Topic 6 - Plant Structures and Their Functions Flashcards
(70 cards)
what is photosynthesis
- energy transferred by the light from the Sun is trapped
- energy is then transferred to molecules of a sugar called glucose
- when animals eat plants they get the energy from these stores
biomass
The materials in an organism
Photosynthesis word equation
Carbon dioxide + water -> glucose + oxygen
Where and how does photosynthesis occur?
Chloroplasts which contain a green substance called chlorophyll that traps energy transferred by light
Is photosynthesis endothermic or exothermic?
Endothermic because energy enters from the surroundings so the products of photosynthesis have more energy than the reactants
How is sucrose made in a plant?
The glucose molecules that are made linked together to form a polymer starch. This stays in the chloroplast until photosynthesis stops, the starch is then broken down into simple substances which are moved into the cytoplasm and used to make sucrose.
What can sucrose be used to make?
- Starch
- other molecules for the plant (such as cellulose, lipids or proteins)
- glucose for respiration (to release energy)
What is the adaptation of the palisade cells?
Packed with chloroplasts so they can absorb a great deal of light
Function of stomata
Allows carbon dioxide to diffuse into the leaf
Also allows the oxygen produced by photosynthesis to escape into the air
Function of Guard cells
Cells that open and close the water stomata
How does the stomata open in the day but close at night
- in the light water flows into pairs of guard cells making them rigid this opens a stoma (plural stomata)
- At night water flows out of the guard cells they lose their rigidity and closes a stoma
What are basic leaf adaptations?
- Leaves are broad and flat giving them a large surface area
- Leaves are thin so carbon dioxide does not have far to diffuse into the leaf before reaching cells that need it
Structure of a leaf
Why is photosynthesis slower at the top of a mountain and then at the bottom?
- reduce concentration of air molecules causes a lower rate
- Photosynthesis is catalysed by enzymes at work better at warmer temperatures (the top of the mountain is cold)
Limiting factor
Factor that prevents a rate increasing
What are the 3 limiting factors for photosynthesis?
- carbon dioxide Concentration
- temperature
- light intensity
How do we calculate the new light intensity (I) (I(new)) when the distance (d) of light source changes from d(orig) to d(new)
I(new) = I(orig) x d2 (orig)
d2 (new)
- light intensity is inversely proportional to the new distance squared
What is the method for the core practical of light intensity and photosynthesis?
- Decide on the different distances between the algae and the lamp you are going to use and for each distance you will need one clear glass bottle. You will also need one extra bottle.
- Add 20 of the algal balls to each bottle.
- Add the same amount of indicator solution to each bottle, and put on the bottle caps - Compare the colour in your tubes with this pH range to work out the pH at the start.
- Set up a tank of water between the lamp and the area where you will place your tubes. Take extreme care not to spill water near electrical apparatus (such as a lamp).
- Cover one bottle in kitchen foil, so that it is in the dark.
- Measure the different distances from the lamp. Place your bottles at those distances. Put the bottle covered in kitchen foil next to the bottle that is closest to the lamp.
- Turn on the lamp and wait until you can see obvious changes in the colours in your bottles. The longer you can wait, the more obvious your results are likely to be.
- Compare the colours of all your bottles with the pH range bottles. Write down the pHs of the solutions in your bottles.
- For each bottle, calculate the ‘change in pH/hour.
- Plot a suitable graph or chart of your results.
What are the functions of roots in plants?
absorb water and dissolve the mineral ions from the soil
Buttress roots adaptation
help stop the tall trees falling over - provide support
What is the water absorbed by plant roots used for?
- Carrying dissolved mineral ions
- keeping cells rigid (otherwise the plants were wilt - the leaves and stems droop)
- cooling the leaves (when it evaporates from them)
- Photosynthesis
Function of root hair cells
- The ‘hairs’ are extensions of the cell that provide a large surface areas that water and mineral ions can be quickly absorbed
- ‘hairs’ also have been cell wall at the flow of waters that cells is not slowed down
What are the two pathways that water can take through a plant root?
- Water enters by osmosis through tiny tubes that join the cytoplasm of cells together allowing waters to diffuse
- water enters by diffusion - it diffuses through the cell walls
Why can mineral ions not diffuse into root hair cells?
As the concentration of ions inside the root hair cell is greater than the soil so they cannot diffuse against this concentration gradient so active transport is used instead