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)
The plant will die because the damage caused by the construction paper circles prohibited photosynthesis to occur at all.
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 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 leaves will fall off and the rest of the plant will continue to grow and perform photosynthesis
Based on the results described, 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.
The correct answer choice 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.
When the plant is put back in the sun without the construction paper circles attached, the leaves that were previously covered will be able to absorb sunlight energy once again. The chlorophyll contained in the chloroplasts will use this energy to carry out photosynthesis in those areas. As a result, the green color will gradually return to these leaves.
The most likely answer choice 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 choice, we need to understand the process of photosynthesis and how it relates to the experiment. Photosynthesis is the process by which plants convert sunlight, water, and carbon dioxide into glucose (sugar) and oxygen. This process occurs in the chloroplasts, which contain the pigment chlorophyll.
In the experiment, the construction paper circles blocked sunlight from reaching the leaves. Without sunlight, photosynthesis cannot occur, which explains the lighter green color observed on day 2 and the yellow and almost white circles on day 4 and day 7, respectively.
When the plant is put back in the sun without the construction paper circles, the areas that were covered will now be exposed to sunlight. This means that they will be able to absorb sunlight energy into the chlorophyll contained in the chloroplasts. As a result, photosynthesis can occur in those areas again. Over time, the green color will likely return to those areas as the plant produces more chlorophyll and regains its ability to carry out photosynthesis.
Therefore, the answer choice stating that the areas covered by the paper circles will be able to absorb sunlight energy and that photosynthesis will occur in those areas, and the green color will eventually return, is the most likely outcome based on our understanding of photosynthesis.