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Photosynthesis and the Vital Role of Chloroplasts in Carbohydrate Synthesis
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- The process involves the absorption of light energy by chlorophyll.
- Light energy is converted to chemical energy, leading to the splitting of water molecules into hydrogen and oxygen.
- Carbon dioxide is subsequently reduced to form carbohydrates.
- Chloroplasts, which contain chlorophyll, play a crucial role in photosynthesis.
6CO2 + 12H2O ChlorophyllSunlight C6H12O6 + 6O2 + 6H2O
- If you carefully observe a cross-section of a leaf under the microscope, you will notice that some cells contain green dots.
- These green dots are cell organelles called chloroplasts which contain chlorophyll.
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The Role of Stomata in Carbon Dioxide Uptake and Gaseous Exchange in Photosynthesis
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- Stomata, small pores located on leaves, facilitate gaseous exchange during photosynthesis.
- The exchange of gases also occurs on stems, roots, and leaves.
- Control of stomatal pores is governed by guard cells, which swell to open and shrink to close.
- Pores close when the plant does not require carbon dioxide.
(a) Open and (b) closed stomatal pore
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Raw Materials for Autotrophs
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- The water necessary for photosynthesis is absorbed by roots from the soil.
- Essential elements such as nitrogen, phosphorus, iron, and magnesium are taken up from the soil.
- Nitrogen, a critical component for protein synthesis, is obtained in the form of inorganic nitrates or nitrites, or as organic compounds produced by bacteria.
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Nutritional Strategies: Adaptations, Variances, and Specializations in the Heterotrophic World
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- Organisms adapt their nutritional strategies based on the type and availability of food, as well as the method of obtaining it.
- The distinction between stationary (e.g., grass) and mobile (e.g., deer) food sources leads to variations in how organisms access and process their nutrition.
- The nutritive apparatus differs between species, exemplified by variations between a cow and a lion.
- Various strategies exist for taking in and utilizing food; some organisms break down food externally for absorption, like fungi such as bread molds and yeast, while others internally process whole material.
- The ability to take in and break down substances relies on an organism’s body design and functioning.
- Additionally, certain organisms adopt a parasitic nutritive strategy, obtaining nutrition from plants or animals without causing harm, seen in examples like cuscuta (amar-bel), ticks, lice, leeches, and tape-worms.
- This diversity highlights the adaptability of organisms to their environments in the realm of nutrition.
Nutrition in Amoeba
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