The diagram shows the sealed transparent box of maize at night. At night a dense crop of maize is sealed inside a transparent box. The carbon dioxide concen...
Question 1 Report
The diagram shows the sealed transparent box of maize at night.
At night a dense crop of maize is sealed inside a transparent box. The carbon dioxide concentration inside the box steadily rises. Which process best explains this rise?
Answer Details
At night there is no light, so the maize cannot photosynthesise; the only process happening in the sealed box is respiration. Living plant cells respire day and night, breaking down carbohydrates and releasing carbon dioxide, so with the box sealed this gas builds up and its concentration rises. In the light, photosynthesis would remove carbon dioxide, so it cannot explain a rise; nitrogen fixation and combustion of soil are not what is producing this gas here. Remember that plants respire continuously, and at night respiration is the only gas-exchange process going on.
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