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Biology
Photosynthesis in Higher Plants
91 questions from 36 papers, each with its answer.
- 91 questions
- 36 papers
- 2.58% of Biology
C4 Pathway
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In leaves of $C_4$ plants malic acid synthesis during $CO_2$ fixation occurs in:$C_4$ plants show Kranz anatomy, with two types of photosynthetic cells: mesophyll cells and bundle sheath cells.
The primary $CO_2$ acceptor is the 3-carbon compound phosphoenol pyruvate (PEP), present in the mesophyll cells.
The enzyme PEP carboxylase (PEPcase) of the mesophyll cells fixes $CO_2$ to form the 4-carbon oxaloacetic acid (OAA).
OAA is then converted into other 4-carbon acids, malic acid or aspartic acid, in the mesophyll cells themselves.
Malic acid is then transported to the bundle sheath cells, where it is decarboxylated to release $CO_2$ for the Calvin cycle.
So malic acid synthesis occurs in the mesophyll cells; the bundle sheath is the site of its breakdown, not its synthesis.
C4 pathway and photorespiration
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The $C_4$ plants are photosynthetically more efficient than $C_3$ plants because:In $C_3$ plants the enzyme RuBisCO also binds $O_2$ and carries out photorespiration, in which fixed carbon is lost as $CO_2$ without the production of ATP or sugar. This lowers the efficiency of photosynthesis.
$C_4$ plants have Kranz anatomy. In the mesophyll cells $CO_2$ is first fixed by PEP carboxylase, an enzyme that has a very high affinity for $CO_2$ and does not react with $O_2$.
The $C_4$ acid formed is transported to the bundle sheath cells and decarboxylated there, so the $CO_2$ concentration at the site of RuBisCO becomes very high.
This makes RuBisCO work as a carboxylase and minimises its oxygenase activity, so photorespiration practically does not occur.
Any $CO_2$ that is released in the bundle sheath cells is trapped and refixed by PEP carboxylase in the surrounding mesophyll cells, so no $CO_2$ escapes from the leaf.
For the same reason the $CO_2$ compensation point of $C_4$ plants is very low (not more), and the $CO_2$ efflux is prevented (not allowed).
So $C_4$ plants are more efficient because the $CO_2$ generated during photorespiration is trapped and recycled through PEP carboxylase.
Light Reaction and Electron Transport
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Electrons from excited chlorophyll molecule of photosystem II are accepted first by:In photosystem II the reaction centre chlorophyll a (P680) absorbs red light of 680 nm; its electrons become excited and jump into an orbit farther from the nucleus.
These electrons are picked up by an electron acceptor, which passes them on to an electron transport system consisting of cytochromes.
The first stable acceptors are quinones: the electron passes through pheophytin to the bound plastoquinone QA, then to QB and the mobile plastoquinone (PQ) pool.
From plastoquinone the electrons move downhill to the cytochrome b6-f complex, then to plastocyanin and finally to photosystem I (the Z scheme).
Ferredoxin accepts electrons from photosystem I, not from photosystem II.
Cytochrome-b and cytochrome-f receive the electrons only after the quinone.
So among the given options the electrons from the excited chlorophyll of photosystem II are accepted first by quinone.
That is every question in Photosynthesis in Higher Plants for this filter.
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