Photorespiration
Hardbiology
Photorespiration predominantly occurs in which plant type under high oxygen?
Select the correct option:
Solution
Incorrect! Answer:
C3 plants
- RuBisCO Dilemma: The enzyme RuBisCO can bind both CO2 (carboxylation) and O2 (oxygenation).
- Photorespiration: When RuBisCO binds O2 instead of CO2, it starts a wasteful process called photorespiration (C2 cycle) that consumes energy and releases CO2.
- Occurrence: This happens primarily in C3 plants when O2 levels are high or temperatures increase.
- Mechanism in C4: C4 plants have evolved to concentrate CO2 inside bundle sheath cells, effectively 'hiding' RuBisCO from O2 and thus almost entirely avoiding photorespiration.
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About This Question
- Subject
- biology
- Chapter
- plant physiology
- Topic
- photorespiration
- Difficulty
- Hard
- Year
- 2025
Solution
Correct Answer:
C3 plants
- RuBisCO Dilemma: The enzyme RuBisCO can bind both CO2 (carboxylation) and O2 (oxygenation).
- Photorespiration: When RuBisCO binds O2 instead of CO2, it starts a wasteful process called photorespiration (C2 cycle) that consumes energy and releases CO2.
- Occurrence: This happens primarily in C3 plants when O2 levels are high or temperatures increase.
- Mechanism in C4: C4 plants have evolved to concentrate CO2 inside bundle sheath cells, effectively 'hiding' RuBisCO from O2 and thus almost entirely avoiding photorespiration.
This hard difficulty biology question is from the chapter plant physiology, covering the topic of photorespiration. It appeared in the 2025 exam.
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