1. A plant and a mouse are placed in a sealed container with a watering
system. For a period of time, both will survive. Explain what the two organisms
can provide for each other in order to allow them to survive
temporarily.
Expecting that the plant in the sealed container has some kind of access
to sunlight, this will allow the plant to continue to lose chlorophyll a electrons. While it's losing these electrons, it relies on the
watering system to then replace the electrons that were lost during the process. Water molecules inside the thylakoid begin to split. They replenish chlorophyll a electron supply and also create oxygen, that is
released from the cell as a result of the splitting molecules. Because the mouse
is an animal, it relies on the oxygen released by the plant to live as well as
the water provided in the container.As a result of this the plant takes in carbon
dioxide released by the mouse and the cycle continues.
2. It is possible to measure the
rate of the "photo" reactions in plants by measuring O2 levels produced by
chloroplasts. If bicarbonate solution, a source of CO2 is provided to the
plants, the rate of the "photo" reactions increases.
a)
Explain why measuring O2 levels provides an indication of the rate of the
"photo" reactions.
Measuring O2 levels may provide an indication for
the rate of "photo" reactions because if there is a higher amount of oxygen that
is being released, this means that electrons are being replaced and the
water molecules are splitting at a fast rate.
b) Being as
specific as possible, describe how the plants will use the CO2 provided by the
bicarbonate solution.
Using an enzyme called rubisco the
plant will pull molecules of carbon from the air and then fix
them to another molecule that is located insidethe chloroplast. This then allows the
plant to create food molecules.
c) Propose an explanation of
how increasing the CO2 source for the plants will affect the rate of the "photo"
reactions.
It may be possible that the rate of the plant will be
slowed down due to the plant being more exposed to CO2, therefore, the more it has to
undergo the Calvin Cycle in which it is continuously turning CO2 into sugar
molecules.
3. Some plants grow much more quickly than others.
For a plant that is growing at a rapid rate, propose a hypothesis as to whether
cellular respiration or photosynthesis is occurring at a faster rate. Justify
your hypothesis.
I think that the process of photosynthesis is occuring faster than in other plants. Because the faster the plant captures the energy from the sun and
produces food molecules, the faster the plant will reach the cellular respiration stage in
which energy in the form of chemical bonds is released and used to fuel the plant that then allows the plant to grow.
