Photosynthesis

Photosynthesis - The Basics You Should Know Part II Here's photosynthesis in a nutshell Do note that you should know how a molecule of glucose looks like: 

 Photosynthesis - The Basics You Should Know Boys and girls download the following PowerPoint slides and look through them.

When you have looked through the slides, try to answer the questions in the PowerPoint slides below.

Chromatography Experiment Results Left chromatograph: Red Leaf Right chromatograph: Green Leaf.



The Photosynthesis song:

media type="custom" key="2960089" Did you spot any misconceptions in the song? Please identify them for me here:
 * 1) Cellulose is not a product of photosynthesis.

... If you want to know How a plant grows It takes water, air and sunlight And **makes cellulose.** ... Look at the **bold** parts: cellulose is not made by photosynthesis. Jeremy

2. Not every plant can photosynthesize. 3. Even if we are green, we can't photosynthesize.

In the chorus where they say (A)"__Every plant can do this__, fundamental process, and we can call this, __photosynthesis__." And they also say (B)"A plant of any size, can do it if it tries, __but we're not green, so we can't, photosynthesize.__" (A)A rafflesia can't photosynthesize. (B)We need chlorophyll to photosynthesize, so even if we painted ourselves with green paint, we still can't photosynthesize. Illio

... A plant of any size Can do it if it tries But **we're not green** So we **can't Photosynthesize**. ... Again, look at the **bold** parts: even if we paint ourselves green, we still can't photosynthesize.

I disagree with Illio's idea that not all plants photosynthesise: ... Fundamental process** And we can call this ... Jeremy
 * Every plant can do this
 * Photosynthesis.**

But I think in the part 'but we're not green, so we can't photosynthesize.', the author did not actually mean that if we paint ourselves green, we will be able to photosynthesize. Most people call plants 'green' so that's what he is talking about. Even if we injected chloroplasts into our body, I don't think we will be able to make food. :-(

Also, I agree with Illio that Rafflesias cannot photosynthesize. I also think plants deep in the ocean cannot photosynthesize either. A quote from [|here] (an article on Wikipedia about the Rafflesia), **'The plant has no stems, leaves or true roots'.**

Isaac

Are you sure? Are you sure?? Are you sure??? Besides, are you sure that if we inject chloroplasts, we will not be able to make food? ... Unlike me and you, And they **make Oxygen** That stops us turning blue. ... DO plants really need carbon dioxide? No! (well, in the early stages) ... It's a **miracle** How all the chlorophyll Captures sunlight in the leaves Of the plants and the trees... ... Is this a miracle in itself? No! From Jeremy
 * Why** can't rafflesias do it [photosynthesis]?
 * plants need CO2.**

4. Not only plants green in colour can conduct photosynthesis. 5. Not all plants' chlorophyll is in their leaves.

4. Plants that __look__ red can also do it. The cholorophyll is hidden inside. (as we found out in the chromatography experiment)

The misconception was found from: 'A plant of any size Can do it if it tries, but we're not **green**, so we can't photosynthesize.'

5. A cactus' chlorophyll is found on its stem. (because the leaves are needle-like)

Also, referring to Jeremy's latest post (just above mine), plants also need oxygen, in respiration. Isaac

Chlorophyll is made up of a //porphyrin// (the simplest of them is porphin) and a tail. Because the space-filling model of this molecule looks like a key, I often call it "the key". More about the structure and functions of chlorophyll are [|here]. Jeremy

Maybe we can call chlorophyll 'the key' for life! Isaac

I refer to one of Isaac's previous posts. He said that "I think plants deep in the ocean cannot photosynthesize". I'm not sure for plants "deep in the ocean", but I know aquatic plants do photosynthesize, or at least, I think I do. Refer to http://www.aquatic.uoguelph.ca/plants/introduction/plantframe.htm. Click on photosynthesis and see that aquatic plants account for 40% of the photosynthesis on the planet. Alex

But I'm talking about plants DEEP in the sea. Isaac

There are 5 different types of chlorophyll: A, B, D, C1 and C2. Look at my hyperlink for more information. (Isaac: So cute!) Jeremy

By the way: why do I call it "the key"? See for yourself: Jeremy

What's the difference between the different types of chlorophyll? And are you sure chlorophyll is shaped like a key? Fascinating... Isaac

Hey everyone! I found an interesting article relating to photosynthesis in today's (1/2/2009) newspaper. Page number is 14 of the main section. Go see! Isaac

I looked in the Straits Times--and, it is not there. Maybe Isaac was comitting a Type 1 error. Jeremy

It's in the **main section** of **today's** **Sunday Times**. **World Page 14**. Title is **'Super Rice'**. Isaac

Yes I've seen the article. Very good suggestion Isaac! However, you'll be confused over C3 and C4 plants, which will only be covered during junior college biology. Mr Lin

WHAT??? Jeremy

Never mind, I think you already know the facts in the article... Isaac

I did not read. Jeremy

Anyway, steering back to the topic, let me ask Mr Lin a question: How did Earth obtain oxygen. I know that some scientist (like Mr Lin, but no offence) would say that the microplankton and algae a few BILLION years ago created oxygen, but I thought plants also RESPIRE, right? RESPIRATION requires OXYGEN, but back then there was no oxygen, so how did the algae and all these tiny plants EVEN SURVIVE TO PHOTOSYNTHESIZE? And also, how did photosynthesis come about? Maybe a 'special' species of bacteria evolved to obtain chloroplasts and so on.. But that spurs another question: How did all the bacteria on Earth and how did ALL LIFE on Earth (for that matter) form on Earth? If it came from a meteorite from outer space, then WHERE DID THAT BACTERIA COME FROM? If you still say it came from the Big Bang and whatever, then, (OK this is going to challenge Science geniuses like Georges Lemaître and Albert Einstein) WHERE DID THE BIG BANG COME FROM? Where did the energy come from? If the universe was nothing (mind you, there was even NO universe), then where did it come from?

Ha ha, I guess nobody in the WHOLE WORLD can answer this question, so... can you? (or, can Jeremy?)

Isaac

I can answer that, when the earth formed, there were volcanoes, the volcanoes created the atmosphere and released carbon dioxide, as u can see, carbon dioxide is: CO2 whereas oxygen is: O2, then it rained as the carbon dioxide became clouds, so there was water... maybe algae then developed and it produced oxygen, which gave animals life. WY

Oxygen already existed when the universe was formed. (During the Big Bang, oxygen was created.) That should answer the first question. As for the other questions, are they relevant?

Kheng Hun

So I see you believe the Big Bang theory...Q1)Anyways, if there was a BIG BANG, it was an explosion, BTW, so if there was an explosion, there had to be oxygen. Q5) The Big Bang was probably from the previous universe which there was an extremely strong black hole(probably at the middle of the universe)that totally sucked everything into an extremely small speck of(dunno wat), then came the explosion.

Huang Zhong

Yes they are relavant (they are Science and they are linked to bacteria which are linked to plants which are linked to THIS topic). I know oxygen (matter) was created when the Big Bang happened, but the Earth has an atmosphere which is like an invisible wall, so the oxygen cannot come in. (Wait, is there EVEN oxygen in space???) I think we should learn about the Solar System in P5, because it is very FUN! Only thing is that there are NO experiments to carry out, just facts.

Isaac

Well, the plants must have taken in some kind of strange gas that must have been totally used up and then plants started using carbon dioxide! Maybe the world was created from some black hole from the future and put this universe the way it is. Maybe some highly advanced alien race created the world from the future? How do we know? Geng Leong

Maybe, but that is highly unlikely. Isaac :-)

Che Aminah! What is the TOPIC here? Jeremy

Why are you talking about the Maria Hertogh issue in a Science wiki?? Isaac

Che Aminah again! What EXACTLY is the topic here? Jeremy

I wonder if Che Aminah is a word in another language Rayner

Do you know the Maria Hergoth Riots? Maria's parents asked a Malay to bring Maria up and her name was "Che Aminah".

Oh, sorry. Jeremy

The Sun: our main source of energy Based on the lesson today, we have many questions about the Sun and energy. Here's some info that will help you.

If the sun is so hot, why doesn't it just burn up?** A star can exist because the heat it generates inside, due to nuclear reactions, pushes outward, but this is balanced by its gravity, which pulls inward. For a star like our sun, these forces are in balance. We think that a really big star, once it uses up all its nuclear fuel, will collapse and nothing can stop it. Gravity will take over, and all the matter in the star will collapse to a point. Near that point, the gravity is so strong that even light can't escape. That is why it is a BLACK hole — no light. Although this may sound pretty crazy, we think we have found black holes at the centers of some galaxies! The sun doesn't burn up because its source of power is nuclear energy. In the center of the star, there are tremendous temperatures (12 million degrees!) and pressures that help produce nuclear fusion. Hydrogen is being converted into helium, and energy is given off. The sun has a LOT of hydrogen. We know that the sun is about 4.5 billion years old, and we compute that it has about another five billion years to go before it runs out of hydrogen. So it will run out of fuel some day — fortunately for us it won't be for a LOOOONG time. There are more questions and answers about the Sun [|HERE]
 * Taken from: Scholastic.com

More readings about the Sun can be found here: http://www.uwgb.edu/dutchs/planets/sun.htm http://www.uwgb.edu/dutchs/planets/sun.htm