UNIT VI.

PHOTOSYNTHESIS

Text 7.1. Photosynthesis: An Overview

■ Essential targets:
By the end of this text you should be able
to:
 describe the overall process of
photosynthesis and its importance to life on
Earth;
 describe the structure and function of a
chloroplast.

Pre-reading

■ Discuss these questions with your partner. Then quickly

scan the text to see if you were right.
1. What is photosynthesis?
2. Why is photosynthesis considered as the basis of life?
■ Read the given text and make your essential assignments:

135
 Most plants have no structures for ingesting and digesting food.
They have no mouth and no alimentary canal, yet plant material is
rich in carbohydrates, proteins and fats. Instead of obtaining their
food from other organisms, plants make it for themselves using
simple ingredients. They are autotrophs (self-feeders).
What is photosynthesis?
A typical plant takes in carbon dioxide (from the air) and water
(from the soil) and builds these up into sugars and other complex
substances. Oxygen is released as a waste product. The energy in the
chemical bonds of the raw materials carbon dioxide and water is less
than the energy in the chemical bonds of the products. Therefore the
reaction is endergonic and requires an external source of free energy.
This energy is supplied by sunlight that falls on the plant. A green
substance, chlorophyll, enables the plant to trap light energy and use
it to make sugars. The process of using sunlight to build up complex
substances from simpler ones is called photosynthesis.
Photosynthesis is a complex process which takes place in a series
of small steps. There are two main stages in photosynthesis: a light-
dependent stage in which water is broken down into hydrogen and
oxygen using light energy; and light-independent stage in which the
hydrogen reacts with carbon dioxide to form a carbohydrate. Water
is re-formed in this reaction. The light-dependent stage happens only
in the light; the light-independent stage happens both when it is light
and when it is dark.
Covering glucose to other substances
The glucose formed by photosynthesis is used as the raw
material for other chemical reactions. It is the main substrate used in
respiration. Some of the glucose is covered to other carbohydrates:
cellulose to form cell walls; sucrose to be transported to other parts
of the plant; and starch for storage. Some of the glucose is combined
with minerals from the soil to make proteins and other complex
organic substances. Although light is needed for making glucose, it
is not needed for turning the glucose into these other substances.
Photosynthesis: the basis of life
Green life has been steadily pumping out oxygen as a waste
product of photosynthesis for millions of years. Some of the oxygen
is used as a raw material for respiration, but most of it has

136
accumulated in the atmosphere. So the very existence of our oxygen-
rich atmosphere depends on the photosynthesising activities of
green life.
Animals cannot make their own food. The only way they can
obtain complex organic substances is by eating other organisms.
These organisms ultimately depend on the ability of plants to harvest
energy from sunlight to make food from carbon dioxide and water.
Life on Earth is almost entirely solar powered.
The site of photosynthesis
Although, leaves are the main sites of
photosynthesis in most plants, it can take place in
any part that is green. These green parts have
chloroplasts, which contain all the biochemical
machinery necessary for the light-dependent and
light-independent stages of photosynthesis.
Chloroplasts act as compartments, isolating
the photosynthetic reactions from other cellular
activities. Each chloroplast consists of two membranes enclosing a
gelatinous matrix called the stroma. The stroma contains ribosomes,
circular DNA, and enzymes used in photosynthesis. Suspended in
the stroma are thylakoids. These are disk-like membrane sacs,
several of which are stacked in a group to form a granum (plural
grana). The space inside each thylakoid in a stack is connected with
the other thylakoids in the stack, forming a continuous fluid-filled
compartment called the thylakoid space. The thylakoid membranes
contain photosynthetic pigments, including chlorophyll.

■ Glossary of essential terms for you to know

№ English term Indonesian equivalent
1 ingestion
2 digestion
3 alimentary canal
4 raw
5 to enable
6 to take place
7 to convert

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 8 substrate
9 starch
10 storage
11 complex
12 a waste product
13 entirely
14 site
15 to enclose

■ Your Essential Assignments

I. Quick check:
1. During photosynthesis, what gas is:
a. raw material
b. product?
2. Give the precise location in a typical terrestrial plant of:
a. the light-dependent stage
b. the light-independent stage of photosynthesis.

II. Fill in the missing words:

Term (verb) Noun Adjective
react ....... .......
accumulate ....... .......
produce ....... .......
require ....... .......
connect ....... .......

III. Use monolingual English dictionary and write down what

could the words given below mean:
plant, leave, ingredient, substance, raw, energy.
IV. Match these words with their definitions:
1 Photosynthesi A. a type of solid or liquid that has particular
s characteristics
2 Chlorophyll B. natural light that comes from the sun

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 3 Substance C. one of several good substances such as sugar
which consist of oxygen, hydrogen, and
carbon and which provide your body with
heat and energy
4 Soil D. the green substance in leaves
5 Respiration E. one of the many substances that exist in food
such as meat, eggs, and beans, which help
your body to grow and keep it strong and
healthy
6 Waste F. a chemical substance produced by living
cells in plants and animals, that causes
changes in other chemical substances
without being changed itself
7. Sunlight G. the production by a green plant of special
substances like sugar that it uses as food,
caused by the action of sunlight on
chlorophyll
8. Glucose H. the smallest part of a living thing that can
exist independently
9. Protein I. the process of breathing
10 Fat J. things that people and animal eat
11 Carbohydrate K. a very thin piece of skin that covers or
connects parts of the body
12. food L. a natural form of sugar that exists in fruit
13. enzyme M the top layer of the earth in which plants
. grow
14. cell N. Unwanted materials or substances that are
left after you have used something
15. membrane O. an oily substance contained in certain foods

V. Give Indonesian equivalents to the following English terms:

№ English term Indonesian
equivalent
1 to be rich in carbohydrates, proteins and fats
2 simple ingredients
3 a waste product

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 4 raw materials
5 external source of free energy
6 to be supplied by sunlight
7 light-dependent stage
8 light-independent stage
9 to form cell walls
10 complex organic substances
11 the main site of photosynthesis
12 a fluid-filled compartment

VI. Find synonyms among the pool of words:

Pool of words Synonyms
1)1.plant /2.substance /3. material /4.herb
2)1.digestion /2.energy /3.assimilation /4.
power
3)1.obtain /2.act /3.connect /4.join /5.react
/6.get
4)1.gather/2.enclose /3.surround
/4.accumulate

VII. Answer the following questions. Use all information given

before:
1. What is plant material rich in?
2. Do plants make their food for themselves?
3. What is chlorophyll?
4. What is the role of chlorophyll?
5. What process is called photosynthesis?
6. What are two main stages in photosynthesis?
7. What is the difference between light-dependent and light-
independent stage?
8. What is the main site of photosynthesis in most plants?
VIII. Match the sentence halves. Make complete sentences:
1. Most plants have no A. plants make it for themselves
structures using simple ingredients.

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 2. Instead of obtaining their B. to trap light energy and use it
food from other organisms, to make sugars.
3. A typical plant takes in C. which contain all the
carbon dioxide (from the air) biochemical machinery
and water (from the soil) necessary for the light-
dependent and light-
independent stages of
photosynthesis.
4. A green substance, D as the raw material for other
chlorophyll, enables the . chemical reactions.
plant
5. The process of using sunlight E. and builds these up into sugars
to build up complex and other complex substances.
substances from simpler ones
is
6. There are two main stages in F. for ingesting and digesting
photosynthesis: a light- food.
dependent stage in which
water is broken down into
hydrogen and oxygen using
light energy;
7. The glucose formed by G And light-independent stage in
photosynthesis is used . which the hydrogen reacts
with carbon dioxide to form a
carbohydrate.
8. These green parts have H called photosynthesis.
chloroplasts, .

IX. Read and translate the short text without any dictionary:
Fact of life:

141
 It has been estimated that if all the land surface of the Earth
could support plants, enough food could be produced to feed 1000
billion people. Of course, this is unrealistic because not all land is
suitable for growing plants, and some land is needed for urban and
recreational uses. However, even if only 7 per cent of the land surface
were made agriculturally productive, plants could produce enough
food to support 79 billion people. According to United Nations
estimates, in 1994 the world population was 5.6 billion and is likely
to be about 8.2 billion by 2025.
X. Food for thought:
Less than one per cent of the solar energy that falls on the Earth
is used by plants for photosynthesis. Suggest what happens to the
other 99 per cent of solar energy.

Text 7.2 Factors Affecting The Rate Of Photosynthesis

■ Essential targets:

By the end of this text you should be able to:

● describe the main factors affecting the rate of photosynthesis;
● explain the meaning of the compensation point;
● define the law of limited factors.
Pre-reading
■ Talk about the following two questions with your partner.

1. Is photosynthesis affected by many factors?

2. How does photosynthesis depend on light intensity,
temperature, wind velocity, carbon dioxide level?
Then scan the text to compare your ideas with the author`s.
■ Read the given text and make your essential assignments:
The rate of photosynthesis can be measured as the volume of
carbon dioxide taken in by a part per init time, or as the amount of
carbohydrate produced per unit time. In laboratory investigations,
the rate is commonly estimated as the volume of oxygen released per
unit time, which is more easily measured. However, this method

142
does not give an accurate measure of photosynthesis. Some of the
oxygen generated by photosynthesis is used by the plant for
respiration. Respiration goes on all the time, even when
photosynthesis is at its height. So using oxygen liberation as a
measure of photosynthesis gives an underestimate of the true rate.
We are actually measuring the rate of photosynthesis above a point
called the compensation point, defined as: the point at which the rate of
photosynthesis in a plant is in exact balance with the rate of respiration, so
there is no net exchange of carbon dioxide or oxygen. The compensation
point is usually related to a particular light intensity or carbon
dioxide level.
Factors that affect the rate of photosynthesis
Photosynthesis is affected by many factors, both external (in the
environmental) and internal (inside the plant). External factors
include light intensity, the wavelength of light, carbon dioxide levels,
temperature, wind velocity, and water and mineral supplies. Internal
factors include type and concentration of photosynthetic pigments,
enzyme and water content, and leaf structure, and position.
The effect of many of these factors is difficult to determine
quantitatively because they interact, they also affect other processes
in the plant. For example, the importance of water to photosynthesis
cannot be demonstrated easily. Simply depriving a plant of water
kills it, but the cause of death may not be connected with
photosynthesis. The importance of water can be demonstrated using
water labeled with a heavy isotope of oxygen, 18O, and tracing the
isotope using an instrument called a mass spectrometer which can
measure the masses of atoms. One batch of Chlorella (green algae) is
placed in water in which the oxygen atoms have been replaced by
the heavy isotope. Then a second batch of Chlorella in unlabelled
water is given a supply of carbon dioxide labeled with 18O. Only the
first batch of Chlorella gives off oxygen labeled with 18O, confirming
that the oxygen formed in photosynthesis comes only from water,
not from carbon dioxide.
Light intensity, carbon dioxide concentration, and temperature
are three external factors that are relatively easy to manipulate.
Consequently they have been the focus of many investigations on
photosynthesis.

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 Light intensity
The rate of photosynthesis is directly
proportional to light intensity. A typical plant
responds to changes in light intensity. Very high
light intensities may actually damage some
plants, reducing their ability to photosynthesise.
The light compensation point (the light intensity at which the
rate of photosynthesis is exactly balanced by the rate of respiration)
varies for different plants. Two major groups have been identified:
sun plants and shade plants. Sun plants include most temperate
trees, such as oak. They photosynthesise best at high light intensities.
Shade plants include those of the shrub layer, such as ferns. Their
light compensation point is relatively low, but they cannot
photosynthesise very efficiently at high light intensities.
Consequently sun plants outcompete shade plants at high light
intensities.
Carbon dioxide levels
The average carbon dioxide content of the atmosphere is about
0.04 per cent. As long as there is no other factor limiting
photosynthesis, an increase in carbon dioxide concentration up to 0.5
per cent usually results in an increase in the rate of photosynthesis.
However, concentrations above 0.1 per cent can damage leaves.
Therefore the optimum concentration of carbon dioxide is probably
just under 0.1 per cent. In dense, warm, and well-lit vegetation, low
levels of carbon dioxide often limit the rate of photosynthesis.
Growers of greenhouse tomatoes recognise this and provide a carbon
dioxide enriched atmosphere for their plants.
Temperature
Changes in temperature have little effect on the reactions of the
light-dependent stage because these are driven by light, not heat.
However, the reactions of the Calvin cycle are catalysed by enzymes
which, like all enzymes, are sensitive to temperature. The effect of
temperature on these reactions is similar to its effects on other
enzymes. The optimum temperature varies foe each species, but
many temperate plants have an optimum temperature between 25°
C and 30° C.
Law of limiting factors

144
 So far we have looked at the effects of isolated factors. However,
under natural conditions plants are subjected to many factors
simultaneously. The law of limiting factors state that: when a
physiological process depends on more than one essential factor being
favourable, its rate at any given moment is limited by the factor at its least
favourable value and by that factor alone. When other factors are kept
constant, an improvement in the value of the limiting factor leads to
an increase in the rate of the process. Conversely, when the rate of
the process does not increase in response to an improvement in an
important factor, some other factor is limiting to process. For a
process to go at its maximum rate, all factors must be at their
optimum level.

■ Glossary of essential terms for you to know

№ English term Indonesian equivalent
1 rate
2 to measure
3 volume
4 amount
5 to release
6 pondweed
7 accurate
8 respiration
9 point
10 exact
11 to be related to
13 external
14 internal
15 wavelength
16 velocity
17 supply
18 leaf (pl. leaves)
19 to determine
20 to interact
22 to damage
23 to reduce

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 24 oak
25 shrub
26 fern
27 content
29 sensitive
30 to vary
31 to subject
32 constant

■ Your Essential Assignments

I. Quick check:
1. Why is difficult to demonstrate the importance of water to
photosynthesis?
2. How does the light compensation point of a shade plant differ
from that of a sun plant?
II. Fill in the missing words:
Term Noun Adjectiv
e
measure ....... .......
subject ....... .......
interact ....... .......
recognise ....... .......
concentrate ....... .......

III. Use monolingual English dictionary and write down what

could the words given below mean:
concentration, factor, intensity, light, wavelength, vegetation.

IV. Match these words with their definitions:

1 photosynthesi A. connected with the outside of a surface
s
2 investigation B. the amount of space that a substance or
object contains or fills
3 light C. the production by a green plant of special
substances like sugar that it uses as food,

146
 caused by the action of sunlight on
chlorophyll
4 factor D. the process of making chemical reaction
quicker by adding a catalyst
5 external E. a small bush with several woody stems
6 internal F. one of the possible different forms of an
atom of a particular element
7. supply G. an official attempt to find out the reasons
for something such as a crime, accident or
scientific problem
8. catalysis H. the energy from the sun, a lamp, a flame etc.
that allows you to see things
9. limiting I. inside something
10 shrub J. a chemical substance produced by living
cells in plants and animals, that causes
changes in other chemical substances
without being changed itself
11 to measure K. preventing any improvement or increase in
something
12. volume L. one of several things that influence or cause
a situation
13. enzyme M. an amount of something that is available to
be used
14. velocity N. to find the size, length, or amount of
something using standard units
15. isotope O. the speed at which something moves in a
particular direction

V. Give Indonesian equivalents to the following English terms:

№ English term Indonesian
equivalent
1 the rate of photosynthesis
2 produced per unit time
3 compensation point
4 light intensity

147
 5 concentration of photosynthetic
pigments
6 a heavy isotope of oxygen
7 sun plants and shade plants
8 to be sensitive to temperature
9 to be driven by light
10 to be similar to
11 have little effect on the reactions
12 under natural conditions

VI. Find synonyms among the pool of words:

Pool of words Synonyms
1)1.external/2.limit/3.outer/4.internal/5.inner/6.end
-point
2)1.rate/2.measure/3.degree/4.level/5.proportion/6.
position
3)1.factor /2.strength /3.component /4.intensity
4)1.improvement /2.isolated /3.separated
/4.development

VII. Answer the following questions. Use all information given

before:
1. How can the rate of photosynthesis be measured?
2. What is the compensation point?
3. What is the compensation point related to?
4. Is photosynthesis affected by external and internal factors?
5. What do external factors include?
6. What do internal factors include?
7. What is the effect of light intensity, carbon dioxide level,
temperature on the rate of photosynthesis?
8. What does the law of limiting factors state?

VIII. Match the sentence halves. Make complete sentences:

1. The rate of A. lght intensity, the wavelength of
photosynthesis can be light, carbon dioxide levels,
measured as temperature, wind velocity, and
water and mineral supplies.

148
 2. The compensation point B. to light intensity.
is usually related to
3. Photosynthesis is C. tpe and concentration of
affected by many factors, photosynthetic pigments, enzyme
and water content, and leaf
structure, and position.
4. External factors include D its rate at any given moment is
. limited by the factor at its least
favourable value and by that
factor alone.
5. Internal factors include E. both external (in the
environmental) and internal
(inside the plant).
6. The rate of F. because these are driven by light,
photosynthesis is directly not heat.
proportional
7. Changes in temperature G the volume of carbon dioxide
have little effect on the . taken in by a part per init time, or
reactions of the light- as the amount of carbohydrate
dependent stage produced per unit time.
8. When a physiological H a particular light intensity or
process depends on more . carbon dioxide level.
than one essential factor
being favourable,

IX. Read and translate the short text without any dictionary:
Fact of life: The atmosphere contains less than 0.04 per cent carbon
dioxide, yet each year plants make more than 200 billon tones of
carbon compounds from this meagre supply of carbon dioxide.
X. Food for thought:
Seaweeds grow on rocky shores, in zones with different species
growing at different heights above the low-tide mark. Suggest how
the light compensation point of seaweeds at the low-tide mark
differs from that of seaweeds close to the high-water mark.

149
 Text 7.3. Photosynthesis In Different Climates

■ Essential targets:
By the end of this text you should be able
to:
 distinguish between C3 and C4 plants;
 explain the advantages and
disadvantages of crassulacean acid
metabolism (CAM);
 give examples of C3, C4, and CAM plants.

Pre-reading
■ With a partner, consider the following questions and try to
answer them. Then quickly scan the text to check your answers.

1. What is necessary for plants to survive in different climates?

2. Do you know the ways of fixing carbon dioxide?

■ Read the given text and make your essential assignments:

Green plants thrive in environments ranging from hot and dry
equatorial regions to freezing-cold polar regions. Their success
depends on their adaptability. To survive and breed, each plant has
had to evolve specific adaptations to cope with the demands of its
particular environment. These adaptations include ways of fixing
carbon dioxide.
C3 plants: fixing directly into the Calvin cycle
C3 plants fix carbon dioxide directly into the Calvin cycle as the
three-carbon compound glycerate 3-phosphate (GP). Common and
widely distributed, they include some of our most important crop
plants such as wheat, soya beans, and rice. C3 plants function
efficiently in temperature conditions. However, they suffer two
major disadvantages in hot, dry environments.

150
 First, to obtain sufficient carbon dioxide, C 3 plants must open
their stomata (small pores in their leaves). Unfortunately, when
stomata are open, they not only allow carbon dioxide to enter the
plant, but also allow water to escape. So in hot dry conditions C 3
plants have to either cease photosynthesising or run the risk of
wilting and dying.
The second disadvantage relates to the ability of ribulose
biphosphate carboxylase (ribosco) to combine with oxygen. Ribosco
is the enzyme that catalyses carbon dioxide fixation. On a hot, sunny
day carbon dioxide concentrations around photosynthesising cells
decrease, because a large proportion of the carbon dioxide is being
used up on photosynthesis. In these conditions, ribosco combines
with oxygen rather than carbon dioxide in a process called
photorespiration. The process results in the loss of fixed carbon
dioxide from the plant, reducing photosynthetic efficiently and plant
growth. Unlike photosynthesis, photorespiration does not produce
sugar molecules; and unlike respiration, it yields no ATP. As much
as half of the carbon dioxide fixed in the Calvin cycle may be released
by photorespiration. Therefore, in hot, arid conditions, or in
conditions where carbon dioxide levels are low, C3 plants do not
grow well.
C4 plants: the Hatch-Slack pathway
C4 plants have evolved a special metabolic adaptation which
reduces photorespiration. They do not use ribulose biphosphate
(RuBP) to fix carbon dioxide directly into the Calvin cycle. Instead,
they use phosphoenolpyruvate (PEP) to fix carbon dioxide as a four-
carbon compound, oxaloacetate. The reaction is catalysed by
phosphoenolpyruvate carboxylase (PEP, carboxylase). This enzyme
cannot combine with oxygen. Consequently C 4 plants can continue
to fix carbon dioxide even when its concentration is very low.
The leaves of C4 plants are specially adapted to carry out this
initial fixation. A ring of large closely packed cells called the bundle
sheath surrounds the leaf veins. Surrounding the bundle sheath is a
smaller ring of mesophyll cells. The distinctive arrangement is called
Kranz anatomy and can be used to identify C4 plants (“Kranz” means
crown or halo and refers to the two distinctive rings). The initial
fixation of carbon dioxide into oxaloacetate takes place in the small

151
ring of mesophyll cells. Then the oxaloacetate is converted to malate,
another four-carbon compound. Malate is transported into the
bundle sheath cells where it releases carbon dioxide. Once released,
the carbon dioxide is reassimilated by RuBP and enters the Calvin
cycle in the same way as described for C 3 plants. The metabolic
pathway that transports carbon dioxide into the bundle sheath cells
is called the Hatch-Slack pathway. As a result of this pathway, the
concentration of carbon dioxide in the bundle sheath cells is 20 to 120
times higher than normal.
C4 plants have two main advantages in hot, dry environments.
First, because PEP carboxylase has a high affinity for carbon dioxide
and does not combine with oxygen, C4 plants can continue to
photosynthesise even when their stomata are closed for long periods.
This reduces water loss and photorespiration. C 4 plants need only
about half as much water as C 3 plants for photosynthesis. Secondly,
because high carbon dioxide concentrations can
be maintained in the bundle sheath cells, C4 plants
can increase their photosynthetic efficiency.
These adaptations enable C4 plants to
outcome C3 plants in hot and very sunny
conditions, but not in temperate conditions.
Fewer than 0.5 per cent of plant species are C4
plants, yet they include economically important crops such as maize,
sugar cane, and millet.
CAM plants: photosynthesizing in the desert
Although C4 plants are well adapted to occasional periods of
drought, they cannot cope well with desert conditions. A group of
plants including cacti and pineapples have evolved a third type of
carbon dioxide fixation which enables them to survive in very dry
climates. These plants are called CAM plants. CAM is an
abbreviation for crassulacean acid metabolism, a type of metabolism
first observed in the family of plants called Crassulaceae (which
includes the stonecrops, fleshy-leaved plants that will grow on rocks
and walls).
CAM plants conserve water by only opening their stomata at
night. During the night, they fix carbon dioxide into oxaloacetate
which is converted into malate. This acts as a carbon dioxide storage

152
compound. During the day, malate releases carbon dioxide into the
Calvin cycle. This allows photosynthesis to take place on hot, dry,
sunny days, even though the stomata are closed.
CAM plants conserve water very well and are able to survive
in extremely dry conditions, but CAM plants do not photosynthesise
very efficiently. Most are very slow growing. Where there is plenty
of water, CAM plants cannot compete well with C3 and C4 plants.
CAM plants and C4 plants have a similar metabolism: carbon
dioxide is first fixed into a four-carbon intermediate before it enters
the Calvin cycle. However, in CAM plants the initial fixation and the
Calvin cycle occur at separate times, whereas in C 4 plants the initial
fixation and the Calvin cycle are separated structurally but both
occur during the day. C4 plants live in hot, very sunny, and
periodically dry environments but where lack of water is rarely a
limiting factor (partly because the plants can reduce water losses due
to their C4 metabolism) and annual rainfall is high (typically, tropical
rainforest-type climates); CAM plants are desert plants that live in
areas of very low annual rainfall. Note that C 3, C4, and CAM plants
all eventually use the Calvin cycle to make glucose from carbon
dioxide.
■ Glossary of essential terms for you to know
№ English term Indonesian equivalent
1 to thrive
2 to depend on
3 to adapt
4 to survive
5 to release
6 to breed
7 to cope with
8 photorespiratio
n
9 to fix
10 compound
11 to relate to
12 efficiently
13 temperate

153
 14 to suffer
15 sufficient
16 to escape
17 to cease
18 leaf
19 to wilt
20 to decrease
21 to combine
22 loss
23 to reduce
24 to evolve
25 to carry out
26 bundle sheath
27 vein
28 to surround
29 cell
30 initial
31 pathway
32 carboxylase
35 to increase
36 to enable
37 to compete
38 maize
39 sugar cane
40 millet
41 drought
42 desert
43 rock
44 to conserve
45 to enter
46 to occur
47 lack of
48 annual
49 rainfall
50 rainforest

■ Your Essential Assignments

154
I. Quick check

1. Name two C3 plants.

2. Why is sugar cane called a C4 plant?
3. When do CAM plants fix carbon dioxide?
4. Suggest which type of carbon dioxide fixation (C3, C4, or
CAM) is most efficient:
a. If it is not hot and sunny and the carbon dioxide level is low,
but water is freely available
b. In hot, dry and sunny climates where stomata are closed
c. In bright light and temperate regions where there is an ample
water supply.

II. Fill in the missing words:

Term (verb) Noun Adjective
adapt ....... .......
fix ....... .......
conserve ....... .......
separate ....... .......
dry ....... .......

III. Use monolingual English dictionary and write down what

could the words given below mean:
adapt, hot, dry, condition, growth, compound.
IV. Match these words with their definitions:
1 adaptation A. happening at the beginning, first
2 metabolism B. a large amount of something in one place
or area
3 cycle C. the gas produced when animals breathe
out, when carbon is burned in air or when
anima or vegetable substances decay

155
 4 initial D. a plant such as wheat, rice or fruit that is
grown by farmers, especially in order to be
eaten
5 sufficient E. the state of not having something, or not
having enough of it
6 wilt F. chemical activity in your body that uses
food to produce the energy you need to
work and grow
7. concentration G. To continue to exist in spite of many
difficulties and dangers
8. desert H. To succeed in dealing with a difficult
problem or situation
9. carbon I. the smallest part of a living thing that can
dioxide exist independently
10 survive J. As much as is needed for a particular
purpose; enough
11 crop plant K. To stop doing something or happening
12. cope with L. a number of events happening in a
regularly repeated order
13. cell M. if a plant wilt, it bends over because it is
too dry or old
14. cease N. the process by which something changes
or is changed so that it can be used in a
different way or in different conditions
15. lack of O. a large area of sand where it is always very
hot and dry

V. Give Indonesian equivalents to the following English terms:

№ English term Indonesian
equivalent
1 thrive in environments
2 cope with the demands
3 ways of fixing carbon dioxide
4 common and widely distributed
5 hot, dry environments
6 obtain sufficient carbon dioxide

156
 7 allow water to escape
8 cease photosynthesising
9 plant growth
10 the loss of
11 a special metabolic adaptation
12 leaf veins
13 the metabolic pathway
14 the bundle sheath
15 photosynthetic efficiency
16 survive in extremely dry conditions
17 occur at separate times

VI. Find synonyms among the pool of words:

Pool of words Synonym
s
1)1.thrive/2.lack/3.grow/4.absence/5.cycle/6.rotatio
n
2)1.damage/2.harm/3.cease/4.condition/5.situation
/6.finish
3)1.efficient /2.sufficient /3.ample /4.productive
4)1.annual /2.drought /3.lack of rain /4.once a year

VII. Answer the following questions. Use all information given

before:
1. Where do green plants thrive?
2. How do C3 plants fix carbon dioxide?
3. What are two major disadvantages of C3 plants in hot, dry
environments?
4. How do C4 plants fix carbon dioxide?
5. What are the bundle sheath cells?
6. What is the Hatch-Slack pathway?
7. What are two main advantages of C4 plants in hot, dry
environments?
8. What are CAM plants?
9. Why can CAM plants survive in very dry climates?

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VIII. Match the sentence halves. Make complete sentences:
1. Green plants thrive in A. open their stomata (small pores
environments ranging from in their leaves).
2. C3 plants fix carbon dioxide B. the Hatch-Slack pathway.
directly
3. To obtain sufficient carbon C. carbon dioxide is first fixed
dioxide, C3 plants must into a four-carbon intermediate
before it enters the Calvin
cycle.
4. C4 plants have evolved a D into the Calvin cycle as the
special metabolic . three-carbon compound
adaptation glycerate 3-phosphate (GP).
5. A ring of large closely E. hot and dry equatorial regions
packed cells called to freezing-cold polar regions.
6. The metabolic pathway that F. which reduces
transports carbon dioxide photorespiration.
into the bundle sheath cells
is called t
7. CAM is an abbreviation for G crassulaceae (which includes
crassulacean acid . the stonecrops, fleshy-leaved
metabolism, a type of plants that will grow on rocks
metabolism first observed and walls).
in the family of plants
called
8. CAM plants and C4 plants H the bundle sheath surrounds
have a similar metabolism: . the leaf veins.

IX. Read and translate the short text without any dictionary:
Fact of life:
Plants are not very efficient at harnessing energy from the sunlight
they receive. Under the most carefully controlled laboratory
conditions plants can reach 25% efficiency but on cloudy days the
natural photosynthetic efficiency of most individual plants is about

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0.1%. The annual winter evening primrose, Oenothera claviformis,
has the highest natural photosynthetic efficiency at 8%, closely
followed by sugar cane at 7%.

X. Food for thought:

If C4 plants have a greater photosynthetic efficiency than C 3 plants,
suggest why all plants do not have C4 metabolism.

Biology Jokes
Enjoy funny biology jokes while taking a break from serious science.
 What do you call the leader of a biology gang? - The nucleus
 Blood flows down one leg and up the other.
 The pistol of a flower is its last line of defense against insects.
 Mushrooms look like umbrellas because they grow in damp
places.
 A couple of biologists had twins. One they called John and
the other Control.
 Genetics explain why you look like your father and if you
don`t why
you should.
 When you breathe, you inspire. When you do not breathe,
you expire.
 Three kinds of blood vessels are: arteries, vanes, and
caterpillars.

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