Oxygen Consumption
If you place a living organism in a closed system, it is possible to measure its consumption
of Oxygen. In this exercise, a respirometer will be used to measure oxygen consumption.
The instrument contains limewater and germinating seeds. As the seeds consume oxygen,
carbon dioxide is excreted. The carbon dioxide is then absorbed by the limewater, creating
a slight vacuum in the respirometer. This vacuum will draw a drop of liquid detergent in the
glass tubing inward. This movement will be measured in millimeters using a metric ruler
taped to the glass tubing. This will give an idea of how much oxygen the germinating seeds
consume.