If you place a plant in a glass container with its roots in dirt, provide water

Question

If you place a plant in a glass container with its roots in dirt, provide water and sunlight, but seal the container so air cannot enter, the plant will survive and grow. If you place a mouse in a glass container, provide shelter, water and sunlight, but seal the container to air, the mouse will not survive an hour. Answer the following questions relative to your discussion of energy metabolism this week and last week.

1. What are the two major metabolic pathways that allow the plant to survive and grow?

2. Explain how these pathways cycle the resources needed by the plant.

3. Assume that the plant (not a seed nor a seedling) when first placed in the container has a mass of about 20g. After 6 months, the mass of the plant is about 75g. When the plant grows, it increases in mass. Of the components in the container; dirt, water, CO2, and O2, which component can be directly attributed to the increase in mass in the plant? Provide a one-sentence explanation.

4. What is the metabolic pathway missing in the mouse that prevents if from surviving in the glass container. Explain why the lack of this pathway leads to death.

Explanation / Answer

1) Plants survive and grow on using light dependent photosynthesis and light independent carbon assimilation. Plants need carbondioxide for the synthesis of organic material for their growth. This is carriedout by photosynthesis. Plants also optpentose phosphate pathway for assimilating the carbon.

2)

Plants use the CO2 and sunlight to carryoutphotosynthesis and release the O2. RUBISCO is the key enzyme that metabolizes the CO2 to pentose phosphate ribulose - 5 -phosphate. It is a continuous cyclic process occuring in the plants that help the plants synthesize the food materials.

3)

The component that contributes to the mass of plant is CO2. The dry weight of the plant or mass of plant in living condition is known by estimating the content of organic carbon in the plant material.

4)

Mouse is a animal. It carries respiration process for its metabolism and survival. In absence of O2 it cannot respire and carryout metabolism. Hence, mouse in glass container could not survive without O2.

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