Mrs. Wright (who is always right, just ask her), is caring for her son's prize tomato plants while he attends a Tomatologist Conference.
She brings them into the house due to a pending ice storm and places them in a dark room. She provides plenty of water and soil nutrients, but does not turn on the lights to conserve energy.
Which of the following is most likely to occur first?
a
Calvin cycle will continue fas long as the products from the light dependent cycle and CO2 are available.
b
Fermentation will begin in the chloroplasts of the leaf cells.
a
Calvin cycle will continue as long as the products from the light-dependent cycle and CO2 are available.
In the absence of light, photosynthesis cannot occur as it relies on sunlight as an energy source. However, the Calvin cycle, which is the second stage of photosynthesis, can still continue in the dark as long as it has the necessary products from the light-dependent cycle (ATP and NADPH) and CO2. This allows the plant to still produce glucose and other organic molecules necessary for its survival. On the other hand, fermentation does not occur in chloroplasts but rather in cytoplasm or specialized organelles called mitochondria.
The correct answer is a. Calvin cycle will continue as long as the products from the light-dependent cycle and CO2 are available.
Explanation: The Calvin cycle is a series of chemical reactions that take place in the chloroplasts of plants to convert carbon dioxide (CO2) into glucose, which is used for energy production and growth. The Calvin cycle can continue as long as there is an adequate supply of CO2 and the products from the light-dependent cycle (such as ATP and NADPH) are available. In the given scenario, although the tomato plants are placed in a dark room, they have been provided with water and soil nutrients, which means that they have access to CO2 and potentially stored energy. Therefore, the Calvin cycle can still occur even in the absence of light.
On the other hand, fermentation is a metabolic process that occurs in the absence of oxygen. It typically takes place in the cytoplasm of cells, not in the chloroplasts. In aerobic conditions, like those in the scenario described, plants do not typically undergo fermentation. Therefore, b is not the most likely occurrence in this situation.
To determine which of the given options is most likely to occur first, let's analyze the situation. Mrs. Wright has brought her son's prize tomato plants into a dark room to conserve energy during an ice storm. She has provided them with water and soil nutrients, but she has not turned on the lights.
Option a states that the Calvin cycle will continue as long as the products from the light-dependent cycle and carbon dioxide (CO2) are available. However, the Calvin cycle is a part of the light-independent reactions of photosynthesis, and it requires energy from light in order to occur. In this dark room scenario, without light, the Calvin cycle would not be able to proceed efficiently.
Option b suggests that fermentation will begin in the chloroplasts of the leaf cells. However, fermentation is an anaerobic process that occurs in the absence of oxygen. Tomato plants, like most plants, are not adapted for carrying out fermentation as their primary means of energy production. Instead, they primarily rely on aerobic respiration, which requires oxygen and occurs in the mitochondria.
Given the situation in the dark room with no lights turned on, it is unlikely that either the Calvin cycle or fermentation will occur as described in options a and b.
Therefore, neither option is most likely to occur first in this specific scenario.