Cabomba caroliniana has been placed on the EU list of alien invasive species.
Under European Union regulations, “it is an offence in the UK to keep, cultivate, breed, transport, sell or exchange this species, or release it, intentionally or unintentionally, into the environment.”
Until we can find a native species that will perform in the same way in classroom photosynthesis experiments, we are using Egeria najas. See Egeria info.
Experiments with Egeria najas:
- Student activity 1 (includes teacher and technical notes)
- Student activity 2 (includes teacher and technical notes)
- Oxygen production – video using Cabomba
Activities with algae:
- Background notes on immobilised algae (originally produced by SAPS)
- Protocol for using immobilised algae
- Protocol for producing an algal tube
PowerPoint files (note these are provided here as pdf files; originals are available and can be requested):
Card-based activities
- Animal / Plant photosynthesis game
- Carbon Cycle game
NASA Earth Observatory Videos
Publications:
- Cabomba towers – how to make your own! [Bulletin article]
- Algal tube production – simple and effective [Bulletin article]
- Respiration experiments – using immobilised algae [Bulletin article]
- Exocharmic Cabomba – School Science Review article
- Limiting factors in photosynthesis [Bulletin article]
Science & Plants for Schools have a range of resources on the topic of photosynthesis.
Practical Biology protocol; Testing Leaves for Starch
Practical Biology protocol; Identifying the conditions needed for photosynthesis
