Exploratour - Life On Earth, Page 7 things. Although some protists and bacteria are capable of performingphotosynthesis, plants do most of the photosynthesis on Earth. http://www.windows.ucar.edu/tour/link=/cool_stuff/tour_life_earth_7.html
Extractions: Kingdom Plantae contains nearly 300,000 different kinds of plants. Although this does not make it the largest kingdom, many might argue that it is the most important one. In the process known as "photosynthesis", plants use the energy of the Sun to make food and oxygen. This complex chemical reaction provides nearly all the oxygen in Earth's atmosphere and all the food required by living things. Although some protists and bacteria are capable of performing photosynthesis, plants do most of the photosynthesis on Earth. The ancestors of plants first appeared in the seas nearly 700 million years ago. Another 265 million years passed before the first plants appeared on land. These early land plants looked very different than the plants you're familiar with today. In fact, many of them didn't even have roots, stems, or leaves! Since then, plants have taken on a variety of forms and are found in most places on Earth.
BSCI 124 Introduction To Plant Growth from sunlight; To perform photosynthesis, plants need to have a supplyof Sunlight; Carbon dioxide gas from the atmosphere; Water; http://www.life.umd.edu/classroom/bsci124/lec2.html
Extractions: LECTURE 2 - Introduction to Plants Plant Physiology Plants are photosynthetic they gather their food energy directly from sunlight To perform photosynthesis, plants need to have a supply of: Sunlight Carbon dioxide gas from the atmosphere Water Mineral nutrients During photosynthesis, plants release Oxygen, but they need to use oxygen at night and in parts of the plant (like the roots) that do not perform photosynthesis. The structure of a plant is adapted to gathering the things that the plant needs. Plant Structure - the external structure of a generalized plant: the plant body is divided into two basic parts, the shoot, which usually grows above ground, and the root, which usually grows below ground. Shoot Shoots are made of leaves attached to a stem. Leaf (singular; plural is leaves) Leaves are often the primary site of photosynthesis. Leaf Blade - large, flat part of leaf that collects sunlight. Petiole - narrow stick that holds leaf blade away from the stem.
Extractions: Models Potential biomass increase by photosynthesis is calculated by considering solar radiation and the plant's conversion of it to sugars. We start with the solar radiation today , as simulated by the weather component. The first step is a reduction of solar radiation for shading, which is not in the EPIC model but was added to simulate garden plots. The solar radiation is reduced proportionately by the shading index , which goes from zero (no shade) to one hundred (complete darkness). Next the photoactive radiation, or radiation useful for photosynthesis, is calculated by reducing the shaded solar radiation by half to eliminate wavelengths that plants cannot use in photosynthesis. Plants use wavelengths of light in the range of 400-700 nanometers, which is about the same as our visual range. Interestingly enough, that range brackets the peak of the solar radiation spectrum (500 nm) and includes about half of the radiation coming from the sun. Intercepted photoactive radiation, or radiation useful for photosynthesis that actually falls on plant leaves, is calculated with an
Extractions: Elementary (K-6) Middle School (6-9) High School (9-12) Middle School Science Gateways ... edConnect To find support materials for a different Biology Explorer activity, including lesson plans and student handouts, you will need to select a unit from the tabs below and then select from the activities listed underneath. Unit Photosynthesis Activity Overview In this advanced activity, students determine the light compensation point for a "sun plant" at a given light intensity. Then they are asked to hypothesize how the light compensation point of a "shade plant" will compare. They plot this new point and compare the results with their predictions.
Extractions: Photo courtesy Evan DeLucia Damaged A wild parsnip leaf that has been damaged. Dark holes are where caterpillars have fed. The bluish discolored areas show how damage has extended out from the bite areas throughout the leaf. The results of the first experiments with the tool done in a University of Illinois laboratory using leaves of wild parsnip (Pastinaca sativa) and hungry cabbage loopers (Trichoplusia ni) were published Jan. 15 on the online "early edition" of the Proceedings of the National Academy of Science. Researchers found that damage to a leaf isn't relegated to a hole where tissue once was. In this case, it affects three to six times more of the leaf's surface. The images gathered clearly recorded blue halos, representing damage to patches of cells surrounding the insect-caused holes, and varying levels of red fluorescence, denoting precise reductions in photosynthesis activity. They also found an almost 80-fold increase in the synthesis of furanocoumarins, a defensive chemical, suggesting that a plant may purposely turn down its photosynthetic machinery to boost its defensive capacity.
Demonstrating Photosynthesis carbon dioxide. Through photosynthesis, plants produce food for boththemselves and other living organisms. Remind students that http://www.msnucleus.org/membership/html/k-6/lc/plants/5/lcp5_3c.html
Extractions: Post Lab PROCEDURE: Add 1-2 drops of bromothymol blue to 15mL of water in a 25 ml graduated cylinder. Gently blow into the tube using a straw until it changes color to yellow. Have the students discuss the change. [The change occurs because CO , has been added to the solution, making it more acidic therefore causing a color change. Remember, humans produce carbon dioxide and utilize oxygen whereas plants utilize carbon dioxide and produce oxygen] Place a piece of elodea in the 25mL graduated cylinder with the yellow solution and insert a cork stopper in the beak of the cylinder. Expose the cylinder to sunlight for 20 minutes. [The yellow solution will change back to blue because the plant will utilize the carbon dioxide, making the solution less acidic, converting the color back to blue. ] In another cylinder, add 1-2 drops of bromothymol blue to water and gently blow with a straw until the solution changes color. Plug the top of the cylinder with a stopper and place it in the sunlight for 20 minutes without elodea. [No change will occur because the carbon dioxide remains in solution and the acidity of the solution does not change.]
Demonstrating Photosynthesis of food from carbon dioxide and water in the presence of chlorophyll utilizing lightenergy and releasing oxygen is called photosynthesis. plants produce food http://www.msnucleus.org/membership/html/k-6/lc/plants/5/lcp5_3b.html
Extractions: Post Lab BACKGROUND: The production of food from carbon dioxide and water in the presence of chlorophyll utilizing light energy and releasing oxygen is called photosynthesis. Plants produce food in the form of simple sugars (carbohydrate). In order for photosynthesis to occur sunlight and chlorophyll must be present. There are different types of chlorophyll, but the one involved in photosynthesis is called chlorophyll-A. Chlorophyll is a pigment which is stored in chloroplasts. During autumn and winter chlorophyll is not produced allowing the other pigments of brown and red to predominate giving plants their autumn colors. [Dictionary
Extractions: Previous Story ... Related Stories Next Story Source: University Of Illinois At Urbana-Champaign Date: CHAMPAIGN, Ill. When insects feed on plants, they get nourishment and the plant gets damaged. The amount of damage has taken on new light, thanks to a new photosynthesis-measuring device that illuminates and photographs never-before-seen injury extending far beyond an insects bite. The results of the first experiments with the tool done in a University of Illinois laboratory using leaves of wild parsnip (Pastinaca sativa) and hungry cabbage loopers (Trichoplusia ni) were published Jan. 15 on the online early edition of the Proceedings of the National Academy of Science. Researchers found that damage to a leaf isnt relegated to a hole where tissue once was. In this case, it affects three to six times more of the leafs surface. The images gathered clearly recorded blue halos, representing damage to patches of cells surrounding the insect-caused holes, and varying levels of red fluorescence, denoting precise reductions in photosynthesis activity. They also found an almost 80-fold increase in the synthesis of furanocoumarins, a defensive chemical, suggesting that a plant may purposely turn down its photosynthetic machinery to boost its defensive capacity.
Extractions: E-Mail: jwoody@rae.org "If God made the world," runs a common argument for evolution, "then why didn't He. . . ?" Most creationists, we expect, can supply the next clause: ". . .give pandas better thumbs? Or improve the design of the human spine? Or make seed production more efficient?" This "God-wouldn't-have-done-it-that-way" argument for evolution appears to many to be among the most compelling in the theory's favor. But rarely do evolutionists give the argument the careful thought it requires. Consider the notion of perfection. If God is perfect, asks the naturalistic evolutionist, then shouldn't His biological productions be perfect as well? Perfection, however, is an exceedingly tricky concept. What, for instance, would be a perfect wristwatch? The naturalist might claim that no intelligent designer would make a watch that loses one second a month, or accumulates dust and rust, or has a case that tarnishes with time, or can be affected by magnets, or cannot withstand a sledgehammer blow. Why stop there, however? With a little imagination, one can also ask why an intelligent designer would make a watch that fails to forecast the weather, or does not have a vibrator alarm in case the wearer is deaf, or does not have tactile hands in case the wearer is blind, or cannot function in a vacuum in case the wearer wants to use it on the moon, or cannot get up and put itself on its owner's wrist . . .and so on.
Oceans Alive! | Life In The Sea | Life Near The Surface Through photosynthesis, plants manufacture organic materials (food) from inorganicmaterials (water, carbon dioxide, and nutrients) using sunlight as their http://www.mos.org/oceans/life/surface.html
Extractions: The Living Sea Life Near the Surface The sea is home to billions of plants and animals. Many live only near the sunlit surface. Here you'll find everything from microscopic plankton to the giant blue whale. Oceanographers classify marine organisms by separating them into two primary groups: plants and animals. Ocean Plants Images from data collected from satellites show densities of phytoplankton in the Atlantic Ocean. Red shows where phytoplankton is densest, followed by yellow, green, blue and violet where it is least dense. Phytoplankton's spring bloom (shown right) occurs when days are longer and more nutrients come up from the bottom. There are two general types of plants found in the ocean, those having roots that are attached to the ocean bottom and those not having roots which simply drift about with the water. The rooted plants in the ocean are only found in shallow water because there is not enough sunlight to sustain photosynthesis in deeper waters. Since sunlight does not penetrate more than a few hundred feet into the ocean, most of the ocean is not capable of supporting rooted plants. Nevertheless, plants are found throughout most of the oceanic surface waters. The most abundant plants in the ocean are known as phytoplankton. These are usually single-celled, minute floating plants that drift throughout the surface waters of the ocean. A bucket of sea water might hold a million microscopic diatoms which are relatives of seaweed encased in glassy boxes. To grow, phytoplankton need nutrients from the sea water and lots of sunlight. The most light occurs in the tropics but nutrients there, especially nitrogen and phosphorus, are often in short supply. When large quantities of diatoms and other phytoplankton are present they give a color to the sea. Spectacular phytoplankton blooms are found in cooler waters where nutrients are brought up from the sea floor during storms.
ThinkQuest Library Of Entries How do plants use light to make their own food? plants can make food for themselves,and eventually animals, through a process known as photosynthesis. http://library.advanced.org/10274/data/city/agricultural/photosyn.htm
Extractions: The web site you have requested, Putting Life on Mars , is one of over 4000 student created entries in our Library. Before using our Library, please be sure that you have read and agreed to our To learn more about ThinkQuest. You can browse other ThinkQuest Library Entries To proceed to Putting Life on Mars click here Back to the Previous Page The Site you have Requested ... click here to view this site Click image for the Site Languages : Site Desciption What would it be like to live on Mars? This site is a fictitious yet interesting account of what the Mars colony might look like in the year 2050. City maps are given, along with descriptions of the terrain, the culture, and the living arrangements. You can even hear the Mars National Anthem! Activities and links to other space sites are also provided.
Subject Index: C4 Plants (Photosynthesis) C4 plants (photosynthesis) Material in this section originates from the followingcategory in our Subject Index C4 plants photosynthesis. http://www.co2science.org/subject/c/c4plantphoto.htm
Extractions: C Plants (Photosynthesis) Material in this section originates from the following category in our Subject Index: C Plants Photosynthesis Material preceded by an asterisk (*) was posted after this subject summary was written and therefore is not included in the summary. This material will be integrated into the summary at a later date. Summary
MICROSCOPY UK - MICSCAPE ARTICLE: Plant Adaptations In order to prevent the rate of transpiration exceeding water uptake but withoutcompromising the needs for effective photosynthesis, plants have evolved a http://www.microscopy-uk.org.uk/mag/articles/anne1.html
Extractions: Micscape Article: Plant adaptations Text and Images by Anne Bruce. Photosynthesis is the biological pathway whereby green plants make energy available to all living things. Plants exhibit a wide range of leaf form, however, typically a leaf comprises a thin lamella and large surface area. This enables effective photosynthesis by minimizing the distance between the photosynthesis factory (palisade cells) and the supply of raw materials (carbon dioxide and water). At the same time the large surface area maximizes light capture. To ensure that sufficient carbon dioxide can enter the plant when light energy is available, the stomata must be open, but this in turn allows water to evaporate from the large leaf surface during transpiration. In order to prevent the rate of transpiration exceeding water uptake but without compromising the needs for effective photosynthesis, plants have evolved a variety of adaptations to keep water loss by evaporation to a minimum. In most dicotyledonous plants - the number of stomata is greater on the lower surface than on the upper. This arrangement ensures that carbon dioxide can enter the leaf while at the same time cutting down on transpiration rate (the lower surface being cooler than the upper). In addition, the stomatal mechanism of closing at night also reduces water loss by evaporation. Plants living in water deficient habitats have evolved further adaptations in order that water loss does not become critical. It is not just hot desert conditions and rapidly draining soils that can exert such pressures. In the tundra, soil water is frozen for long periods and so is unavailable to plants. Plants living at high altitudes and in exposed sites will be subjected to the drying effects of strong winds.
Photosynthesis In C3 And C4 Plants Reduction in CO 2 levels in the leaf tissue. Reduction in CO 2 levels below50 ppm stops photosynthesis in C 3 plants. photosynthesis in CAM plants. http://www.usd.edu/biocareers/risticb413sp2001/lec15.htm
Extractions: Photosynthesis in C and C plants Most higher plants have, so called, C pathway of photosynthesis Some plants that are adapted to hot and dry environments, are characterized by C pathway of photosynthesis What is the distinction between the C and C pathways of photosynthesis? The fate of CO in C plants Initially, CO reacts with a 5-carbon compound, ribulose biphosphate An intermediate 6-carbon compound is formed The 6-carbon compound immediately breaks down into two 3-carbon compounds* 3-phosphoglycerate or 3-PGA The above two reactions are catalyzed by RUBISCO * the reason to call this photosynthetic pathway "C " The final product of C photosynthesis 3-PGA is then further utilized in the Calvin cycle The final product Fructose 1, 6-biphosphate Sucrose The fate of CO in C plants C plants have two distinct types of photosynthetic cells, and two distinct types of chloroplasts Mesophyll cells with granal chloroplasts Bundle-sheath cells with non-granal chloroplasts Leaf structure in C and C plants Leaf structure C plants Leaf structure C plants Maize leaf C - pathway Initially, CO
Great Lakes Native Flora they need to survive. Through photosynthesis, plants are able to convertwater, carbon dioxide and minerals into oxygen and energy. http://www.great-lakes.net/teach/envt/flora/flora_1.html
Extractions: Great Lakes native flora What is flora? Flora was once known as the Roman goddess of flowers, though today we use the term to refer to plant life, including trees. We'll be focusing on vascular plants, which have specialized supporting and water-conducting tissue called xylem and phloem , and typically possess roots, stems and leaves. Nonvascular plants, such as mosses, lack an internal conducting system for water and nutrients, so they depend on their immediate surroundings for moisture. To be considered a plant, an organism must possess certain characteristics: photosynthesis cellulose , stationary existence and lack a nervous system Photosynthesis is the process by which plants transform energy from the sun into the energy they need to survive. Through photosynthesis, plants are able to convert water, carbon dioxide and minerals into oxygen and energy. Without photosynthesis, there would be little food or other organic matter on Earth; the air would be full of carbon dioxide; and most organisms, including humans, would disappear. Cellulose is the basic structural component of plant cell walls, making them rigid and "boxed" shaped. Enabling the leaves and stems of a plant to stand up straight is an important function of cellulose. Plants also lack the means to move on their own as well as a nervous system. The nervous system is a group of organized cells that allow an organism to respond to sensory impulses.
Extractions: In many environments nitrogen is the most limiting resource for plant growth. This is partly because it is a key constituent of photosynthetic enzymes. Photosynthesis in turn provides the structural substrates for growth and reproduction. From an ecological perspective it is therefore interesting to address the question whether plants utilise nitrogen in such a way that they maximise their photosynthesis. From an agricultural perspective, this question of optimal N use is also interesting. N fertilizers can be relatively expensive while excessive application can have hazardous effects on the environment. In collaboration with Tadaki Hirose and Kouki Hikosaka (Tohoku University, Japan), I developed models with which I could predict optimal patterns of nitrogen allocation and the optimal leaf area production that enable plants to maximise their photosynthesis for given amount of nitrogen. These predictions corresponded well for actually measured N allocation patterns and leaf areas showing that the concept of optimal N use provided a strong framework to predict nitrogen utilisation in plants. In addition, this provides a useful protocol to scale from leaf photosynthesis to whole-plant photosynthesis, and from whole-plant photosynthesis to the structure of a stand of vegetation (i.e., the leaf area index of stand). In fact this protocol has proven to be so useful that it is now widely used in large-scale models that try to predict effects of environmental changes (temperature and CO2 increases) on photosynthetic carbon gain at a regional- and even global scale.
NOVA Online | Methuselah Tree | Illuminating Photosynthesis Illuminating photosynthesis By Rick Groleau photosynthesis in plants anda few bacteria is responsible for feeding nearly all life on Earth. http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/methuselah/photosynthesis.html
Extractions: Photosynthesis in plants and a few bacteria is responsible for feeding nearly all life on Earth. It does this by taking energy from the sun and converting it into a storable form, usually glucose, which plants use for their own life processes. Animals that consume plants also make use of this energy, as do those that consume those that consume plants, and so on to the top of the food chain.