Photosynthesis and Transpiration

17 important questions on Photosynthesis and Transpiration

How does carbon dioxide enter plants?

Through the stomata on leaves (tiny holes)

What type of food do plants make?

They make glucose and convert it into starch for storage as starch is insoluble and can be stored in the leaves.

How was PSS discovered?

By Van Helmont in 1640 to disprove that plants sucked up food from soil. He took a small willow tree and weighed it and planted it in some soil he had weighed. He watered it and looked after it for 5 years . At the end he weighed the tree (increased) and weighed the soil (the same)
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What factors affect the rate of PSS?

  1. The light intensity- brighter the light, faster the rate
  2. The concentration of carbon dioxide- higher the concentration, the faster the rate.
  3. The temperature- warm but not too hot best temp is around 30 degrees

What is inverse square law?

1= 1/r2 As you move further away with a torch the area the circle has to cover is more so the intensity is less.

A section through a leaf

Flash card

There are tiny are spaces in the spongy mesophyll
There are phloem tubes close to the palisade layer
There are stomata in the lower epidermis
The leaves are thin
There are xylem vessels close to the palisade layer
The upper epidermis is transparent
Palisade cells contain many chloroplasts

To allow carbon dioxide and oxygen to diffuse to and from the cells quickly and efficiently
To carry away the sugar made by PSS
To allow carbon dioxide and oxygen in and out of the leaf
To supply water to cells for PSS
To allow sunlight, carbon dioxide and water to reach all cells quickly.
To absorb as much sunlight as possible for PSS.

What happens if plants cannot replace the water they lose?

They wilt and die.

What factors affect the rate of transpiration?

  1. Temperature- higher, faster
  2. humidity- higher, slower
  3. Light- brighter, faster
  4. water- less, slower

How does the total surface area of all the leaves on a plant affect transpiration?

The higher the surface area, the faster the rate of transpiration

What are the adaptations of the root for absorbing water and minerals?

  1. branching structure, root hairs, micro villi- all increase the surface area for absorbing water.
  2. A good transport system (xylem vessels) these ensure that the water and minerals can be carried up the plant.

How does the water move up the stem against gravity?

when it evaporates out of the stomata on the leaves this process is called transpiration. More water is drawn in and the continuous flow of water in and out of the plant is called the transpiration stream.

Why are minerals important to plants?

They are needed in small amounts to keep the plants healthy.

Why do they need nitrates and magnesium?

N- proteins- no growth
Mg- chlorophyll- yellow leaves

What are Phloem tubes used for?

To transport food around the plant. Made of living cells. Found in vascular bundles made from cambium.

What are the Xylem vessels?

These transport water and minerals up the plant. They are made of dead hollow cells and have often been thickened with a waterproof substance called lignin that helps support the plant.

Soda lime/ Sodium hydroxide

2 chemicals that absorb CO2

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