Plant adaptations

Question 1

what is photosynthesis?

Answer 1

the process where the energy from the sun creates chemical reactions that turns CO2 into carbohydrates (simple sugars) and releases O2.

Question 2

photosynthesis uses light energy from the sun to convert ___ and ____ into ____.

Answer 2

CO2 and H2O into glucose

Question 3

what are heterotrophs ?

Answer 3

heterotrophs are organisms that are unable to manufacture their own food from inorganic material. they rely on other organisms for energy and nutrients.

Question 4

what is a light-dependent reaction ?

Answer 4

they are reactions that are responsible for converting light energy into chemical energy in the Calvin cycle

Question 5

what is a light-independent reaction ?

Answer 5

a reaction that has a series of biochemical (the transformation of one molecule to a different molecule inside a cell) reactions in photosynthesis that doesn’t require light to proceed in the Calvin cycle

Question 6

what is PAR ?

Answer 6

photosynthetically active radiation, it is the light of wavelengths 400-700 nm that is used by plants in photosynthesis

Question 7

what is mesophyll ?

Answer 7

a specialized tissue that is located in the epidermal layers of the leaf

Question 8

in terrestrial plants, photosynthesis occurs in ___ cells and ___ leaves through the ___.

Answer 8

mesophyll cells and CO2; stomata

Question 9

what is the light compensation point ?

Answer 9

the depth of level of light where photosynthesis and respiration balance each other

Question 10

what is the light saturation point ?

Answer 10

the limits at which photosynthesis can operate

Question 11

what is photo inhibition?

Answer 11

the slowing or stopping of a plant process by light ( negative effect of light on plants)

Question 12

what is the turgid pressure ?

Answer 12

the pressure of the water inside the plant that helps maintain stability

Question 13

what is osmotic potential ?

Answer 13

the potential of water to move from a higher region of concentration to a lower region of concentration

Question 14

what is matric potential ?

Answer 14

how much water the soil can hold

Question 15

solar radiation generates ___ and ___, they are needed to synthesize or combine ____ and ____

Answer 15

ATP and NADPH; G3P and RuBP

Question 16

aquatic autotrophs don’t have a ___; CO2 diffuses directly from the water through ___.

Answer 16

stomata; cell membranes

Question 17

terrestrial plants release heat through ____ and ____.

Answer 17

evaporation and convection

Question 18

aquatic plants mostly release heat through ____.

Answer 18

convection

Question 19

what is convection ?

Answer 19

the transfer of heat energy through circulating fluids

Question 20

what is developmental plasticity?

Answer 20

when a change happens in early years to an individual and when it becomes an adult, it cannot change its form back.

Question 21

what is acclimation ?

Answer 21

when an individual organism can switch back and forth between phenotypes

Question 22

what is the function of a C4 pathway?

Answer 22

C4 pathway acts as a mechanism to build up high concentrations of carbon dioxide in the chloroplasts of the bundle sheath cells

Question 23

what is Rubisco ?

Answer 23

ribulose biphosphate carboxylase-oxygenase, an enzyme in photosynthesis that accelerates the initial transformation of CO2 into sugar

Question 24

what are shade tolerant plants ?

Answer 24

plants that can tolerate low light levels. they have low photosynthetic, respiratory, metabolic, and growth rates

Question 25

what are shade intolerant plants ?

Answer 25

plants that require full sunlight and little or no competition. they have higher photosynthetic, respiratory, and growth rates

Question 26

what is the C4 pathway ?

Answer 26

where majority of plants produce 3-carbon acid (PGA) as a first product during carbon dioxide fixation

Question 27

what is the function of C3 plants ?

Answer 27

C3 plants capture light and do carbon fixation in the mesophyll cells

Question 28

what are bundle sheath cells ?

Answer 28

a leaf cell type that forms a tightly packed layer surrounding veins

Question 29

how do CAM plants function ?

Answer 29

CAM plants open their stomata to take in CO2 at night when the humidity is high. they convert CO2 to malate. during the day CAM plants close their stomata and covert malate back to CO2