Effects of Temperature on Beetroot Cell Membranes

Background Information: A cell membranes is a thin structure that surrounds the whole cell. It contains the cytoplasm of a cell. The cell membrane is made up of hydrophilic region and a hydrophobic region. The hydrophilic region likes water, it is on the outside of the cell, the hydrophobic region is the inside of the cell where its protected from H2O. The cell membrane’s outer surface lets larger molecules into the cell. The inner surface deals with proteins that are important for development and cellular function. The cell membrane contains specific proteins and lipid components that enable it to perform its roles for the cell or organelle. A cell membrane can perform many different …show more content…
The method used could be improved with the size of the beetroot slices and also the recording method. A set colour intensity scale to compare a group’s results against would make for a more accurate reporting of the results. The beetroot slices were totally different in size, this allowed for some of the thinner slices to have a better surface area to volume ratio allowing for more pigment to escape from the beetroot slices. This could be improved by using a cork borer for example, to make the difference in sizes closer and more accurate to each other.

Conclusion:
The hypothesis stated was correct in one way as it said that as the temperature rose the membrane would leak more pigment but the significance of the cell membrane being exposed to colder temperatures was not looked at. The results show that higher temperatures (70c, 80c) and lower temperatures (-5c, 5c) effect the cell membrane severely.

Effects on Membranes of Other Environmental Stresses

Background Information: A cell membranes is a thin structure that surrounds the whole cell. It contains the cytoplasm of a cell. The cell membrane is made up of hydrophilic region and a