Increased Temperatures Effect on CO2 Production Rate in Yeast

Abstract

Abstract

                Saccharomyces cerevisiae, also known as Baker’s yeast, is a unicellular organism that is an input in the process of cellular respiration. Many factors affect the rate of the process of cellular respiration, including temperature. We wanted to test the effect of increased temperature on the rate of CO2 production in yeast. Our hypothesis is that with an increase in temperature, there will be in increase in CO2 production; however, there will be a decrease in the CO2 production rate if we raise temperature too high. In order to test our hypothesis, we ran five trials in which we set the yeast solution at three different temperatures. Based on our findings, our hypothesis was supported. Our results showed that when heating the solution to 40 degrees Celsius, the rate of CO2 production dramatically increased.