A student conducted a scientific experiment with a plant. She cut out three 1-inch circles from construction paper and attached each circle to a different leaf of the plant. Finally, she set the plant in front of a sunny window with good air flow and left it there. She made sure that the plant was given enough water during her experiment. After 2 days, she removed one of the circles; after 4 days, she removed another circle; and at the end of the week, she removed the last circle.
Here are her results:
Day 2: slight mark where the paper covered the leaf; it is a lighter green than the rest of the leaf.
Day 4: yellow circle where the construction paper was.
Day 7: almost white circle where the paper covered the leaf.
Using your knowledge of photosynthesis, which answer choice explains what most likely will happen to those leaves once the plant is put back in the sun without the construction paper circles attached?
(1 point)
Responses
Those leaves will fall off and the rest of the plant will continue to grow and perform photosynthesis.
Those leaves will fall off and the rest of the plant will continue to grow and perform photosynthesis.
Those areas that were covered by the paper circles will now be able to absorb the sunlight energy into the chlorophyll contained in the chloroplasts, photosynthesis will occur in those areas, and the green color will eventually return.
Those areas that were covered by the paper circles will now be able to absorb the sunlight energy into the chlorophyll contained in the chloroplasts, photosynthesis will occur in those areas, and the green color will eventually return.
The plant will die because the damage caused by the construction paper circles prohibited photosynthesis to occur at all.
The plant will die because the damage caused by the construction paper circles prohibited photosynthesis to occur at all.
The rest of the plant will develop yellow or white circles just like the leaves that had the construction paper circles on them and photosynthesis will not occur in those areas even though the sunligh energy is being absorbed by the chlorophyll contained in the chloroplasts.
Those areas that were covered by the paper circles will now be able to absorb the sunlight energy into the chlorophyll contained in the chloroplasts, photosynthesis will occur in those areas, and the green color will eventually return.
The correct answer is:
Those areas that were covered by the paper circles will now be able to absorb the sunlight energy into the chlorophyll contained in the chloroplasts, photosynthesis will occur in those areas, and the green color will eventually return.
Based on the information provided, it is most likely that the answer is: Those areas that were covered by the paper circles will now be able to absorb the sunlight energy into the chlorophyll contained in the chloroplasts, photosynthesis will occur in those areas, and the green color will eventually return.
To arrive at this answer, we need to consider the process of photosynthesis. Photosynthesis is the process by which plants convert sunlight into energy, using chlorophyll in their chloroplasts. When the student covered the leaves with the construction paper circles, those areas were not exposed to sunlight, resulting in a lighter green color on day 2, a yellow circle on day 4, and an almost white circle on day 7.
Once the plant is put back in the sun without the construction paper circles attached, the uncovered areas of the leaves will be able to absorb sunlight energy again. The chlorophyll in these areas will allow photosynthesis to occur, producing energy for the plant. Over time, the green color will likely return to these areas as chlorophyll production resumes.
Therefore, the most plausible outcome is that the areas previously covered by the paper circles will recover and photosynthesis will continue in those areas, while the rest of the plant will also continue to grow and perform photosynthesis as normal.