced from water and carbon dioxide during photosynthesis what by product
is left over? ______________________________
25. True or False: BOTH plants and animals carry out the process of cellular respiration to energy
from glucose. (CIRCLE ONE)
26. What is the main energy source during cellular respiration? (Hint: It’s not the sun)
_______________________
TASK Five: Use your notes to answer the following questions
27. What would happen to any organisms still living if all of the plants on the earth died
rapidly? Explain your reasoning.
28. Which organelle is responsible for the following processes…
a) Photosynthesis:___________________
b) Cellular Respiration:_______________
29. What are the reactants and products of photosynthesis?
a) Reactants:
b) Products:
30. What are the reactants and products of cellular respiration?
a) Reactants:
b) Products
31. Which statement best describes the relationship between the products of photosynthesis
and the reactants in cellular respiration? (STAAR 2015)
A The products of photosynthesis serve as the reactants in cellular respiration to provide chemical
energy.
B The products of photosynthesis combine with the reactants in cellular respiration to remove ATP
from cells.
C The products of photosynthesis inhibit the reactants in cellular respiration in the presence of light.
D The products of photosynthesis change the structure of the reactants in cellular respiration in the
presence of light.