The Adaptations of Green Plants for
Photosynthesis
Photosynthesis is the metabolic pathway by which the inorganic
compounds water and carbon dioxide are converted into carbohydrates
using light energy, which is absorbed by chlorophyll. Plants need to
be adapted so that maximum light energy is absorbed and therefore
maximum photosynthesis occurs. Plants have adapted in order to be able
to survive in many different climates such as high temperatures and
humid conditions.
Leaves play an important part in photosynthesis, as they are the first
part of the plant, which is exposed to the light energy from the sun.
They have a large surface area in order to absorb maximum light
energy. The waxy cuticle and the upper epidermis are both transparent
so that light can pass through the leaf into the other cells, which
are needed for photosynthesis. The palisade cells in the leaf are
elongated so that as much light is absorbed as possible. Palisade
cells have thin cell walls so that the light has a short distance to
travel before it reaches the chloroplasts. They are also tightly
packed together to ensure that no light energy is lost. The palisade
cells and the upper epidermis contain high number of chloroplasts to
ensure that maximum light has been reabsorbed. These chloroplasts are
mobile within the cytoplasm this helps to ensure that maximum light is
absorbed. The leaf grows at right angles to ensure the largest surface
area is exposed to the sunlight.
Another adaptation of the plant known as phototropism means that the
plant will grow towards the light. Leaves are broad and flat to
provide a large surface area and to provide a short path for the light
to travel. It also means that there is a short diffusion path for the
exchange of gases. The vascular tissues found in leaves contain the
xylem vessel, which transports the water required for photosynthesis.
The phloem removes the products of photosynthesis. Plants and trees
both arrange their leaves in a leaf mosaic to ensure that light
reaches every leaf, which maximises the amount of light energy,
Analysis of the Absorption of Green Light Versus Red Light Absorption in Spinach Leaves. The goal of the experiment was to determine if green light had less ability to absorb than red light in spinach leaves. This was done by separating the photosynthetic pigments (chlorophyll a, chlorophyll b, carotene and xanthophylls) from one another using paper chromatography. The separated pigments were then analyzed for their absorption spectrum using a spectrographometer.
Investigating the Effect of Light Intensity on Photosynthesis in a Pondweed Aim: To investigate how the rate of photosynthesis changes at different light intensities, with a pondweed. Prediction: I predict that the oxygen bubbles will decrease when the lamp is further away from the measuring cylinder, because light intensity is a factor of photosynthesis. The plant may stop photosynthesising when the pondweed is at the furthest distance from the lamp (8cm). Without light, the plant will stop the photosynthesising process, because, light is a limited factor. However once a particular light intensity is reached the rate of photosynthesis stays constant, even if the light intensity is the greatest.
Plants can absorb and use light energy because they have a green pigment, chlorophyll, contained in the chloroplasts in some of their cells. Chlorophyll allows the energy in sunlight to drive chemical reactions. Chloroplasts act as a energy transducers, converting light energy into chemical energy. So as the plant has more light the chlorophyll inside the chloroplasts can react faster absorbing in more light for food and energy.
The high rate of absorbance change in blue light in the chloroplast samples (Figure 1) can be attributed to its short wavelength that provides a high potential energy. A high rate of absorbance change is also observed in red light in the chloroplast samples (Figure 1), which can be accredited to the reaction centre’s preference for a wavelength of 680nm and 700nm – both of which fall within the red light range (Halliwell, 1984). Green light showed low rates of photosynthetic activity and difference in change in absorbance at 605nm in the chloroplast samples (Figure 1) as it is only weakly absorbed by pigments, and is mostly reflected. The percentage of absorption of blue or red light by plant leaves is about 90%, in comparison to the 70–80% absorbance in green light (Terashima et al, 2009). Yet despite the high absorbance and photosynthetic activity of blue light, hypocotyl elongation was suppressed and biomass production was induced (Johkan et al, 2012), which is caused by the absorption of blue light by the accessory pigments that do not transfer the absorbed energy efficiently to the chlorophyll, instead direction some of the energy to other pathways. On the other hand, all of the red light is absorbed by chlorophyll and used efficiently, thus inducing hypocotyl elongation and the expansion in leaf area (Johkan et al, 2012).
An Analysis and Evaluation of Data from Photosynthesis Experiments Graph analysis This is my analysis for the investigation in to the affect of light intensity on the rate of photosynthesis to the Canadian pondweed, elodea. In the results the pattern is that when the light intensity is higher the readings are generally higher. On the graph the less the light intensity the lower the gradient of the curve. the equation for the photosynthesis process is; CO2 + 2H2O + Light Energy = =
Ghosh, Paramita. "Importance of Photosynthesis." Buzzle. Buzzle.com, 14 Apr. 2008. Web. 19 May 2014. .
The photosynthetic organisms use their internal makeup to carry out the process of photosynthesis. Their makeup is different from that of organisms such as animals. Plant and algae cells contain chloroplasts where photosynthesis takes place. The light reactions of photosynthesis drive the transformation of solar energy into ATP. The chloroplasts of plants contain pigment molecules (chlorophyll) which are responsible for capturing the light from the
Photosynthesis is a highly important process that takes place in plants primarily because without it life on this planet would not be able to function properly. “It produces the oxygen we breathe and the food we eat” (Harbinson). Without photosynthesis, life would not be able to sustain itself and our planet would be a barren wasteland. The Photosynthetic process converts light energy into chemical energy. The energy that’s created through the process then later is used to help fuel the organism’s activities. This process can be significantly more complicated than it sounds with different stages and many steps.
Introduction: Photosynthesis uses the sun’s energy and uses it to convert carbon dioxide and water into sugar. There were two plants that stayed outside in the sunlight and two plants that were inside only receiving sunlight from the window. If the plants stay outside then they will grow at a faster rate and will be the tallest with most leaves because they receive more sunlight from the sun and have a fresher environment. Methods: Both the plants inside and outside were exposed to sunlight and given water every day. Results: The plants inside grew more than the plants inside. The plants outside did not last all of the weeks the experiment was being conducted.
Photosynthesis is a series of light driven reactions that convert energy poor compounds such as carbon dioxide and water to energy rich sugars [1] such as glucose. The process generate an electron gradient across the membrane of a chloroplast, which is used for ATP synthesis, and simultaneously produces electrons used to make NADPH, using NADP+ as an energy carrier[2]. Crudely put, it is the method by which autotrophic plants make their own ‘food.’
Photosynthesis in simpler turns is the ability of a live plant to carry on its chemical process by the use of light energy. Photosynthesis can not take place when there is absolutely no light, instead it stores the light it captures during the day, and uses it when needed. Photosynthesis can take place in land plants and aquarian plants such as algae. There are many factors that influence the ability of a plant to go through photosynthesis, such as light, the color of light and amount of water and or light.
The Effect of Wavelength on Photosynthesis Rate Aim: To be able to To investigate how different wavelengths (colors) of light affect the photosynthetic rate of the synthetic. I will use a pant that is a pond weed called elodea. I will measure the rate of photosynthesis by measuring the amount of o2 given off in bubbles per minute from the elodea. I will do this by placing the Elodea in a test tube with sodium hydrogen. carbonate then I will vary the light wavelength (color) using colored.
Photosynthesis is a process in plants that converts light energy into chemical energy, which is stored in bonds of sugar. The process occurs in the chloroplasts, using chlorophyll. Photosynthesis takes place in green leaves. Glucose is made from the raw materials, carbon dioxide, water, light energy and oxygen is given off as a waste product. In these light-dependent reactions, energy is used to split electrons from suitable substances such as water, producing oxygen. In plants, sugars are produced by a later sequence of light-independent reactions called th...
The plants that we know today as terrestrial organisms were not always on land. The land plants of today can be linked back to aquatic organisms that existed millions of years ago. In fact, early fossil evidence shows that the earliest land plants could have arisen some 450 million years ago (Weng & Chappie 2010). Plants that used to reside strictly in water were able to adapt in ways that allowed them to move onto land. It is speculated the need for plants to move onto land was created by water drying up, causing plants to have less room and pushing them to move onto land. Although the exact cause of plant’s need to move to a terrestrial environment is unclear, it is known that plants had to undergo several adaptations to be able to live on land. These adaptations include: lignin, cellulose, suberin, and changes to plant’s surface, including the formation of a waxy cuticle.
Photosynthesis is a cycle plants go through converting light into chemical energy for use later. Photosynthesis starts in the chloroplasts, they capture chlorophyll, an important chemical needed for photosynthesis. Chloroplasts also take water, carbon dioxide, oxygen and glucose. The chlorophyll is taken to the stroma, where carbon dioxide and water mix together to make