Will increasing atmospheric levels of CO₂ make you sneeze as well as itch?
Scientists studying the effects of rising CO₂ levels have looked at ragweed, whose pollen is the primary allergen for fall hay fever. They grew ragweed in three levels of CO₂: a pre-industrial concentration of 280 ppm, a year 2000 level of 370 ppm, and a projected level of 600 ppm. They found that pollen production increased by 131% and 320% in the plants exposed to the recent and projected CO₂ levels, respectively.
What was the hypothesis of this experiment?
Do the results support the hypothesis?
Given what you know about climate change, what other variables would you like to test, and what other measurements would you like to take?

Question

Will increasing atmospheric levels of CO₂ make you sneeze as well as itch?

Scientists studying the effects of rising CO₂ levels have looked at ragweed, whose pollen is the primary allergen for fall hay fever. They grew ragweed in three levels of CO₂: a pre-industrial concentration of 280 ppm, a year 2000 level of 370 ppm, and a projected level of 600 ppm. They found that pollen production increased by 131% and 320% in the plants exposed to the recent and projected CO₂ levels, respectively.

What was the hypothesis of this experiment?

Do the results support the hypothesis?

Given what you know about climate change, what other variables would you like to test, and what other measurements would you like to take?

Accepted Answer

Hi everyone. Here's our next problem. It says one of the main causes of chronic illness in the United States is allergies. Climate change is making allergic disorders worse by and we have four choices including choice steve being all of the above. So that's a possibility. Keep in mind. Choice A says longer and more severe pollen season. Well this is a this is a cause of allergic disorders being worse. I'm gonna market. That's correct. We have still have that chance of choice. D. And that's because the warming climate causes fewer frost days and with fewer days where the weather is below freezing. That means we have longer blooming seasons for flowers and of course more pollen. And research has shown that both pollen concentrations in the air are higher and pollen season is longer than it used to be in the past. So this definitely uh can be contributing to more allergic disorders. Choice B says increased exposure to mold. This is also the factor because increased temperature and humidity in many parts of the world lead to more mold. Also we see increased flooding due to just severe climate events. And of course mold has um is a major issue after flooding in terms of growing places. Um So, and mold spores are common allergen. So increased exposure to mold, definitely part of more allergic disorders getting worse and finally, Choice C increasing carbon dioxide. Well, this is also correct. Um carbon dioxide causes greater pollen production in certain plants. So that definitely will cause more allergies if you happen to be allergic to one of those plants. Um That is having greater pollen production. So since A. B. And C. Are all correct, we know that choice D. Must be the answer choice D. Which is all of the above. So again, one of the main causes of chronic illness in the United States is allergies. Climate change is making allergic disorders worse by choice D. All of the above. See you in the next video.

Verified video answer for a similar problem:

Key Concepts

Hypothesis Formation

Impact of CO2 on Plant Growth

Variables in Scientific Experiments