Karl: The others beat me to it--all I can add is that autotrophs such as trees have two types of respiration: (1) photorespiration during the day, in which a portion of the carbon fixed as photosynthates is burned to keep the tree's cells functioning, but there is a net production of oxygen as a byproduct, and (2) dark respiration at night, which is very similar to respiration in animals, in which carbohydrates are burned to produce energy needed to maintain life, producing a small amount of CO2. Because trees do not maintain a constant body temperature or need energy for movement like we do, and temperatures are colder at night, dark respiration is a much slower process than for heterotrophs like us. One of the few exceptions I can think of is skunk cabbage, which in the spring does create a higher temperature than the surrounding environment so that it can melt through the snow as it grows and blooms when other plants are still dormant.
Another interesting variant are the so-called CAM plants. They take in CO2 at night (which through the crassulacean acid metabolism (or CAM) process is converted into oxaloacetic and malic acids) and then photosynthesize with their stomata closed during the day (by decarboxylating the acids accumulated during the night, thus forming and using CO2 internally by way of the Calvin cycle). Cactus and other succulents can do this, which allows them to save water by having stomata closed during the day. There are some trees that con do this, such as the Joshua tree, large cacti that take on tree form, and I have heard a report that a species of mangrove can also do it (but none of the trees in the NE US). Lee Karl Cronin wrote: > Thanks Ed! > > This is extremely useful. > > While common knowledge for ENTS, > I feel the nuances of these cycles are not part of the general > public's knowledge bank > (certainly weren't part of mine until just now). > > I look forward to shedding light on photorespiration > but comparing it to our own daily and yearly cycles. > > Cheers! > > Karl > > Karl Cronin > dry earth > > *e*: [email protected] <mailto:[email protected]> > *p*: (718)916-3528 > *w*: dryearth.org > *face*: http://tinyurl.com/dryearth > *tweet*: dryearth > * > * > > *Check out our new website!* > www.dryearth.org <http://www.dryearth.org> > > //////////////////////////////////////////////////// > > > On Mar 18, 2009, at 9:32 PM, Edward Frank wrote: > >> Karl, >> >> During the daylight the plant takes in carbon dioxide through he >> leaves. and through the process of photosynthesis produces sugars, >> and expels oxygen. Also during the same time as photosynthesis is >> taking place is the reverse process of respiration in which some of >> the oxygen and sugar is burned to produce energy and carbon dioxide.- >> an indirect method to convert light energy from the sun to chemical >> energy. Plants can only perform photosynthesis during the daytime. >> At night the trees at a slower rate absorb oxygen from the leaves and >> burns sugars producing energy and carbon dioxide that is expelled >> from the leaves. In the fall deciduous trees drop their leaves in >> the autumn in temperate climates, so they are unable to perform >> photosynthesis in the winter. They still perform respiration in order >> to use stored energy and survive during these times. >> >> So there is a day/night cycle involved and a spring through fall >> versus winter cycle. >> >> Ed >> >> --------------------------------------- >> http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2004/07/040723093305.htm >> >> ScienceDaily (July 26, 2004) — A biological process in plants, >> thought to be useless and even wasteful, has significant benefits and >> should not be engineered out -- particularly in the face of looming >> climate change, says a team of UC Davis researchers. >> >> The researchers have found that the process, photorespiration, is >> necessary for healthy plant growth and if impaired could inhibit >> plant growth, particularly as atmospheric carbon dioxide rises as it >> is globally. Their findings are published this week in the >> Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. >> >> Over the past two hundred years, scientists have come to understand >> that plants are amazing biochemical factories that harness energy >> from sunlight to convert water and carbon dioxide into sugars that >> fuel the plant, while giving off oxygen. >> >> Though elegantly simple in concept, this process, known as >> photosynthesis, is remarkably complex in detail. And for years, >> researchers have been puzzled by another process, photorespiration, >> which seems to have annoyingly associated with photosynthesis down >> the evolutionary pathway. >> >> Photorespiration has appeared to be downright wasteful because it >> virtually undoes much of the work of photosynthesis by converting >> sugars in the plant back into carbon dioxide, water and energy. >> >> Believing that photorespiration is a consequence of the higher levels >> of atmospheric carbon dioxide in long past ages, many scientists >> concluded that photorespiration is no longer necessary. Some have >> even set about to genetically engineer crop plants so that the >> activity of the enzyme that initiates both the light-independent >> reactions of photosynthesis and photorespiration would favor >> photosynthesis to a greater extent and minimize photorespiration. >> >> The result, they have thought, would be more productive crop plants >> that make more efficient use of available resources. >> >> But the new UC Davis study suggests that there is more to >> photorespiration than meets the eye and any attempts to minimize its >> activity in crop plants would be ill advised. >> >> "Photorespiration is a mysterious process that under present >> condition dissipates about 25 percent of the energy that a plant >> captures during photosynthesis," said Arnold Bloom, a professor in UC >> Davis' vegetable crops department and lead researcher on the study. >> "But our research has shown that photorespiration enables the plant >> to take inorganic nitrogen in the form of nitrate and convert it into >> a form that is useful for plant growth." >> >> The UC Davis team used two different methods to demonstrate in both >> wheat and Arabidopsis, a common research plant, that when plants are >> exposed to elevated levels of atmospheric carbon dioxide or low >> levels of oxygen -- both conditions that inhibit photorespiration -- >> nitrate assimilation in the plant's shoot slows down. Eventually, a >> shortage of nitrogen will curtail the plant's growth. >> >> "This explains why many plants are unable to sustain rapid growth >> when there is a significant increase in atmospheric carbon dioxide," >> said Bloom. "And, as we anticipate a doubling of atmospheric carbon >> dioxide associated with global climate change by the end of this >> century, our results suggest that it would not be wise to decrease >> photorespiration in crop plants." >> >> The UC Davis study was supported by the National Science Foundation, >> the U.S. Department of Agriculture and an Israel Binational >> Agricultural Research and Development Fund fellowship. >> >> -------------------------------------------------------------- >> >> >> Breathing, the inspiration and expiration of air by animals, is not >> the same as respiration. Both animals and plants respire, but plants >> neither breathe nor have specialized respiratory systems as do >> animals. In plants, gases diffuse passively into the plant (through >> the stomata or directly into the epidermal cells) where they come >> into contact with the moist cellular membranes and then move in water >> along diffusion gradients between and within cells. No special >> carriers (such as the hemoglobin of human blood) or organs (such as >> lungs or gills) aid in the diffusion. >> >> Glucose is the originating molecule for respiration; other reserve >> foods either follow different utilization pathways or, in the case of >> complex carbohydrates, are broken down to glucose before undergoing >> respiratory oxidation. >> >> >> >> > > > > --~--~---------~--~----~------------~-------~--~----~ Eastern Native Tree Society http://www.nativetreesociety.org Send email to [email protected] Visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/entstrees?hl=en To unsubscribe send email to [email protected] -~----------~----~----~----~------~----~------~--~---
