Question

1) An organism is put in a sealed container. The oxygen levels in the container increase and the carbon dioxide levels decrease. What can you conclude about what type of organism it is?

2) Use these eight terms to fill in the blanks:

carbon dioxide, carbon dioxide fixation, G3P, glucose, PGA, Rubisco, RUBP, the Calvin Cycle.

When plants make sugar, they use a group of enzymes found in the stroma to carry out a series of chemical reactions called ____________________________________. First ___________________ combines with _____________________________ due to the enzyme __________________________________. This process of turning an inorganic molecule into an organic one is called ____________________________ and results in an unstable 6-carbon molecule that quickly breaks in half to form __________________________. ATP and NADPH are used to convert these molecules into _____________________________ that can be used to make _________________________________ and remake the original molecule needed to keep the sugar-making going.

Answer 1

1) An organism is put in a sealed container. The oxygen levels in the container increase and the carbon dioxide levels decrease. I can conclude that the organism is a plant because a plant uses carbon dioxide through photosynthesis and releases oxygen as a product. The oxygen levels in the container increase and the carbon dioxide levels decrease as the plant in the container uses carbon dioxide during photosynthesis and releases oxygen as a product.

2) When plants make sugar, they use a group of enzymes found in the stroma to carry out a series of chemical reactions called the Calvin Cycle. First RUBP combines with carbon dioxide due to the enzyme Rubisco. This process of turning an inorganic molecule into an organic one is called carbon dioxide fixation and results in an unstable 6-carbon molecule that quickly breaks in half to form PGA. ATP and NADPH are used to convert these molecules into G3P that can be used to make glucose and remake the original molecule needed to keep the sugar-making going.

Explanation:

Carbon dioxide fixation is the first step of the Calvin cycle. During carbon dioxide fixation, RUBP or Ribulose-1,5-bisphosphate combines with carbon dioxide. Rubisco or RuBP carboxylase-oxygenase is the enzyme that catalyzes the turning of carbon dioxide (an inorganic molecule) into an organic one. As a result, an unstable 6-carbon molecule is produced. This unstable 6-carbon molecule quickly breaks in half to form PGA (3-phosphoglycerate). ATP and NADPH are used to reduce PGA molecules to G3P (glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate). G3P can be used to make glucose and remake the original molecule needed to keep the sugar-making going.