As temperatures increase, gases such as CO2 diffuse faster. As a result, plant leaves will lose CO2 at a faster rate than normal. If the amount of light impacting on the leaf and the amount of water available is adequate, predict how this loss of gas will affect photosynthesis in the leaf.

If the amount of light reaching a leaf and the water supply is adequate in the face of inadequate carbon dioxide, the latter becomes a limiting reagent in the process of photosynthesis.

The process of photosynthesis has two steps

1. The light reaction

2. The light-independent reaction/the Calvin cycle

Carbon dioxide is only required in the second step which is the Calvin cycle. This means that the light reaction proceeds at a normal rate but the Calvin cycle is slowed due to inadequate carbon dioxide. Overall, the rate of photosynthesis becomes limited to the amount of carbon dioxide that is available in the leaf.