Activity 4.4 Plant Biosynthesis

 Environmental Literacy ProjectMichigan State University

Where are atoms moving from?

Where are atoms moving to?

The Movement Question

Which atoms and molecules move so that plants can grow through biosynthesis?

water minerals

glucose

How do glucose water, and minerals move for a plant stem cell to grow?

water minerals

glucose

What happens inside the stem cell as it grows?

Chemical change

Biosynthesis

How does a plant make the molecules that it is made of?

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Organic molecules

LARGE = Polymer SMALL = Monomers

STARCH

GLUCOSE (SUGAR)

Plants make their own organic moleculesThe result of photosynthesis is glucose, then plants use the

glucose to make other small organic molecules (MONOMERS)

GLUCOSE (SUGAR)

AMINO ACID

Plus ammonia

FATTY ACID

GLYCEROL

Comparing organic moleculesPotatoes are made of starch, protein, fiber and fat

POLYMERS

FATS(LIPID)

PROTEIN

STARCH

FIBER (CELLULOSE)

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Monomers (small organic molecules)

Red = amino acid

Yellow= glucose

Green wide = fatty acid

Green narrow = glycerol

Starting points: • Put glucose, fatty acids and glycerol in the potato plant’s

leaves.• Put amino acids in the potato plant’s roots.

Glucose, fatty acids, glycerol

Amino acids

Move the glucose, fatty acids, glycerol and amino acids to the potato through the phloem.

Glucose, fatty acids, glycerol and amino acids

What happens inside the growing potato?

Now that these materials have reached the potato, how does the plant use them to make a potato?

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Build a Potato (Biosynthesis)Build STARCH molecules by linking 5 glucose monomers.

Chemical change

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Build a Potato (Biosynthesis)Build FIBER molecules by linking 5 glucose monomers.

Chemical change

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Build a Potato (Biosynthesis)Build PROTEIN molecules by linking 5 amino acid monomers.

Chemical change

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Build a Potato (Biosynthesis)Build FAT molecules by linking 3 fatty acid monomers to 1 glycerol molecule.

Chemical change

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Polymers (large organic molecules)

FATS (LIPIDS) =link 3 fatty acid monomers to 1 glycerol

PROTEIN = 5 amino acid monomers

CELLULOSE (FIBER) = 6 glucose monomers

STARCH = 6 glucose monomers

Chemical change

Products

Protein polymer(+ water)

Reactants19

What happens to carbon atoms and chemical

energy in biosynthesis?

Amino acid monomers

Chemical change

Products

Protein polymer(+ water)

Reactants20

What happens to carbon atoms and chemical

energy in biosynthesis?

Amino acid monomers

Carbon atoms stay in organic molecules with

high-energy bonds

Chemical change

Products

Fat(+ water)

Reactants21

What happens to carbon atoms and chemical

energy in biosynthesis?

Fatty acids+ glycerol

Chemical change

Products

Fat(+ water)

Reactants22

What happens to carbon atoms and chemical

energy in biosynthesis?

Fatty acids+ glycerol

Carbon atoms stay in organic molecules with

high-energy bonds

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Identify chemical energy at an atomic molecular scale:

Which molecules have chemical energy?Molecules made

in photosynthesis:

Molecules made in potato cells:

Starch in a potato:

Molecules made in plant roots:

Example: GLUCOSE

Example: AMINO ACID

Example: PROTEIN

Example:CARBOHYDRATES

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Identify where chemical energy is located (macroscopic scale):

Use this poster to tell two stories.

Story 1: How did a carbon atom in the air get into the potato?

Story 2: how did light energy from the sun end up as chemical energy in the potato?